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♞ Adrian: I slid my car keys into my pants pocket before looking up at the mansion before me. A deep breath escaped my lips and I ran my fingers through my neatly brushed hair, before making my way inside. I hated this house. I didn't like coming here. Neither do I like the memories it pulls coming here. My father’s message had been unclear to me. All it read was: 'Come home, Adrian. There’s something we need to discuss.' When I read the message first thing I woke up this morning, I almost canceled on it. My intention was to cover it up with me being out on a buisness meeting. But at the last moment, I decided to just come around. Besides, I had a certain other business to handle with someone in this house. The butler opened the door the second I stepped onto the porch, like he'd been waiting all day. “Welcome home.” He greeted with a nod, which I returned before he glanced inside, “They’re in the lounge.” I almost asked where else would they be? Probably perched on those pret
♛ Aurora: I stood by the door, my gaze remained on Trish as I noticed her brows pulled together. After a moment of silence, she finally looked up and her gaze landed straight on me. I glanced down at my phone in her hands. What message was sent? If it was one from an unknown number, then I wouldn't know what to say to her, and Trish would certainly demand an explanation. She wouldn't be happy that I kept it from her. My throat felt tight as I took a step further, and towards where she was standing, “I promise I can explain.” I dived face first into trying to clear the air. Trish narrowed her eyes at me, “Rory…” her words trailed and she glanced down at the phone again, before looking up. Her eyes watched me carefully, and she dropped my phone to the bed, before letting out a deep restrained breath, “Rory, you need to tell me what's going on.” I swallowed the lump stuck to my throat, and my fingers tightened around my tooth brush which was in my hand. “Talk to me before I jump i
♞ Adrian: My fist tightened around his collar, and his fingers gripped my hands, trying to pry them off. “Can you fucking tell me what this is about before choking me to death?” Gabriel’s sharp eyes met mine. “I deserve to at least know what I've done wrong this time.” “Killing you here and right now would just make everything better for me, you know?” I asked, watching the change in his expression. I had received a call from Giovanni after I left Rory with my Dmitri and Leon yesterday to attend a meeting. I wasn't sure how he got it done, but he had somehow figured out that my step-brother was also pulling the reins behind the collapse at the site. Why he was doing it? I had no fucking idea. But he’ll eventually tell me if he wants to live. “How long did you think it would take me to find out you are somehow connected to Vincent Rein?” I asked him, tightening my hands around his collar. Gabriel's brows pulled together, and he blew out a breath. His frown deepened an
♛ Aurora: I arrived at my workplace an hour later than usual. The elevator was silent, safe for Bonnie absentmindedly tapping her feet beside me. I don't think she realized she was even doing it, her gaze was rooted to the screen of her iPad. I spared her a side glance, and pressed my lips into a thin line, before glancing at the count of numbers to the top stairs. A deep sigh escaped my lips, and I shut my eyes close for a moment. Adrian and I had come to the conclusion that it was better to feign ignorance for the meantime till we are able to track every single person connected to the collapse on site. While I didn't completely agree at first, it later dawned on me that it was the only best option we had, at least for now. So, somehow I agreed to act oblivious to it for the next couple of weeks. By then, I would also keep an eye on Bonnie’s every movement. Eventually, she’ll make a mistake that would be too big to hide. I brushed my fingers through my hair, and a deep sigh es
♛ Aurora: With my arms crossed to my chest, I stared blankly at the person sitting in front of me. “You know, there could have been other methods you could reach out to me than this, right?” “I know.” He responded. And added almost immediately, “Do you realize how long I've been trying to reach out to you? you weren't answering my calls, neither were you replying to my text messages. And from the last time, you did warn me to not bypass your receptionist without an appointment.” My brows furrowed tightly, “You never texted me. Nor called.” I dropped my gaze to my phone and picked it up, before reaching out for it. “I did.” “Noah, you didn't.” “I swear, I called you and texted numerous number of times.” Scrolling through the call logs of my missed calls. I didn't see any message or missed calls from his number which I had saved to my phone. I looked up at him with a frown, “There’s no message or missed calls from you here.” Noah looked offended, his brows pulled tog
♞ Adrian: “Come in.” Rory’s voice answered from inside. My gaze dropped briefly to her assistant, who knocked and stepped aside. Gabriel's words from earlier rang continuously in my thoughts, and I fought hard to push them aside. Without a word, I pushed the door open and walked inside. The moment I did, my gaze locked on Rory’s. She was sitting behind her desk, a glass of water in hand, a thoughtful expression in her eyes. But the second her eyes met mine, something flickered. Something close to surprise at my sudden presence. I wasn’t sure. A warm feeling settled in my chest, and I spared her a small smile, which she returned, “Adrian.” The smile on my face vanished as quick as it came when I noticed the man sitting across from her, as he turned slightly, just enough for me to get a clear view of his face. My brows creased into a tight frown. What the fuck was he doing here? What was his name again, Nath? Norman? Noahm Actually, I didn't give a damn what his name was. F
♛ Aurora: Unlike the soft kiss from last night, this one was demanding in a different way. In an entirely different way. Adrian clung to me, pulling our bodies closer to each other as he tilted his head and deepened the kiss. He nibbled my lower lips softly, demanding for access into my mouth. My eyes flickered open and landed on his closed eyes, like he was pouring out every single conflicted emotion he was feeling into the kiss. I opened my mouth slowly, giving him access and soon as I did, Adrian's tongue slid into my mouth, searching for mine. He looked like he wanted to say something to me, but was finding it difficult to voice and instead chose this method of clinging to one another like our lives depended on it. “Adrian,” I called his name, not because I wanted to stop, but because I wanted him to talk to me instead of bottling whatever he was hiding. I swallowed the words stuck to my throat, when his hands which had been on my waist slid lower to my backside.
♛ Aurora: My breasts pressed against his hard, warm abs and a shiver rolled through me. I wanted his shirt off. God, I wanted it off. He ran his face up and down my neck, as though savouring the moment. I had no idea when he reached for my buttons and slowly unbuttoned them. His large hands slid down my stomach, and trailed circles around my navel. I wanted him to go lower, but just as his fingers reached my trousers they slid back up. My skin burned beneath his palm when he touched the bare curve of my waist. His other hand cradled my thigh, my skirt bunched high. He pulled back just slightly, only an inch, resting his forehead against mine. My breath was unsteady. My hands didn't stop roaming. My lips didn’t stop aching. His erection pressed against the inside of my thigh, and if he would only step forward a few inches, it would be right where I wanted it, and needed it. I swayed, my eyes heavy-lidded, when a solid grip came to the side of my neck to hold me still whi
♞ Adrian: I wasn't sure what got into me. Perhaps the fact that I've been sending messages to Rory consistently for the past three days and she didn't answer any of them. She didn't even open it so I at least know she saw them but didn't have an answer yet. I couldn't go to her office, because she said she needed space. And that meant she didn't want to see me. All I could do was send messages like an asshole, but she didn't respond to them. And somehow I found myself deliberately following the road to her apartment on my way to work instead of following the shorter road and getting to work fast. I packed my car across the street and looked up from the screen of my phone, my gaze trailed over to her apartment. It was already 2PM so it was only wishful thinking that I assumed I'd see her at home by this time of the day. I stared at the window to her apartment, even though I couldn’t see past the closed curtains. It didn’t matter. I wasn’t really expecting her to be home. I jus
♛ Aurora: My heels crunched on the gravel as I made my way towards the small crowd forming around the scaffolding near the eastern side of the site. The workers looked up to meet my eyes the closer I got. Their heads turned in my direction as I approached. The conversation they were having was hushed and I could barely hear them clearly, but what I couldn't miss was the serious tone in their voices. A few men had taken off their hard hats, while a few were simply wiping sweat that trickled down their faces. Some of them looked pale. The strong smell of dust and concrete lingered in the breeze, and just beneath it, there was a stronger metallic smell. I looked up at the scaffold building that just crashed, and fear slowly creeped into my heart as I slowed into a stop. “It's so bad,” Bonnie pointed out from behind me as she stopped walking too. I was beyond shocked and scared to respond to her words. I clutched the strap of my bag tighter and pressed my lips together
♛ Aurora: “Oh My God. I'm not even surprised! I told you from the start that I absolutely do not trust her at all!” Mia said in a displeased tone. I released a deep breath, recalling the severe number of times she had seriously wanted me to be careful with Bonnie. But I hadn't listened. I needed someone effective back then and Bonnie was exactly what I wanted. So I hadn't even thought about the consequences at all. I easily trusted her when she displayed her clean ways of handling situations and making my work a little easier for me. “Yeah, I remember when you were warned me about her,” I said, tracing a path along the pocket of my pants as the car drove past the bustling city of New York. “But you didn't listen. Now see.” “I did listen, Mia. I just couldn't let a good employee go just because you had a bad feeling about her.” I said down the line. “Well, the signs were from the start that she’s not someone to be trusted.” “If a lot of employers simply removed their workers j
♞ Adrian: Leon didn’t say a word. Nothing at all. He didn’t move either. Not even an inch. The only sign he’d even heard me was the slight widening of his eyes. For a moment, we just stared at each other. I ran my fingers through my thick dark hair, because the longer it took to say a word, the more the turmoil in my head swallowed me slowly. Because what on earth do I do? Most importantly, how do I tell Rory? I sighed, when would this space she needs be okay? I don't even know. Finally, Leon let out a slow breath and leaned back into the couch like everything I said were finally settling in. “Say something,” I muttered roughly, fighting back the urge to run a finger through my hair and tug it. He scrubbed a hand down his face. “You’re serious about this?” he raised a brow and asked, like he was hoping I would say it was all a joke. Honestly I wish it was. It wasn’t a question. I nodded once, and tight. “Jesus Christ, Adrian.” Leon dropped his head back aga
Chapter 82 Aurora: Her question was so sudden and completely random from the conversation we had been talking about, that I was caught off guard for a moment. Trish’s brows were squinted tightly as she waited for a response from me. After a quiet moment I finally answered with a shake of my head, “Work.” “Work?” She didn't look like she believed me but after a while she nodded, “Alright. I made dinner before falling asleep earlier. Have you eaten?” she asked, completely changing the topic, and I felt light hearted that she did, because I wanted to get my mind off the message. I shook my head and let out a breath. I had been so occupied that I didn't eat anything today. I doubt I would have even been able to eat anything with the way my stomach has been tied in knots since morning. “I haven't,” I answered, before asking, “What did you make?” I turned around and made my way down the hallway, before making a turn and walking over to the kitchen, with Trish trailing right behind me.
♛ Aurora: “The simplest misunderstanding could crack even the strongest of relationships. At times it's just better to let things go than go round and round. Rough.” My heart dropped to my stomach when I read the first message. I staggered on my footsteps as I rushed out of my room, hitting my shoulders on the wall but hardly feeling any pain as I turned down the hallway and rushed towards Trish’s room. Before I could get there another message came in, and this time it stopped me dead in my tracks. “Did you ever try to find out the person behind the wheels? Not your accident. I mean, hit and run with your mom, or don't you think it’s important to seek justice for her dead poor soul?” The last sentence felt like a bucket of water had been splashed on my face, as it knocked me back to the image of my mother being rushed to the hospital with blood on her clothes, her face, her fingers. There was blood everywhere. My fingers gripped my phone tightly, trying to hold myself back to t
♞ Adrian: I wasn’t planning to stop. I had every intention of driving straight home, taking a long-ass shower, and figuring out what the hell I was going to do to make things right with Rory. But the next thing I knew, my hands had turned the wheel and my car rolled to a halt in front of Leon’s place. My phone buzzed in my pants, and I stepped out of the car, closing the door shut behind me before I brought the phone out and checked who was calling. I halted in my steps when I noticed it was Christian. I slid the answer button before pressing the phone to my ear, “What's it?” I asked the moment I answered. There was shuffling from the other end, before he finally spoke out, “I got in touch with the guy for the tracking.” I ran my fingers through my hair and released a deep breath before asking, “And what’s the update on it?” Christian didn't answer immediately, and after a long quiet moment he finally answered, “I'll text you the details in five minutes.” “Alri
♛ Aurora: “I can't do this,” I whispered, more to myself, but loud enough for him to hear me. I couldn't even concentrate on driving while I was on my way home. And it was all because of him. To make it all worse, Lucy's attempt at planting seeds of doubts in my head had somehow worked. I couldn't think. My heart felt like it was being shredded into tiny pieces, and it tore me apart. I was so tired of all this. And despite all the love I had in my heart for him, it was a pity that he didn't trust our love so much to be able to completely be honest with me. What on earth could he be keeping to himself that wasn't worth me knowing? Nothing, absolutely nothing serious. The only ever thing that had tore me apart in my years of living was my parents' death, because they left me all alone. Second to that was my divorce with Adrian. And third, was the child I lost. There was nothing else he could say that could destroy me so much that it would break our very fragile relations
♞ Adrian: I scrubbed my hands over my face, fingers digging into my eyes until I saw stars. My phone sat on the passenger seat, and I glanced at it, fingers itching to pick it up and call again. The last call had gone unanswered. The one before that too. I’d sent her a message. And it was simple, stupid, and fucking desperate. ‘I’m outside. Can we talk? I just need five minutes.’ Nothing back. I glanced through the car glasses, and my gaze fell on the windows of her house. Maybe she wasn’t home. Or she was and she’d seen my message and rolled her eyes and tossed her phone into a drawer. God, I wouldn’t blame her. I was parked across from her house, my car engine off, with my hands gripping the steering wheel. I had brushed my fingers through my hair countless times that it was all disheveled. My fingers tapped on the steering wheel, searching for something to keep my concentration in check. It didn’t work. I was still unraveling. She hadn’t answered my calls. I co