No Woman Could Ever Keep Up With Him

Aurora Brooks POV

I was never the kind of girl who bowed her head to anyone. No one ever twisted my arm except my father. He knew exactly where I was weak. He knew my weakness was my sisters. Ivy and Amelia.

I would gladly place my neck on the gallows if it meant saving their lives.

They are strangely innocent. Their only crime is that they were born into this sick family. A house filled with endless problems, a cruel father, and scars that settled inside us the moment we first opened our eyes between these walls.

Another morning.

Another day where I wake up chasing a goal I do not want to reach.

And a face I never want to see again after what happened between us yesterday.

Before I opened the door, I heard Ivy whisper my name softly. Her voice was careful, trying not to wake anyone.

"Aurora."

I turned toward her. My hair followed the movement around my shoulders.

"Yes, Ivy."

She walked closer, her teary eyes full of guilt.

"Am I putting you in an embarrassing position, sister?"

"We will speak calmly. He needs to understand that you two love each other. His refusal will not change anything."

She nodded with shy hesitation. Her pale face told me everything. She had not slept even for a moment last night.

I gently wrapped my arm around her shoulders.

"Your beautiful eyes are red from staying awake all night. Go sleep a little, sweetheart."

She hugged me tightly. I wrapped my arms around her waist and returned the hug with warmth.

"I love you, sister."

I breathed in the scent of her hair.

"I hope that man accepts our relationship after you talk to him. Ethan told me his father is difficult to please and obsessed with details. But I hope you can convince him."

"All of this is because of that drunken bastard. I wish he would never see light again. Not even inside his grave."

I opened the door quickly while listening to her painful words without showing how much they hurt me. I turned my head toward her one last time before stepping outside.

"I am leaving now, Ivy. Take care of yourself and get some sleep."

I closed the door slowly on her exhausted face.

Meanwhile my mind was busy building dark, wicked plans about how to hide the traces of a body.

How could that man play with my sister's life in such a disgusting way? How could he ignore the feelings of his own son and the woman he loves?

Is he really that cruel?

Poor Ethan. Living under a man like that must feel like a prison.

I took a taxi to the port location my sister sent to my phone last night. The car stopped at a long road that led to the rocky harbor path.

The place was crowded with sailors. Some men wore white uniforms. Black trousers with clean white shirts that marked their profession. Their shoulders were decorated with stripes.

But I did not see anyone wearing four shining stripes and two stars.

They looked at me strangely. Like I was some kind of thief.

I quickly turned my gaze away and looked at the ocean instead. The waves crashed gently against the giant ships. The air felt calm. The view was beautiful enough to quiet the nerves.

Then a deep voice spoke in front of me.

I stopped and looked up.

"Can I help you with something, miss?"

His handsome face forced my eyes to move away quickly before I melted like butter.

"I want to meet Mr. Alexander."

He placed both hands on his waist. His black tie moved lightly with the wind. His voice carried quiet authority.

"You mean Captain Alexander."

I lowered my head slightly before lifting it again.

"Yes, sir."

He turned and started walking ahead of me. One hand slipped into his trouser pocket as he spoke in a cool tone.

"The captain is usually busy at this time of the morning. Especially today. The ships are preparing to sail again."

His fast steps forced me to walk quicker to keep up.

"He will spare a few minutes for me. I am sure of it."

He glanced at me with raised eyebrows.

"Are you two close enough for him to give you time from his tight schedule? He barely finds a moment to breathe."

I shook my head quickly, rejecting his guess.

"No. Not at all. Who would willingly get close to that controlling man?"

A quiet laugh escaped him.

He slowed down so I could catch up.

"You are not wrong there. The captain is a hard man. He does not know how to smile. And he certainly does not know how to speak gently."

He removed his cap when we reached a massive ship that made my heart tremble with both awe and fear.

"Serious. Always serious. Like a man who forgot what brakes are."

I smiled politely at his honest words while admiring the powerful design of the ship.

"What if he hears us talking about him like this?"

He pushed the heavy ship door open with ease and turned to face my surprised expression.

"Then he would punish us in a way we would not even notice."

My lips curled with pity for him. Clearly he feared his captain more than a son fears his father.

"You are wrong. No one can punish me. Not even the man you call captain. I came here to break his arrogance anyway."

My heart jumped wildly as he extended his hand toward me.

"I would not advise that, miss. You are playing with fire. And you will be the only one burned."

I looked at him with open disdain and stepped inside the ship, ignoring the hand he offered to help me.

"I can walk by myself. Do not act like a coward afraid of his leader."

He chuckled quietly as he followed my steps into a place I did not recognize.

"I speak from experience. He is my closest friend."

I froze for a moment when I understood the truth. Fear rose inside my chest. What if he repeated everything I said to Alexander?

But then laughter burst out of me when I realized something even stranger.

"So that walking psychological disaster actually has a close friend. That is shocking."

This time he did not laugh with me.

He moved ahead of me quickly and walked toward a destination I did not know.

"Follow me. And stay quiet."

I followed him through the ship's wide corridors. His shoulders were broad and his legs long. He was not as massive as his serious friend, but he still carried the kind of presence that attracted attention.

He finally stopped in front of a black iron door in the middle of a large hallway. The walls felt solid. As if there was a whole house built inside this ship.

He knocked twice.

Then the captain's voice echoed from inside.

"Come in."

The sound tore through my chest like a blade.

The man looked at me seriously.

"Do not enter until I call you. Understood?"

I hate orders.

So I muttered stubbornly.

"Why?"

One eyebrow lifted slightly. His brown eyes almost looked like mine.

"You do not belong here. My help ends when the captain decides. If he wants to see you, you enter. If he refuses, you go back where you came from."

I could not hide the mocking look in my eyes when people spoke like that.

I slowly examined him from his shoes to his short black hair.

"Fine."

His tension eased a little as he stepped inside quickly, giving me a reassuring glance.

The door remained slightly open.

"Captain. A girl wants to see you."

Alexander's voice came out low and twisted.

"What business would I have with a girl, Martin? Who is she?"

Did he really not guess for even one second that it might be me?

Aurora.

Or was he pretending not to care about what he did yesterday?

I pushed the door open hard enough that I thought it might break.

Then I stepped into his wide office with a sly smile.

"This is who."

"Aurora Brooks."