Thirty minutes

Aurora's POV

I stared at him, shocked and dumbfounded, not wanting to believe what he had just said.

“If I were you, I would start preparing. Your thirty minutes have already begun,” he stated firmly, and I frowned.

“Excuse me?”

“I was just about to do that.” He turned and left, while I watched him, dumbfounded and shocked.

This cannot be happening. I can’t let it happen. I dashed out of my room and took the stairs to the living room, where I met Father seated with Sir Frederick.

“Father, what is the meaning of this?” I asked, burning with rage inside of me.

“Is that supposed to be your good morning?” Father raised a brow, and I clenched my fists.

“I'm not going anywhere with you,” I stated firmly, looking towards Sir Frederick.

“That is not for you to decide, Aurora. You are leaving, and that’s final.”

“No, Father, you can’t toss me around. I have the right to my freedom. I'm nineteen and have the right to make my own decisions!” I yelled at Father, who wanted to get up, but sir Frederick stopped him and stood instead.

He walked over to where I stood, and we locked gazes. Despite wanting to look away, I stood my ground and looked back at him.

“I thought you claimed you were a busy man and couldn't look after me, so what changed?” I sneered.

Sir Frederick's expression remained unreadable as he replied, “Your behavior last night proved to me that you need some discipline and guidance. Your father was right.”

I felt a surge of frustration and anger rise within me. I couldn't believe my plan had backfired so spectacularly, but I knew I wouldn’t agree.

“I'm not coming with you,” I stated firmly, and his blank expression shifted to anger. He glanced at me for a moment and then brought forth his wrist to check his wristwatch.

“You have just twenty minutes left of your time. If I were you, I would start packing.”

“I can’t be tossed around. I have the right to my freedom,” I declared, my voice trembling slightly.

Sir Frederick's expression hardened, his eyes narrowing at my words. He glanced at his watch once more, a silent reminder of the dwindling time I had left to comply.

“You have just eighteen minutes left of your time,” he stated coldly, his tone leaving no room for negotiation. “If I were you, I would start packing because once your time is up, I will take you with me whether you are in your pajamas or not,” he muttered harshly, and tears formed in my eyes.

I looked in Father's direction, who couldn’t look my way; instead, he looked away, and a tear dropped on my cheek.

“Fine!” I gave up and climbed the stairs.

Reaching my room, I fell on my bed and wept. As tears streamed down my cheeks, I hastily began packing my belongings into a suitcase, my hands trembling with a mixture of anger and pain. Each item I placed into the bag felt like a surrender, a concession to a fate I couldn't escape. Once my clothes were folded and packed away, I walked into the bathroom, the sound of my sobs echoing off the walls.

As the warm water of the shower washed over me, I let myself cry freely, the water mingling with my tears. I wished I could run away, but I knew that was a stupid idea. There was nowhere I could hide that Sir Frederick wouldn't find me; that's how big his connection is.

After the shower, I dried myself off and composed myself as best as I could. With a deep breath, I descended the stairs, my suitcase in tow.

A maid offered to help me with the suitcase, and I let her. Reaching the sitting room, I met Father and Sir Frederick, and the moment they saw me, Sir Frederick stood on his feet, his gaze on his watch.

“You are twenty minutes late, Aurora. One thing you should know about me is that I love punctuality and always keep to time. But this is the first time, so I will let it slide.”

Was he trying to make me hate him? Because he was doing an excellent job at that.

“I will see you later, Ian.” He shook hands with Father while I didn’t bother to wait; instead, I walked out on them and left the living room.

Getting outside, I spotted a black Mercedes-Benz waiting for us, and the driver opened the door for me to get in. Reluctantly, I sat at one end of the back seat, and moments later, Sir Frederick joined me.

Looking away, I fixed my gaze outside the window, though it was pulled up and tinted. The driver soon started the car, and we began our journey. Despite looking away from him, I could feel his eyes on me, making me uncomfortable, but I shrugged it off and fixed my gaze on the window.

“When you were little, you always wanted to spend the holidays with me…” he paused, and I frowned, wondering where he was driving at.

“You would pack your things and wait for me, and even when I told you that I was really busy, you would cry to your father, begging him to take you to me. So, tell me, what has changed? Why are you acting like your father has sent you to live with a monster?” His voice was laced with anger and bitterness.

Sucking a deep breath, I closed my eyes as his words resounded in my head. He was right; he was my favorite person on earth, and every holiday, I would want to spend the holidays with him. Despite being so busy, he would make up time for me. But all that changed when I turned fifteen and realized I had romantic feelings towards him. I saw him as more than a godfather and started having wet dreams about him. Soon, I began to withdraw from him, and he also made matters worse by getting colder as the years went by.

An awkward silence filled the car as no one said anything; we were both lost in our thoughts.

Moments later, we arrived at his residence and exited the car. A maid welcomed us and took my things inside while I followed her.

Reaching the living room, I awkwardly stood in a corner and glanced around the house. I couldn’t believe I would be living in the same house with Sir Frederick, a man I had wanted to avoid all through my life.

“I believe you remember your room?” he stated, and I frowned.

“My room?” I asked, confused. I remember I had a room because of my frequent holidays, but I stopped coming to this house when I turned fifteen.

“Yes, the third room on the second floor, remember?” He raised his brow, and I glanced at him for a moment. Did it really mean he had reserved that room for me? Or was I thinking too much about it?

“But before you go to your room, we will need to talk. Have a seat.” He gestured as he sat on the single-seater couch and crossed his legs.

“Sit,” he urged, and with a nervous gulp, I obeyed, taking the couch across from him.

“Fox, get me the paper on my desk,” he instructed Fox, who nodded and climbed the stairs.

I furrowed my brow and wondered what he had to say to me and why he would send for a paper.

Moments later, Fox came back with a white sheet of paper in his hand. “Give it to her,” he instructed Fox, who walked over to me and stretched out the paper. “What is that?” I raised a brow at the paper in Fox's hand.

“Take it and see for yourself,” Sir Frederick demanded, and out of curiosity, I snatched the paper from Fox. The first paragraph of the paper left me dumbfounded. “Rules and regulations for Aurora Ian Reeds,” I read out, confused and at the same time angry.