Kiss From A Rose
Visitors
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style='font-size:13.5pt;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>So, here’s the next chapter.
It’s not that much, but at least I’m able to write on (finally!)
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EN-GB'>*
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it!
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Lily
sweet. And now he has to think up for a Christmas present that will be even
better!
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Chapter
13
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Visitors
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EN-GB'>Adrian
looked out of the window in his office and watched the first snowflakes of the
winter falling silently while he thought about the past weeks. The start of the
season had been as good as he could have wished for. So far, the
had won each game.
style='font-size:13.5pt;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
style='font-size:13.5pt;mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>Angelina
course accompanied him to all the matches and Julia had – just as it was
expected with her family background – liked Quidditch immediately.
style='font-size:13.5pt;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
style='font-size:13.5pt;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>After the first game
as well as thanked him for his assistance in the birthday present. Julia had
stayed at
EN-GB'>’s side, eyeing the other man suspiciously, watching his every move as
he talked to her sister.
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EN-GB'>Adrian
was brought back from his thoughts when the door to his office opened and
someone entered.
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style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“I
hate December! Why has it to be so cold?” Camille asked
EN-GB'>Adrian
and smiled sweetly at him.
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style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“Camille,
what do you want here?”
EN-GB'> asked and to judge by his voice he was anything but pleased with seeing
her.
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style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“Oh
EN-GB'>, is that a way to greet a friend?”
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EN-GB'>Adrian
didn’t reply but merely raised his eyebrows at her when she came forward and
took of her hat and gloves before she sat down on one of the chairs in front of
his desk.
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style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“I
came to give you a friendly advice.” Camille said and smiled her sicken sweet
smile at him.
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style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“I
can’t remember having asked you for advice in anything.”
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style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“See,
and still here I am, offering it to you.” Camille said and stroke
her hand over her skirt as though to smooth some imaginary wrinkles.
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style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“What
do you want Camille?”
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style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“Oh
EN-GB'>, I don’t want anything. How can you think so ill of me? As I said, I
came to help you. There have some very unpleasant truths about your wife come
to my notice.”
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“And
what truths might that be?”
EN-GB'>Adrian
asked in a tired voice, hoping she would leave soon.
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style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“I’ve
learned that she has been a stripper and a prostitute while she lived in
EN-GB'>Argentina
EN-GB'>. Did you know that? No, of course not. You
would never endanger your families reputation by
marrying a cheap whore.” She looked at him from underneath her lashes before
she continued.
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style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“And
so I decided to come here and tell you the truth about her. It’s always better
to here this from a friend than… lets say read it in the newspaper one morning,
don’t you agree with me? Under the given circumstances I think even your dear
grandmother will agree to a divorce – or better yet, an annulment of this
marriage. Just imagine the scandal should anyone find out about your wife’s
former…profession.”
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EN-GB'>Adrian
narrowed his eyes at the woman in front of him and slowly lifted himself up
from his seat, his hands resting on the desk.
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style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“Leave.
And stay away from my wife and my family. I won’t let you continue telling lies
about Angelina
EN-GB'>.”
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EN-GB'>Adrian
voice wasn’t showing any signs of his anger and thus Camille didn’t think of
believing his threats at all. But she did understand that
EN-GB'>Adrian
was not going to get rid of his wife so easily. This bitch must have cursed him
or something, for there was no other explanation for
EN-GB'>Adrian
to choose her over Camille.
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style='font-size:13.5pt;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“Why would you want to stay
married to her? What could she possibly possess that I don’t have twice as much
of? Or do you just enjoy having your personal whore?” Camille asked furiously,
every sign of her smile gone from her face. But
EN-GB'>Adrian
still stayed absolutely calm, only his eyes narrowed more when he spoke.
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style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“Camille
you couldn’t compete with her
EN-GB'> if your life depended on it.
EN-GB'> has dignity, intellect and most of all a heart. To make it short, she
has everything you lack. And you would do better to leave my office this
instant. Go and spread your venom somewhere else!”
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“That’s
not all there is. There is another reason why you hold onto her.”
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“None
you would ever understand and now leave or I’ll have you removed from this
stadium.”
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style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>This
time Camille did as she was told and left but not without promising herself to
get her will, one way or another.
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style='font-size:13.5pt;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>When the door closed behind
her
EN-GB'> sat down and tried to repress his anger. But the fates seemed to think
he could need some more visitors today. Or at least one more
visitor.
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style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“What
have you done to Camille? I swear I’ve never seen her almost running
somewhere.”
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EN-GB'>“If you have pity with her, how about you marry her.
EN-GB'> She would be the perfect wife as my mother so often told me.”
EN-GB'>Adrian
greeted Marcus when his old captain walked into his office.
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style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“No,
thank you, I know less cruel ways of ending my life.”
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style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“Why
are you here?”
EN-GB'> asked, wanting his solitude back as soon as possible.
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style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“I
came to remind you of the dinner next weekend.”
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style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“Still
not found a way around that one?”
EN-GB'>Adrian
now asked with something like a smile on his face while Marcus glared at him.
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style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“No,
my parents made sure that this tradition would not die with them. So, remember
EN-GB'>.” When he saw the look on
EN-GB'>Adrian
face he stopped.
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“You
aren’t thinking of staying away, are you? You have to come. And
if you only do it for your wife. Think of all the amusing stories we
could tell her.”
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“That
is exactly one of the reasons I don’t want to come. I remember very well when
Higgs brought his wife for the first time to your annual dinner.”
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>Marcus
grinned and leaned back in the chair.
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“Ah,
sweet memories… Does your wife already know about your fifth year? Or rather
that one special day in your fifth year; when you saw Johnson kissing one of
those Weasels and drank so much fire whisky that you threw up in the end? We
had never guessed how hard your crush on her was. But I have to admit, even
better than seeing you lying there on your bed murmuring some
words was knowing that the Weasels had to serve
detention because Montague had told Snape they had put something into your drink at dinner and
that that was the reason you had thrown up.”
style='font-size:13.5pt;mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>
EN-US'>Adrian
eyes had narrowed more and more while Marcus retold that old story.
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>“She
will never hear about this!”
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>“Ah,
come on, I’m sure she’d like it.”
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>“You
won’t. Or I will tell anyone of that ‘incident’ in your first seventh year…” At
this Marcus’s grin vanished and both knew that no one would ever tell Angelina
about this.
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style='font-size:13.5pt;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~@~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“Are
you sure that your wife is even able to have children?”
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style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“Good
evening mother.”
EN-GB'> replied as he entered the house.
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style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“I
tell you, had you married Camille, she would for sure be already pregnant by
now.”
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style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“Mother,
please…”
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“Your
Cousin Maitland and his wife, Felicienne, are expecting a child in about six
months. And you know what it’ll mean if they have a boy!”
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EN-GB'>Adrian
wasn’t really listening anymore as he climbed the stairs. He walked towards his
bedroom and opened the door. The first thought that came to his mind was ‘
EN-US'>Angelina
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“Are
you unwell?” he asked and came to her side of the bed.
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“It’s
nothing serious. Just a cold, the flu at most.”
EN-US'>Angelina
at him.
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style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“Nothing
a few days’ rest won’t heal.”
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EN-GB'>Adrian
frowned at this and felt Angelina
EN-GB'>’s forehead.
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“I’m
going to have a doctor looking at you tomorrow.” He decided and stroke over her
hair.
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“That’s
not necessary.” Angelina
EN-GB'> assured him but
EN-GB'>’s mind was already set.
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“I
would feel better if a doctor saw you and you won’t leave the bed until he told
you it’s alright to.”
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style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>Angelina
EN-GB'> shook her head and rolled her eyes at this exaggerated protectiveness.
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“Promise
me.”
EN-GB'> urged.
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“I
promise.” Angelina
EN-GB'> replied, way too tired to argue now and closed her eyes to go back to
sleep.
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