CHAPTER THREE: Is this fate?

As the first light of dawn crept through the curtains, the world outside cloaked in the quiet of pre-dawn. She shifted slightly, feeling the warmth of Lucas's embrace beside her, his deep, even breaths signaling that he was still asleep.

Memories of yesterday night flooded her mind, she felt a mix of emotions wash over her. The connection, passion, the intimacy, they had—it was all so new, so intense. She knew she should feel guilty for sneaking out, for leaving him without a word, but she couldn't bring herself to regret the decision. She had to go home, away from him. And then there were her own thought about the whirlwind of events since the diner she has with Ethan.

Quietly slipping out of bed, Aurelia gathered her clothes and tiptoed to the door, careful not to wake Lucas. She paused for a moment, her hand on the doorknob, and glanced back at him sleeping peacefully. A pang of longing tugged at her heart, but she pushed it aside. She had made her decision, and she had to stick to it.

Stepping out into the hallway, Aurelia made her way to the elevator, her mind racing as she replayed every moment, every touch, every word that had passed between her and Lucas, savoring the memories even as she knew she had to forget about him.

When she got back home, she quietly let herself in, careful not to wake her sister and her son. She made her way to his room, peeking in to check on him. Kyle was sleeping soundly, his curls framing his face, she felt a surge of love and protectiveness wash over her. She lingered for a moment by the door, watching him sleep, before quietly slipping out of his room and heading to her own, where her sister, Eloise, slept, muttering and then laughing causing Aurelia to flinch thinking she was awake.

"El, are you up already?" She asked quietly, not wanting to wake her up if she was only dreaming. She smiled when Eloise refuse to answer her.

Reaching her closet Aurelia undressed and climbed into bed, the thoughts of the night before still swirling in her mind, in the quiet of her room, she allowed herself to relive the moments she had shared with Lucas, but the thought of Ethan kept making everything sour. She drifted off to sleep thinking about how to tell her sister and Kyle about Ethan. She couldn't deny the fact that their relationship was complicated, that there were obstacles but they would have overcome it together.

Waking up some hours later, the house was quiet. Realizing she has slept till noon. She sat up and saw a note by her bedside table stating:

"Hey Sis, we didn't want to wake you. You were sleeping so peacefully. Kyle's in school, I'm at work. There's coffee, just heat it up.xoxo"

Aurelia smiles, and walks to the bathroom to get ready for work. Pursing to look at her reflection in the mirror, she frowns sadly. Her hair was everywhere and it will take some time to put it in order. So instead, she ties it up in a tight bun that highlights her face, drank her coffee while going through her phone. She walks to her closet, dressing up in a burned-orange suit, rocking her black Valentino's stiletto and bag. Skipping makeup for the day, she applied lip-gloss, smacked her lips, and leaves the house. Working for U&L Modelling Agency, was like a dream come through ater attending more than a hundred auditions. She greets her apartment doorman, Mr Humphrey.

"Good morning, Mr Humphrey"

"Good morning Aurelia, Kyle and Eloise already left." He stated, pleasantly.

"Thank you, see you later." She calls out, cheerfully. As she climbs into the cab, her phone chimes as a text pops up from her manager:

"You need to be here, Aura. . .we have been sold out."

"For goodness sake, who still text like this?" She mutters, frowning. When he became her manager, he said it will be better if she was simply known as "Aura" instead of "Aurelia". When she asked him why, he replied, ""Because you are unique."

"What does that even mean?" She shuts her phone and glance out the window.

As Aurelia stepped out of the cab, she was greeted by her manager, Jake Smith, who has an agitated expression. Her heart skipped a beat as she confirmed the news: their agency had been sold.

"The new owner is meeting with all the models. Let's hurry!" She nods and followed her manager to the backroom, where the new owner stood with some other people addressing the models.

He was tall, imposing, his presence commanding attention with his smart navy blue-checked suit. He introduced himself as Mr Lucas Winthrop and explained his vision for the agency. Aurelia couldn't help but feel a sense of unease as he spoke, there was something familiar about him.

"Oh my God!" She gasped, loudly.

"What is it?" Jake whispered, standing beside her. She was grateful he did not hear her.

"Why is he here? This is not good, this is not good" She kept repeating, panicking.

"Do you know him, Aura? Calm down, he doesn't recognize you. If he does, you can pretend not to know him. I just pray you didn't meet him in an awkward situation." Jake replied, wishing he doesn't have any mess to clean. "He is fucking staring at you right now." He whispers loudly.

Lucas was surprised to see Aurelia, stunned by how much he is attracted to her, he turned his attention to the models, inspecting them with a critical eye. Aurelia felt a surge of self-consciousness after locking eyes with him, wondering if she would meet his standards. But to her surprise, he simply praised their talent and beauty, expressing his excitement to work with them totally ignoring her.

"You've all worked towards the success of this agency and I look forward to working with you."

Some of the models and their manager cheered, excited. He bows slightly in greeting and then leaves. As Aurelia left the meeting, her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. She heard the rumor about a new CEO, but it was not from a legit source. These models gossip about a lot of things, some truths and some very ugly lies too. The fact she had sex with her CEO, just last night, nearly made her scream or pull her hair. This was a total nightmare. Was there a glimpse of recognition in those icy gray eyes of his?. She resolved to work hard, avoid him but most especially adapt to this new circumstances. Lost in thoughts and not looking at where she was going, bumped into a hard wall and then the fragrance hit her, it was him.

"Aurelia" His deep voice rang.