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Author: PEACHES
last update Last Updated: 2023-09-29 17:38:21

A U R O R A

Past

Marco's definition of 'run' was two miles out in the freezing weather. And if I whined about the cold too much, he would make me increase the pace. By the time we came back, I was a sweating mess—flushed and entirely out of breath. But it didn't seem to please Marco one bit.

Half an hour later, he dragged me into the gym again for another endless session of workouts to add on to my misery. And with each passing day, he would push me further until he was satisfied. Every time I would get the hang of something, Marco would change the course. Just like that, one morning, he suddenly decided that all these kinds of torture were not good enough and made me do additional exercises as well, failing which I would have to work ten times more.

"Thirty laps," Marco instructed one day, reclining against the lounge chair.

Swimming wasn't the part of the curriculum until then. Somewhere down the line, I realized that you couldn't impress this man no matter how hard you have tried.
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  • The Monster's Protégé   - 63 -

    AURORAIt would be an understatement to say that I drove fast. I floored the gas pedal of my SUV and ran every possible red light on my way because being caught by the police for that petty thing would be the last of my offences.The phone rang and I took the call on speaker. “Ma’am, the GPS tracking on Mrs. Romano’s car looks faulty. But we have the last location before it went off the grid.”“Send me the location, then.”I disconnected and sped through the streets of Chicago, hoping against hope that I was not late. Mia Romano was untouchable, and if anyone was foolish enough to do that, he would surely incur the wrath of Viktor. But it was not Viktor’s wrath I was worr

  • The Monster's Protégé   - 62 -

    AURORAI couldn’t decide if Marco’s silence was a blessing or a warning shot. Since the last meeting, he’d kept a professional distance; he was being cold, efficient, and annoyingly invisible at every Romano family event. He was present when it mattered, gone when it didn’t. Not a glance, not a word more than necessary. I’d assumed he’d chase that mystery girl, that something in him would crack, but Simon’s updates came up empty. Whoever she was, she’d vanished like a ghost, and Marco? He’d buried himself in work like it could silence whatever haunted him.And me? I was sitting in the open, pretending the crosshairs weren’t aimed directly at my back.Dominic had changed, too. The usual arrogance in his st

  • The Monster's Protégé   - 61 -

    AURORAHe was already bleeding frustration into the punching bag, each hit louder than the last, like he was trying to beat the truth out of the canvas. Good. Made it easier for me to catch him off guard.Without thinking, I jabbed him—just once, but hard—right into his ribs. The sound he made as he hit the gym floor was divine retribution.“You pathetic son of a bitch,” I snarled, standing over him like the beast he loved to provoke. My fists were still clenched, and God, I wanted to hit him again. “What have you told Marco?”He blinked, half smug, half surprised. That signature Dominic smirk bloomed on his lips as he extended a hand to me, like I was going to help him up. Cute. I slapped it away, then kicked his foot for good measure.

  • The Monster's Protégé   - 60 -

    MARCOThere were a million things I once believed about myself—untouchable, unbreakable, and goddamn bulletproof. And then I saw her. One look, and that was all it took. One fucking look at her with him, and my entire delusion of self-image cracked like a delicate glass.Jealousy? Hell yes, I’ll admit it. I’d never allowed my mind to go there, to picture Aurora with someone else. Aurora belonged in leather and shadows, her lipstick blood-red, her heels merciless, and a gun always somewhere close enough to kiss her skin. That was the version of her I’d written into my story. The version that stayed. A goddess with venom on her tongue and chaos in her smile. Men wanted her, fantasized about her, but none ever dared to step into her orbit.

  • The Monster's Protégé   - 59 -

    AURORA"Thank you…for today," I said softly, my voice trailing off at the end. I meant it more than I could explain—because days like this, moments like this, weren’t common for me. I hadn’t laughed like that in a long time. Maybe ever. I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed simply feeling…normal.Simon looked at me, his smile easy, his eyes warm. "Anytime," he replied. "I had a good day too… thanks to you."With a smile, I stepped out of the car slowly, deliberately, letting every inch of red silk and bare skin speak for me. The dress clung like it had been sewn on, and I knew the moment Marco saw me, he’d feel it—rage, regret, lust. Hopefully, all three.T

  • The Monster's Protégé   - 58 -

    AURORAThe red dress was a statement—loud, unapologetic, and completely out of my comfort zone.I’d barely gotten the words “need help picking out something for a wedding” out of my mouth before Sammy damn near squealed like a kid who just found out her crush liked her back. The way she lit up, you'd think I’d just announced my engagement and not that I was tagging along as some guy’s plus one.To be clear—Simon was not a boyfriend.Not a friend, either.More like… a beautiful question mark I couldn’t stop circling back to.But still, I let Sammy pull me through racks of designer gowns like we were preparing for

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