The Beginning

A FEW DAYS LATER

“I don't think this is a good idea,” Maria said as Aurora packed the little things she had in her place.

“Why?” Aurora replied without turning to her.

“Why? Really? Maybe because you met him one night and the next night you are supposed to be with him. What the hell is that? What happened?” she asked confused and Aurora glanced at her then shrugged in response. She continued packing her things.

Maria sighed worriedly and moved closer to her.

“This isn't right, okay? Apart from the fact that he is intimidating as hell in the city, he is your ex-boyfriend’s brother. That's not right.” Maria said, but again the words meant nothing to Aurora, though she had a response.

“Really? I had no idea. He is dating my step-sister by the way.” she replied sarcastically and Maria decided to let it go despite being so bothered about it.

The whole thing was weird.

“I have to go now,” Aurora said, carrying her bag and all Maria did was nod gently. She was so worried about her friend.

“It's okay, I will be fine,” Aurora said with a smile and pulled her into a hug. Maris exhaled heavily before hugging her back.

After so much reassurance from Aurora to Maria, she finally left her apartment. The car prepared for her by Lucino took her to his estate.

They arrived at his mansion after a while and Aurora couldn't hide the fact that she was impressed. She knows Marcus has money and he's from a wealthy family but she had no idea it was this kind of wealth.

He probably hid it from her and has been lying to her all this time. Aurora kept looking at the house till she got lost in thought.

She started to feel heartbroken as she thought about the years she had spent with Marcus.

Despite trying so hard to have gotten over it, she knew deep down that it was more than that. She really saw her future with Marcus, that was how much she loved him.

“Excuse me, ma’am.” A voice called snapping Aurora out of her thoughts and she turned to see an old man dressed in a suit. A butler.

“Good afternoon, ma’am,” he greeted with a bow and that was when Aurora noticed five maids behind him who also bowed at her.

“Goo… good afternoon.” she stuttered in response and one of the maids rushed to her and took the bag from her.

“Welcome, ma’am. My name is Ethan and I am the butler. I will show you to your room and be at your service. Please come with me.” he said and Aurora nodded before trailing behind him.

They got into the house and her lips parted slightly seeing it. Not that she hasn't seen a luxurious house before but this was different.

“Right this way, ma’am,” he said and walked towards the stairs. The maid had already taken her bag up ahead of them.

They got up the stairs and entered a room.

Aurora resisted the urge to smile seeing her room.

“Do you like… “

“Yes.” She cut the butler off as she looked around the room.

“Okay, ma’am. You can get settled in, if you need anything, you can use the landline and a maid will be at your service,” he added and bowed to her before walking out the door.

Aurora exhaled heavily and walked to the bed, she lay on it and closed her eyes.

She was about to sit up when different images flashed in her head, images that didn't seem like anything to her.

She shook her head and sat up immediately feeling uncomfortable.

She thought about what Lucino told her about magic but shrugged it off immediately. That isn't real, that’s a lie. Things like that aren't real.

She just needs to focus on one thing now, using Lucino to get back everything she has lost in exchange for her body.

But that shouldn't be hard right? It's just sex. Sex with Lucino till she gets what she wants. Easy!

After settling in, Aurora drifted to sleep.

~

“I don't know who she is, who do you think she is?” Aurora heard a voice ask from her sleep.

“I don't know too but I guess she is important to Mr. Romano because it seems like she is staying.” Another voice said.

“Or perhaps she is one of those girls who will do anything to get in his bed.” A different voice said and they all giggled trying to be quiet.

“Or she is probably doing it for the money. I mean, look at her. Does she scream wealth?” One of them said again, scoffing.

Aurora furrowed her brows as she heard the conversation. She isn't really a deep sleeper, the moment they walked into the room, she was awake, not just fully awake.

“How long do you think she will last?” one of them asked.

“Who knows? A week? A month? A year?”

“A year? Oh, please. She doesn't even deserve to last a year with Mr. Romano.” One of them replied and they all muttered words agreeing with her.

Aurora seemed to have had enough so she opened her eyes and sat up. The maids flinched as they saw her but Aurora decided to ignore everything that was said about her so she acted like she didn't hear anything.

They stared at her for a few seconds in shock and Aurora waited for them to speak.

“Goo… Good evening, ma’am. Mr. Romano asked us to prepare you for the event of the night.” One of them stuttered and trembled a little. Aurora’s eyes moved to the couch and she noticed the dress on it.

“Okay,” she replied and one of the maids rushed into the bathroom to get her bath ready.

Aurora got off the bed to take off her clothes and the maids rushed to her to help her.

~

Aurora stared at herself in the mirror and felt her heart flutter at how beautiful she looked. The maids were done helping her get ready.

They helped her out of the room and down the stairs. They got to the living room and there was still no sign of Lucino which made Aurora wonder if she would be attending this event alone. An event she had no idea how it would be.

She was about to ask the maids about Lucino when he walked down the stairs. Aurora felt a lump in her throat as she stared at him. He looks so good that she couldn't come up with words to describe his looks.

He got to the living room and the maids bowed at him before they walked away,

He moved closer to Aurora and she couldn't say anything. She was shocked, tense, and a little bit lost about the whole thing.

Lucino ran his eyes over her, taking a careful look at her.

“I… I… “ Aurora trailed off as he looked at her eyes. She was about to tell him she had no idea where they were heading or any little details about it but her words got stuck in her throat as he held her gaze.

The lights in the living room started to flicker and Lucino looked around. He looked at her again and he could feel her emotions. She was tense, too tense.

“Take in a deep breath,” he ordered and Aurora did. She exhaled heavily and opened her eyes. She felt a little bit better.

“Let's go,” he said and walked out of the house ahead of her. Aurora furrowed her brows wondering why he didn't tell her anything before trailing behind him.

They got into the car and Aurora looked at him, waiting for him to talk but nothing.

Minutes later into the drive, Aurora was staring outside the window, admiring the beautiful city under the night light. Lucino turned to her and spoke.

“The event we are attending isn't just a party, it's a gathering of the specials so there should be a few things you need to know,” he said and she turned to him.

“Always stay close to me, when anyone asks you questions you don't know the answer to or can't respond to, ignore it. If they ask who you are to me, you are my wife,” he explained and pulled out a box and stretched it to Aurora.

“What's this?” she asked, taking the box from him.

“A ring, put it on,” he said. Aurora opened it and stared at the diamond ring.

She blinked rapidly as she stared at it, she never believed she would be putting a wedding ring on herself. She has always imagined Marcus having a grand proposal for her, her dream proposal.

The thought of Marcus ruining her dreams made her mad but she tried to ignore it. On the bright side, this is a diamond ring and she is a wife.

She furrowed her brows at the thought of a wife and turned to him.

“Hold on, what do you mean by your wife? Your wife? I am not your wife, being your wife wasn't stated in the contract.” Aurora said.

“It was, put the ring on,” he replied and looked away from her.

“What?” Aurora whispered and stared at the ring for a few seconds before taking it out of the box and putting it on.

“So what is this? Are we officially married? How the hell am I your wife without a wedding or… “

“A wedding? What were you expecting, a grand wedding? In case you don't recall, I am doing you a favor in exchange for what I want. That doesn't make you worth anything not to mention throwing you a wedding. This is strictly business, I help you and you worship me.” he said sternly and Aurora’s lips parted slightly.

Is she really about to regret signing that contract? What got into him? How the hell did he change so fast? What the hell happened?

Aurora couldn't say anything, she just looked away from him and out the window to process what she had just heard.

The rest of the drive was silent. They arrived at the location and the guards escorting them helped them with the door. They both got out of the car and Lucino held her hand.

The building was crowded with reporters, cars, and different important people Aurora had heard news about.

Lucino made her turn to him and she looked away from him. She couldn't keep eye contact with him, not after what he just said to her.

He leaned closer to her and she could feel his breath on her ear and neck.

“Ready?” he whispered and she nodded a little.

“Great, because it's just the beginning.”