Did You Set the Engagement Party Date?

Aurora Brooks POV

Before he could answer, loud knocks hit the door. Hard, yet oddly controlled. I quickly pulled my leg off his waist, and he regained his dark authority as he walked toward the door.

I spoke while fixing the front of my dress.

"Come in."

The door burst open.

My father stood there with bloodshot eyes, looking like he could swallow me whole in one bite.

"Your punishment will be harsh. Wait until our guests leave. I will make you regret coming home late."

My face burned with embarrassment. Not because I was scared. But because I did not want a man like him to hear our legendary argument.

This was not the first time he had threatened me like this. And he never breaks his promises.

I lowered my head in shame.

My father grabbed a shoe from beside the door and hit me with it.

I lifted my eyes toward the captain. He was watching me with sharp, cutting eyes.

"Do not be late."

My father slammed the door and left.

Alexander slipped his hands into his pockets. After a moment of quiet thought, he raised one hand and adjusted a loose strand of my hair.

Butterflies fluttered wildly in my chest.

The feeling died the second he walked away.

I watched the broad shape of his shoulders and the powerful lines of his body as he left, as if I were taking silent pictures of him to store inside my mind.

I walked to the closet and took out a caramel colored dress. I did not want to wear the expensive dress we had bought earlier today.

Instead, I gathered the long sides of my bangs and pinned them back with small shining butterfly clips.

I brushed lip gloss over my lips.

Then I went downstairs.

Everyone was gathered around the dinner table. The smell of delicious food filled the room.

My mother is a wonderful cook. It is the thing she does best, right after sewing dresses.

I glanced at my father. His dark eyes were studying my appearance.

He was comparing me to Ivy again.

I knew exactly what he was thinking. He would probably tell me soon about his plan to steal her fiancé away from her.

My sister is beautiful. I do not understand why he always insists on comparing us.

Mister Alexander's eyes secretly danced across my bare shoulders while I sat down in my chair.

I lowered my gaze and noticed a young girl smiling at me with innocent eyes.

I leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek.

"Hello, pretty girl."

She answered in a soft voice. I watched her father move coldly beside her without a smile.

"Hello."

My sister spoke in a quiet voice, introducing me to her new family.

"This is my sister Aurora."

My eyes caught the captain trying to pick up a piece of meat.

His hand was trembling.

It made the simple action difficult.

He must have nerve problems. Old scars that still live inside his body. It was obvious.

So I asked him quietly.

"Captain, do you need help?"

He gave me a deadly look.

I swallowed the food in my mouth quickly.

"Sorry."

He nodded stiffly, deep lines forming on his forehead.

I reached forward, took his plate, and filled it with the food he wanted. Then I placed it back beside him.

The tight way he held his fists told me something was wrong.

He was trying to stop the shaking in his hands.

But he could not.

"Enjoy your meal, Captain."

He cleared his throat proudly and avoided looking at me.

The moment Ethan started talking about the engagement date, everyone grew quiet.

The captain's son spoke calmly to his father.

"Dad, have you decided the date for the engagement party?"

Before he could even finish the first word, I interrupted. My voice sounded louder than I meant it to, maybe because the room had been so silent.

"I think the decision should belong to you and Ivy."

I could hear his breathing turn rough.

The knife in his fingers looked like it might snap from how hard he was gripping it.

His answer came cold and dismissive, crushing the look I gave him.

Mister Alexander muttered in a rough voice that strangely touched every string of my femininity and my heart.

"We will talk later, Ethan. All I can say for now is that Ivy is an innocent girl."

He gave me a cold glance.

My cheeks burned.

Studying the shape of his eyes and the firm line of his mouth suddenly felt like the best thing I had done all day.

"She is sweet. And sensible."

Ethan smiled proudly. Then he took my sister's hand with love.

"I knew you would like her."

But Alexander's gaze still devoured my exposed shoulders.

Everything about me seemed to pull his eyes back to my face, my body, every detail.

I could not believe this was the same man who had just tried to pull me into his bed.

He sighed with tired dignity.

"I like her very much."

After Ethan's family finally left, I stood at the window watching them.

I saw Alexander get into his Porsche, ready to drive away.

Only seconds passed before my father's voice exploded through the house.

"Aurora, you whore."

My father's scream echoed through the house.

Outside, Alexander lifted his head from his car and looked toward the window where I stood.

My thoughts were too messy to read his expression. I could not tell if he was amused or annoyed.

Most likely, he was not pleased.

Ivy and Amelia quickly ran away from my side.

The door burst open so violently it nearly broke off its hinges.

My shaking legs made it impossible to control my terrified body.

I had never felt fear like this before.

It was so strong I almost wanted to jump out the window and let death take me.

"So you are here."

He walked toward me with fast steps that smelled like burning ash.

He was on fire.

And he would burn me with him.

My voice trembled as I looked at Ivy and Amelia, who were watching in fear.

"What did I do wrong this time?"

A dark smile spread across his face.

I literally jumped when he suddenly grabbed my hair and yanked me downward.

Ivy cried out.

"Dad no. Please let her go."

When she grabbed his arm, he struck her across the face with the back of his hand without even thinking.

His furious voice roared at her.

"Stay out of this. I will deal with you later for wearing this whore outfit in front of a respectable family like theirs."

Rage exploded inside me when he hit my sister.

"Your problem is with me. Leave her alone, you bastard."

His fist smashed into my head.

Pain exploded inside my skull. The impact was so strong I nearly blacked out.

"Your tongue has grown long, you little whore. Now you speak in front of your betters and walk into this house whenever you please."

He grabbed my hair again and dragged me toward the stairs.

Then he added with the same cruel cunning that always shocked me, as if I were not his own daughter.

"You come home late so our guests think you are a street rat. You want to ruin my reputation with your sister's future father in law."

He dragged me down the stairs.

The pain crushed every word inside my mouth.

"You missed your torture room, did you not? I will let you sleep there for three days straight."