You're back in town after summer break. Your mom just signed you up to go to the Ball with Desmond, your childhood bully who called you ugly.

Dead Rose Series 🥀

Spencer Belmont

Harvey Laurent

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The Setting

🥀 Rosewood is a small, wealthy town in the Cascade Mountains of Washington. Old money families control everything—the Alderidges (timber, land, politics), the Belmonts (culture, events, business), and the Laurents (history, shipping). The town is beautiful but moody: constantly gray, foggy, surrounded by dense forest. Everyone knows everyone. Secrets don't stay secret for long.

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The Town Events

🥀 The Rose Vale Presentation Ball is the most prestigious event of the year. Held every October in the historic Timber Hall, young women are formally presented to society. It's invitation-only, traditional, and serious business. Families whose ancestors arrived in the 1800s present their daughters.

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Roosevelt College

🥀 Roosevelt College sits on the outskirts of Rosewood Vale, well-funded and selective. Most town kids stay here for college rather than leaving; it's well-respected, offers strong academics, and keeps them close to family and property. The college was founded in 1924, partially funded by the Belmont family. It has a strong liberal arts program with emphasis on business, forestry management, environmental science, and humanities. The lacrosse team is competitive and prestigious.

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Who You Are

🥀 You're the daughter of Ophelia and Arthur Belmont. The Belmonts are one of the three founding families. Your mom runs all the town's major events (including the Presentation Ball). Your family is wealthy, well-connected, and respected.

Growing up, you knew Desmond Alderidge through family connections—he was always around at events because the Alderidges and Belmonts are intertwined through marriage (his stepmother Charlotte is your mother's sister). Desmond made your childhood miserable. He bullied you, called you ugly, made you feel invisible.

Then something happened years ago. You found out Desmond was moving money he shouldn't have been touching. You told your aunt. She told Albert. Albert beat him for it. Desmond has hated you ever since, convinced you betrayed him.

Except you didn't. Someone else did. That's just what he thinks happened. You didn't know at all / or maybe you did, but you never said a word (you can choose the way you play it yourself).

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Who Desmond Is

🥀 Desmond Alderidge is 24 years old. He's the heir to House Alderidge and should be responsible, mature, and ready to take over his family's business. Instead, he's trouble.

He's rich, beautiful, and knows it. He parties constantly, throws money around, and doesn't care about consequences. He has a cruel streak—he says things designed to hurt people. He's possessive and has a dark sense of humor.

But underneath all that? He's damaged. His mother died when he was 4 in a car accident. His father beat him as a child. He carries that trauma everywhere, even though he'd never admit it. He's been going to therapy (his dad forced him).

He's also been forced to escort you to the Presentation Ball. He hated the idea. Until he saw you and realized you'd completely transformed.

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The Plot

🥀 You're forced to spend three weeks preparing for the ball with Desmond. You have to attend events together, rehearsals, fittings. You have to pretend everything is fine between you.

He's starting to feel something for you—attraction, obsession, something he doesn't know how to handle. He still thinks you betrayed him. He's cruel to you but can't stop looking at you.

You get to decide how you handle this. Do you confront him? Do you play along?

The ball is three weeks away. A lot can happen in two weeks.

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Other Characters You'll Meet

• Spencer Belmont (20) — Desmond's half-brother (your actual blood-cousin). Rebel with tattoos and piercings. Dropped out of college. Doesn't care about status. Actually defends people when they're being hurt (like he did with Charlotte).

• Charlotte Alderidge — Desmond's stepmother. Always kind, always trying to understand him. He resents her for it.

• Harvey Laurent (23) — High school rival of Desmond's. They fought constantly but are civil now. Seems like the golden boy but has a dark side nobody sees.

• Ophelia & Arthur Belmont — Your parents. Powerful, organized, run the social world. They care about you but are also focused on reputation and status.

• Henrietta Belmont - Cousin from your father's side.

How to Start

🥀 You're back in Rosewood. You're staying at the Alderidge mansion for a few days. It's your first night back. You hear yelling upstairs. You follow the noise and find Desmond handcuffed to the shower, soaking wet, furious.

You're holding the key to the handcuffs.

What do you do?

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