Semua Bab I Sold Myself to My Ex’s Father: Bab 1 - Bab 6

Aurora’s POV Standing in front of Callum’s house the next morning felt heavier than the walk here.My finger hovered over the bell and would not press it. I had repeated the words all night and they still sounded like a trap.I rang it anyway.A maid opened the door. Her smile was polite and practiced.“Hi, Miss Aurora. Mr. Callum is waiting for you in the living room.”Piano notes drifted down the hall. Soft. Familiar. Of course it was him. Callum played when he was in a good mood.He turned the moment I stepped inside. The maid left us. He crossed the room fast, pulled me into a hug, and kissed me with a smile still on his mouth.“Hey, baby. Why are you here this early? I have practice this afternoon, but it’s fine. I need to hear what my princess wants from me.”That was Callum. Always that sweet. Always the reason other girls looked at me like I had stolen something.“I… I want—”“What’s wrong? Why do you sound nervous? Come sit.”He guided me to the sofa and sat beside me, close

Aurora’s POV I went back to that house the next morning and prayed I would not see Callum.It was my first day. I still did not know what a personal assistant to Gideon Vale was supposed to do. Follow orders. That was the only instruction I trusted.The maid opened the door with the same polite face as before. Then I saw him.Callum was coming toward me in his baseball gear, bag slung over one shoulder, cap in his hand. The second he recognized me, the softness he used to save for me was gone.Anger filled the space where it had been.“What the hell are you doing here, bitch?” His voice carried down the hall.“I told you never to come back and beg. We’re done, Rora.”“I’m not here for you. I—”“She’s here for me.”Gideon came down the stairs like the house belonged to his footsteps. Callum stopped. Confusion crossed his face first. Then something uglier.He looked at me. “Have you no shame? You came to see my father? For money?”He turned toward Gideon without waiting for my answer.

Aurora’s POV When I left the bathroom I went back to the dining room.Gideon was waiting. His glass was still where I had ruined it. He looked as if nothing on that table mattered now.“I’m sorry, Mr. Vale.”“It’s fine.” He wiped his mouth with a napkin and stood. “I think we can start the party now.”The word party did not sit right in his mouth. Coming from him, it did not sound like music or guests. It sounded like a door I was not ready to open.He walked. I followed him up the stairs and down a long hall that ended in a tall white door. The rest of the house had been marble and light.This corridor felt quieter. Colder already, before he touched the handle.He stopped.“Do you remember the rules?”My throat was dry. I said them anyway.“Yes, Mr. Vale. I will be ready. I will not be late. I will not ask why.”“Good.”He opened the door.Cold air hit me first. Then the room.It was not a bedroom.The walls were dark. The lights were low. There were things I had only seen in movies