The phone vibrated and rang on the table. It wasn't long before Rose rushed in to answer it, discovering that it was John calling.
Her heart pounded in fear, but at this moment, she shouldn't be the one afraid—John should be the one trembling after committing such a crime and knowing the punishment he would face if they reported him.
However, his call was what mattered. Before she could decide what to do, she needed to pick up the phone and understand why he was calling.
Seeing the call, she immediately grabbed the phone. "Rosemary! Over here!" she called out to her twin sister, who quickly stepped into the room.
"What's going on?" Rosemary asked.
"It's John. He's calling," Rose replied. Rosemary snatched the phone from her hand, checking the screen to confirm. It was surprising that John still had the audacity to call them after what he had done.
"He called? I can see... maybe he's calling to beg for his pathetic life," Rosemary said as she answered the call.
"Hello? Perhaps you dialed a wrong number?" she asked, immediately putting the phone on speaker.
"Oh yeah, maybe you're right, but you could be wrong too! I know for sure that I called Roseline. Why is Mary the one picking up? Oh, right, Roseline has gone missing, hasn't she?" John replied. Roseline and Rosemary exchanged stunned glances.
They couldn't believe how comfortable John sounded on the phone. There was no remorse in his voice for what he had done; he sounded brave. If he wasn't expressing regret, it likely meant he was calling to issue more threats.
As they stared at each other in disbelief, Roseline chose to remain silent, while Rosemary was the one to respond.
"Is that what you wished? She should be lost instead of you not having her in your bed? You are just a pretender! You're a monster; you proved it when you tried to rape me!" Mary said to him, and they expected him to start pleading, but instead, they heard him chuckle over the phone.
"Hmm, that’s quite right! I’m a monster! Oh yes, but what about your sister? All she does is lie to people, take their money, and get away with it without providing the service she promised. As a matter of fact, I’m a victim!" he replied.
Rose and Mary exchanged glances, clearly confused. They didn’t understand what he was talking about; it seemed like he was plotting something.
"What exactly does that mean? You’re her victim? She's the one who's a victim! You never loved her; you only wanted to have her in bed," Mary shot back.
"Exactly! I never said I loved her, but she made me a promise. We had a deal! She was supposed to give me her virginity, and in exchange, I would take care of her. But now she has failed to keep her end of the bargain! She will face the law! Wait a minute, I have something for you," he said as the phone went silent. Rose and Mary stared at each other in disbelief.
Now they could see what he was trying to do—he was twisting the story against them because he was a creep.
"I..." Rosemary began, but just then, John's voice broke through the silence on the phone again.
It seemed to be a recording of the night she promised John that she would give him her virginity as birthday gift. But before that, he had to prove himself worthy of her trust and love. Only then would she let him in.
Honestly, based on how she expressed herself, it was never as straightforward as it sounded in the recording. In the voice note, it seemed like they were making a deal, but back then, they were just sharing kisses and sweet conversations. She never realized that John had other hidden motives.
As they listened to the voice note, Mary and Rose stared at each other with their mouths wide open, realizing they were in deep trouble that they might not escape from anytime soon.
"You heard it clearly! I advise you to tell your sister to comply with our negotiations and do what’s necessary, or else she will spend her entire life in jail," John’s voice came through immediately after the recording ended.
"I thought you had called so you could apologize! I can see you seriously talking about my sister and threatening her without knowing that I can threaten you too! You tried to rape me, and you know the..."
She was still talking when John interrupted.
"What evidence do you have? You have no proof! Look, I have no quarrel with you. All I want is for you to advise your sister to come over to my place, and she must be a virgin. It's essential so I can enjoy her fully."
"You are a monster! I thought I knew you! You are a monster!" Roseline yelled angrily.
"Oh! Lost but found! I thought you were lost! I'm glad you're back now; it makes things easier for both of us! I give you just two days to show up at my place! After that... well, before then..." he said, then hung up the phone.
Mary and Rose stared at each other weakly. At that moment, there was nothing they could do! John had them right in his trap.
Maybe Mary could have had a better chance to deal with him, but she didn't have any evidence. How was she supposed to convince people? But wait... something suddenly struck her mind when she thought of witnesses.
She just remembered that the people inside the house during the party saw when she ran out, and then John chased her. Even though they didn't see everything directly from how it started, but they could stand as witnesses.
If they testified that they saw John chasing her out of his room, it would be up to John to explain why he was after her, and that could help capture him. Even if he tried to deny it, it would still be significant.
"I'm finished! I'm so scared right now. Mary, do you think I have any option but to go see him and give him what he wants?" Rose said.
"I forbid it! You will give your virginity willingly to whoever you love. You will not give it to a monster like John," Mary replied, her voice firm, though Rose was already full of tension.
And that was yet another difference between the two of them. Mary was always strong-hearted and determined whenever she spoke, while Roseline could easily be persuaded to do things she didn’t want to do.
"Then how are we supposed to handle this now? We both heard all the accusations he made against me; you know I can't deny any of it with no evidence."
"Yes, but I will fight for you. When he tried to assault me, I ran out of the house after managing to kick him. There were men inside that building when he chased me. Finn was there; he can stand as a witness. So do not be afraid! He won't do anything to you," Mary promised as they hugged each other.
At this moment, it was becoming too tough on Roseline, and there was only one thing on her mind right now: Sam. Maybe she could just run to Sam and live forever with him in the forest, in the protection of her own life, while being with someone she was already in love with.