Chapter 4

    Aurelia's POV 

    “Damien?” 

    

    For a moment, the world stopped breathing and my heart slammed violently against my ribs as I stared at the two men standing in the doorway of the dining room. 

    

    four fucking years had passed since I had last seen them, but even if a lifetime had gone by, I would have recognized them instantly. 

    

    Cassian and Damien Thorne.

    

    The twins who had once been the center of every nightmare I had. Except… they weren’t the same boys I had remembered.

    

    They had grown into men… that knocked every common sense out of me.

    

    Cassian stood slightly ahead of his brother, with his broad shoulders filling the doorway like he owned the room. 

    

    His long dark hair was shorter now, styled with a careless sharpness that only made his chiseled features more striking. His jawline had hardened with age, giving him a colder and more commanding presence.

    

    His eyes found mine immediately. 

    

    The same piercing dark eyes that had pinned me on the bed as he thrusted into me.

    

    Damien stepped in beside him, his posture more relaxed but no less intimidating. 

    

    His hair had grown longer, brushing the back of his neck in dark waves that framed his face in a way that made him look almost unfairly handsome.

    

    He had always been the more playful twin and the charming one. 

    

    His smile curved slowly as he looked at me, the expression both amused and unsettling like he had just stumbled upon something he had been looking for.

    

    My chest tightened at the thought of them in front of me. They looked… powerful.

    

    And for a split second…shock rooted me to a spot, until reality slammed back into place. 

    

    I straightened my shoulders immediately, forcing my face into calm indifference.

    

    They did not get to see my surprise, not after everything they did to me in the past.  “What are you doing here?” I asked coldly.

    

    Jack looked between us, confusion etched across his face. “Do you know them?” he asked.

    

    It made me realize that Jack hadn’t recognised them yet… they didn’t look that changed to me though.

    

    I ignored him, my eyes never leaving the twins because I really had nothing to describe them. 

    

    Cassian’s smirk deepened slowly as though he was suddenly enjoying the moment, “Nice to see you too, Aurelia.”

    

    I rolled my eyes as my name rolled out of his mouth like he had right to. 

    

    Damien stepped farther into the room, glancing briefly at the candles, the roses, the romantic setup that suddenly looked painfully ridiculous. “Well,” he said casually, “this is cute.”

    

    His gaze slid to Jack who was still holding the ring and standing frozen in confusion. 

    

    “Seems like we interrupted something important?” Damien added, sounding almost amused.

    

    “Get out,” I said sharply, my eyes holding nothing but coldness. 

    

    Jack blinked. “Aurelia…”

    

    “This is a private moment,” I continued firmly, my voice steady even though my heart was racing. “You’re not welcome here.”

    

    For a moment, neither twin moved and after another second, Cassian laughed.

    

     It was still the same low, mocking laugh I remembered from years ago. 

    

    The sound made something cold and disgusting crawl up my spine. 

    

    “Did you hear that?” Cassian said to Damien.

    

    “She wants us to leave.”

    

    Damien chuckled softly. “That’s adorable.”

    

    My patience snapped. “I’m serious,” I snapped. “You shouldn’t be here!”

    

    Jack shifted beside me, clearly uncomfortable now. “Look, I don’t know who you two are,” he said firmly, “but this is…”

    

    Cassian lifted a hand lazily as if wanting him to shut the fuck up. “You're Jackson?” he started, causing Jack to frown. 

    

    “How do you…”

    

    Damien suddenly moved,  walking to the table as he pulled out a chair confidently sitting down in the space and I swear that I wanted to cut off his legs right at that instant. 

    

    Cassian leaned against the wall beside the door like he had no intention of leaving like his brother. 

    

    “We came to help,” Damien said lightly and my brows furrowed with irritation. 

    

    “Help?”

    

    He nodded toward Jack’s hand. “Yeah with proposal.”

    

    Jack stiffened as he stared at me and the ring in his hand. “I don't need your damn help!”

    

    Damien ignored him. Instead, his eyes returned to me with the same slow smile spreading across his face. “Trust me you do… seeing as she is yet to move on from us, we came to make it easier and return her to where she belonged.”

    

    Jack blinked. “What? Damien? Cass!”

    

    My chest tightened as the blow landed.  “What are you talking about?” I demanded, ignoring Jackson.

    

    Cassian pushed away from the wall slowly with his gaze burning into mine. “YOU…”

    

    My stomach dropped at the simple but heavy word that fell out of his lips because my face turned cold. “That’s not funny,” I snapped.

    

    Damien  leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on the table. “Oh, we’re not joking princess.”

    

    And now, I was frustrated at their words. “You don’t get to walk into my life after four years and start saying insane things.”

    

    Cassian tilted his head, ignoring my protest.  “You’ve always had a temper.”

    

    “Leave,” I said sharply. “Now.”

    

    Instead of leaving, they both laughed like they were enjoying a private joke happening around them. 

    

    Jack stepped forward, clearly irritated now even though he had many questions I knew were directed at me.  “Alright,” he said firmly. “This is enough.”

    

    He moved slightly in front of me and held my hand tightly. “Aurelia asked you to leave.”

    

    Cassian's gaze dropped to him and for the first time, he seemed to truly notice Jack's presence and his expression hardened.  “You should walk away.”

    

    Jack scoffed. “I’m not going anywhere.”

    

    Damien sighed. “Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Fucking nerds,” he muttered under his breath.

    

    My frustration exploded. “STOP!”

    

    Cassian took one slow step forward, not caring about my protest. “You belong to us.”

    

    Christ, what the fuck was happening?! “I BELONG TO NO ONE!”

    

    I yelled and in the blink of an eye, everything went wrong. It happened too fast to understand. 

    

    One minute, I was standing in the room and the next, I could feel the ground beneath me with my vision blurred. 

    

    Jack shouted something and I could feel Cassian and Damien sight over me before everywhere became blank darkness. 

    

    ~~

    

    The first thing I felt when I woke up was sand. It was rough grains pressing against my cheek with the sound of waves filling the air. 

    

    I blinked slowly, trying to take in my surroundings as the bright sunlight flooded my vision. 

    

    For a moment, I didn’t understand where I was, and then the salty wind hit my face. 

    

    My body jerked upright instantly. Sand stretched endlessly around me with golden beaches and thick green jungle behind me, and endless blue ocean in front of me.

    

    My heart started pounding. “What the hell…”

    

    I could see the ship floating in the horizon, “We are on an island, princess.”