CHAPTER 5

AURORA

Jonas insisted I move in with him until we figured out a housing solution for me, and knowing my brother, he wasn’t going to take no for an answer. So, I saved both of us the hassle by saying yes.

“I don’t think today is the best day to visit them,” I muttered, standing akimbo as I stared at the dress I had laid out on the bed.

My stomach twisted into knots at the mere thought of facing them. Every excuse I came up with sounded reasonable in my head, but none of them would change the inevitable. Sooner or later, I would have to look my parents in the eyes and face the consequences of the choices I had made.

Jonas arched a brow from his seated position on the pink sofa. “You’ve been back for a week, Rora, and they know you’re back.”

My eyes widened as I snapped my head towards him. “You told them?!”

“If I didn’t, someone else would have.” Uncrossing his legs, he slowly made his way over to me before draping an arm over my shoulder. “Pushing off seeing them isn’t going to make anything better.”

I released a slow breath, my gaze falling back to the dress.

Well, defying your parents over a man only to return five years later with nothing but a suitcase should make seeing them harder.

I swallowed the lump in my throat before asking quietly, “How did they react to my return?”

“Mum?” He shrugged. “Emotional as usual. She even cried when I was finally alone with her.” A small smile tugged at his lips. “She can’t wait to see you… I mean, it has been five years, Rora.”

His words only made the guilt sitting on my chest heavier.

Five years.

Five years of silence. Five years of unanswered calls, ignored messages, and birthdays spent pretending I didn’t miss home.

Now I was back, and I wasn’t sure I deserved the welcome waiting for me.

I cleared my throat. “And Dad?”

“Dad was…” He trailed off, searching for the right word. “Dad was Dad. It was difficult to read the emotion on his face, but I could tell he wasn’t angry.”

“You sure?”

Jonas turned and cupped my cheeks, his expression softening. “You want to hear a secret?”

Licking my lips, I nodded.

“Dad sent me over to London twice a year for the first three years after you left, just to make sure he wasn’t beating you up and shit like that.”

My eyes widened. “He did?”

Jonas nodded. “The last time I came to see you, which was two years ago, trying to convince you to come back home… that was him. He sent me to convince you.” He paused before letting out a deep sigh. “But when you refused, it finally dawned on him that you weren’t coming back, so he told me to stay away.”

All those years, I had convinced myself that Dad wanted nothing to do with me. Turns out, he had been checking on me from a distance.

Blinking back the tears that suddenly gathered in my eyes, I gestured towards the dress laid out on the bed. “What do you think?”

His gaze drifted towards it before a smile spread across his face.

“I think that’s a cute dress.”

I chuckled, rolling my eyes. “That’s not what I asked. Do you like it or not?”

“It’s a little light,” he pointed out. “You should cover up for the cold.”

“I’m adding a jacket.”

His mouth formed an O. “Who is this by the way?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. I picked it up from a thrift store a few years back.”

His nose crinkled in obvious disapproval. “I could tell.”

Rolling my eyes, I picked up the dress, running my fingers over the ruffles. “You’re just exaggerating.”

“The stitches, honey,” he drawled. “They gave it away.”

Of course.

For a moment, I forgot I was speaking to the family fashion icon.

He had always had an eye for clothes. While I was busy looking at the price tag, Jonas was looking at the stitching, the fabric, and whatever else fashion people noticed.

“How about we make a stop at the mall, grab a few things for you before we head over to the family house?” he suggested. “You are clearly in a wardrobe crisis.”

I shook my head. “We can go shopping after we’ve seen Mum and Dad.”

“You want to go see them dressed in that?”

I scoffed. “They’re my parents, not some business officials.”

“Mum is going to make a comment about that dress, Rora, and believe me, it’s not going to be a compliment.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “You’re unbelievable.”

“So I’ve been told.”

“Leave my room.” I shoved him towards the door by his broad shoulders. “I need to get dressed.”

“At least wear my Gucci jacket so it can cover that up a bit,” he teased, earning himself another shove.

“Get out!”

Laughing, he stumbled into the hallway just as I pushed him outside and slammed the door in his face.

“You’ll thank me later!” he called from the other side.

I rolled my eyes, but a smile tugged at my lips regardless.

**************

Seated in Jonas’s Ferrari with my hands buried inside his Gucci jacket, I looked out the window as he zoomed past rows of buildings.

The city had changed over the years, yet somehow it still felt familiar.

“I’ve been curious about something,” I muttered, shifting my attention back to him.

“Mhmm,” Jonas hummed, keeping his eyes on the road.

“When did you and Cartier become so close that he now runs errands for you?”

“Cartier?” He chuckled. “You might want to call him Spencer. He’s basically family now.”

“Well, he told me to call him Cartier.”

Though not directly, but telling me to my face that he can’t call me Aurora because he uses first names for family is basically him telling me to address him by his last name.

“Spencer said that?”

I nodded. “I told you he’s still pissed at me over the broken engagement and the humiliation that followed.”

Jonas’s brows pinched together. “I don’t think so. His father was pissed about the broken engagement, yes, but Spencer?” He shook his head. “He couldn’t have cared less. The man jumped right back into business and climbed the Forbes rankings like nothing ever happened.”

“How did he become so close to the family?” I asked. “That’s my main confusion. His family were rivals with Dad, and that marriage was meant to put an end to it. But it never happened…” I turned my attention to the windscreen. “So how did you both end up being besties?”

Jonas laughed, shaking his head.

“Spencer saved Dad from making a bad financial decision that could have cost him billions. Ever since then, he became Dad’s favorite. They invite him over for dinner more than they do me.”

“Are you jealous?” I teased.

He snorted. “No, I’m not. I’m grateful he got them off my back.”

Pulling up to the familiar gates of the house I grew up in, Jonas waited for the security guard to pull them open before driving through.

My smile slowly faded.

The driveway, the perfectly trimmed hedges, the fountain in the middle of the courtyard…

Nothing had changed.

It was as though time had stood still, waiting for me to come home.

“Here’s my advice to you, Rora.” Jonas glanced at me briefly before returning his eyes to the road. “Forget whatever happened between you and Spencer in the past and move on, because you’re going to be seeing him a lot. If you’re still hung up on it, it’s going to make those meetings awkward…”

He flashed me a teasing grin.

“Very awkward for you.”

I sighed, resisting the urge to argue.

The car rolled to a stop in front of the entrance.

Jonas unfastened his seat belt before looking at me again.

“Let’s not focus our attention on Spencer. Focus on Mum, who’s excited to see you, and Dad, who is…” He paused for dramatic effect before shrugging. “Dad.”

I stared at the front door, my heartbeat picking up with every passing second.

Oh boy.