Cal was furious with his business partners; another one of them had gone bankrupt. This was the one bad thing now happening in his life. But that Rose was back in his live now, all made up for it.
Of course Cal too had to pay his credits, but he didn't even think that sometime the same thing could happen to him. All those stupid partners of his just didn't know how to hold their money together. Cal knew what was expected of him, he didn't think of reducing his lifestyle, moreover not only his, for there was Rose of course too and her mother. True Cal didn't love Rose, he was just a price, but she was still his wife and his wife needed to be dressed accurately, she couldn't run around like some peasant woman. What would people think?
Last week his old Harvard colleague George Hayward had gone bankrupt. His company had produced some dishes, lamps and things like these. People surely had other things they needed more than lamps. But they always needed steel. The economy needed it to build up houses and the military needed it to make weapons to destroy these houses again. Cal didn't have any moral doubts to earn money with the death of other people. After all anyone had to die some day and Cal couldn't care less about any of those filthy rats normally reduced to front soldiers – being simply called cannon fodder.
He had brought Rose some knew dresses and jewelry. She needed to be the best looking woman in New York's high society. He wanted every other man to be stunned. Cal was still very jealous, he kept watching her every step or told Mr. Bullock to do so. And there was also Ruth of course.
Cal had never liked her very much, her shrill voice, her complaining about all those silly things like clothes. No wonder there were no more woman rulers in the world for they would've thought more about the garments of their soldiers then their guns. He would've long thrown her out, if it hadn't been for Rose. He tried to visit her in bed every day and night, but yesterday he couldn't because those stupid George had come to visit him to discuss his financial situation with him.
Cal had just looked annoyed. George had obviously thought Cal would lend him some money.
'I'm not a bank'- Cal had told him.
George had been sad, but also understood. He still had some money saved up, also his wife had some. She had worked as a teacher long before and was going back to this now. They needed the money. Cal had just laughed over this.
God forbid that my wife should start to work.
He'd never allow this. But George didn't have those high moral standards. His wife had sold all her exclusive dresses and jewels to make up to their debtors.
'We're going to move to some cheaper parts of the city or maybe even to another country, where everything isn't so expensive', George had said.
He then had tried to beg Cal again with giving him money. He said something about that he really needed them. Cal however knew better. There was another thing he had learned from his father: Don't try to save a dead horse. It was actually an old Indian proverb, meaning that broken things couldn't be fixed anymore; they'd never look the same again. Cal was sure of course that this couldn't happen to his company.
Rose would've wanted to help people in need, working with Molly again at the shelter for the poor, but Cal rejected it. If he'd allow her to meet Molly, there was a good chance that she would meet Jack as well. And Cal couldn't let these happen. Rose's only duty now was to look pretty and enjoyed Cal's life, which included bed activity too. Cal wondered if Rose was also so stiff, when sleeping with Jack, but inside he knew that she wasn't. Even if he had her back now, there was still the problem called Jack Dawson. Cal had promised Rose that no harm be done to Jack. He was a man to his word, so he attended to keep that promise at least for now – the change all depended on Rose and her actions.
If she should reject me once, her little gutter rat will have to pay for it.