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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