Chapter 3

Her mother snarled first, pointing at the intruder, 

"What is he doing here?" 

She watched the blood drain from her father's face as he moved towards his wife, "Look, Miriam, can you not just overlook this? Just for today ?" 

"Overlook this?!" Her mother screamed then, snatching her hand away from his. "You want me to overlook your bastard trampling into our home!?"

The entire room fell silent, if a pin dropped you would've heard it. Her eyes flickered to the subject of dismay,

He looked like he was enjoying the whole show, there was a shit-eating grin on his face and when his eyes fell on mine, I swallowed.

"The boy will stay and that is it!" Her father barked suddenly, startling her.

Her mother scoffed, shaking her head in disappointment, "You invited him here, didn't you? What were you thinking?"

"He's my son! Of course, he has every right to be here!" 

"Your son!?" She screamed back, dabbing a finger at his chest, "You mean the bastard you brought to this world after cheating on me with that whore?" 

"Miriam!?" He barked loudly, rage apparent on his features.

The two of them glared at each other, their chests rising and falling rapidly. This wasn't an unusual scene, they acted like this every time her stepbrother decided to waltz into the house,

Evan Michaels Rochester, also known as the bastard son.

The black sheep in the family. Born out of a scandalous night between her father and his seductive mother, or at least that was what her mother made everyone believe.

That Evan's mother was a cheap whore who seduced her father into her bed and trapped him with a baby thinking that she'd hit the jackpot. 

But that wasn't the truth, the whole thing happened in reverse. Her father was a dirty philanderer who couldn't keep it inside his pants and tricked Evan's mother into his bed after lying that he was single. Their resulting relationship brought forth a child, and her father did what every filthy rich businessman would've done,

He gave them money and begged her to stay away. But of course, his mother didn't, because eleven years ago, they showed up on our doorstep and she was introduced to a brother she never knew she had. There was no need for a DNA test, he had the prominent Rochester eyes; pale green like her father and hers.

But her mother wouldn't have it, she raged and threw a fit, threatening to throw the 'whore' in jail for defamation. So a test was done and the result showed positive. Needless to say, her mother was devastated...and furious. Her father sent them off but made sure they lived well, their lives went back to normal and everything was forgotten. Until it happened, Evan's mother died and her father had to take responsibility for his son.

Our home had never been the same since that day.

Evan stalked forward, a large grin on his face. He dipped into a mock bow, and then winked, "I hope I'm not too late for the party."

Aunty Clara scoffed. Aurora felt Matt stiffen beside her and she craned her neck to look at him. Discomfort was evident on his features and she gently bumped her elbow against his,

When his eyes flickered to hers, she tried for a small, tight smile, "It's fine." 

Almost instantly, he blew out a relieved breath and smiled back, "Thank you." He whispered.

She watched as he walked over to his mother, whispering into her ear. Aunty Clara took his hand in hers, pulling him towards her mother, she muttered something and then offered Aurora a kind wave before running off.

It was only the four of them now. Her parents were still screaming at each other's faces. The maids were looking skittish. And Evan was touching everything he could find.

And her?

Well, she was tired and all the shouting was making her dizzy. One would think years of watching them quarrel would've made her used to the scene already, but each time it happened, she always felt drained.

So, she quietly slipped away from there and retreated to her room. Aurora shut the door softly and clambered onto her bed, once her head hit the pillows, she let out a soft sigh.

Matt Traynor.

The very thought of him brought a smile to her face and she traced her lips with a finger. Matt had to have noticed her like truly noticed her. She was no longer the scrawny little girl from before, she was grown now and had filled out in the right places. This was the perfect opportunity for both of them to be together.  

She giggled at that, how crazy would that be? If two of them got hitched, her mother would be over the moon for sure. It was her lifelong dream, after all.

She heard a light creaking sound and jumped, a crease forming on her forehead,

"Are you lost?" 

His lips curled into a smirk and he leaned against the closed door, "No, I think I'm in the right place. You're Aurora Rochester, right?"

She scoffed, rolling her eyes at the sarcasm in his tone, "Very funny. What do you want, Evan?"

He lifted a shoulder, eyes roaming around the room, "Can't I stop and see how my sister is doing?" He walked further into the room, playing with the items on her cabinet.

She scoffed again, rising to her feet. She snatched the perfume bottle from his hand and snarled at him,

"Half-sister. And that doesn't give you the right to enter my room without knocking." 

He gave her a crooked grin, gently grabbing her chin with his fingers. "Is that any way to talk to your baby brother?"

She pushed him away, scrubbing the spot where he'd touched. Aurora had never liked Evan, and it wasn't because of the status of their relationship. Evan was an eccentric person, he said and did things that were questioning. Not to mention, she always had the creeps whenever she saw him.

"Don't touch me," She spat, scowling in irritation. 

Evan barked out a short laugh, throwing his head back. When he looked at her, his eyes zeroed in on her neck,

"You wouldn't have minded if I were another person."  

She gave him a confused look, "What do you-"

"This," He pointed at a spot on the side of her neck and she touched the area, wincing at the soreness, "Did

you get a hickey from dancing?" 

She paled at the question and his smirk widened.