"Miss Rochester, it's lovely to see you again."Aurora smiled, bobbing her head back and forth as she followed the lead of the aged butler. Her eyes were fixed straight ahead and the soft sound of their heels against the marble tiles echoed in the silence.If there was one thing she loved about Natasha's house, it was the fact that each time she came here, it felt like she was being transported back in time.She was envious that the girl was practically royalty. Asides that, her parents were quite liberal people. For example, her father wasn't the stuck up business man you would've imagined. No, Carlos Knight was a very prominent judge and he worked in the supreme court. Natasha's mother was also a popular model, the woman never seemed to age a day.And then there was Natasha, the spirited, happy-go-lucky charmer who'd managed to become her best friend in a matter of days."Rory!" Speaking of the devilShe swiveled in the direction of the voice, spotting the dark-haired female runnin
Aurora climbed down the stairs with tentative steps, her fingers were delicately wrapped around the banister and her eyes flickered around the room carefully.There was nothing off about what was happening, it was a regular Saturday morning in the Rochester household. Rosa was carrying the basket of laundry, heading towards the laundry room while some of the maids were cleaning around. Her father was in his usual spot, a pair of reading glasses perched on his nose, a newspaper in one hand and a steaming cup of coffee in the other.Miriam Rochester on the other hand was discussing with someone on the phone, pacing back and forth and making exaggerated movements with her hand. Evan was still in his room but he would be down any moment from now.Her feet touched the last steps and she trudged towards the living room. The sense of normalcy would usually bring warmth to her chest but she knew that there was nothing normal about today. Her mother's left hand was still wrapped in gaze from h
Evan was convicted of his crimes the following week, on that day, the rain fell heavily and the sky thundered and clapped. It was difficult to not get any reporters taking the news but her father's influence was powerful enough to make it happen. And besides, the weather made it easy for them to slip in and slip out without getting noticed.Carlos Knight was the presiding judge and after listening to the evidences plus her witness statement, it was proven without doubt that Evan wanted to murder her mother because he had the belief that she had been the one to kill his own mother. The judge had listened and after minutes in court, Evan was handed a five year sentence and two years of psychiatric service.She rode home with her mother after the court guards had escorted Evan out, he still had that deranged smile that caused chills to run down her spine. Her father on the other hand, had rushed off to work claiming that he had a very important meeting to attend but she knew better. Her
"We've arrived, Miss."Aurora bobbed her head in response, picking up her purse from the seat and pushing the door open. The heels of her boot hit the concrete floor with a sharp clicking sound and she gently shut the door."Wait here," She told Calvin as she put on the large sunglasses she'd brought along, "I won't spend more than twenty minutes."Calvi grunted in reply, rolling up the windows as she walked away. It was quite windy in here but it could be because they were on the bridge, thankfully she'd worn a large overcoat so she pulled the lapels together, snuggling into its warmth.She walked for a while, stopping when she got to that familiar spot. Aurora turned so that she was facing the large expanse of water below, the setting sun casting a golden glow on the river.She let her eyes flutter shut, taking in the smell of fresh air and listening to the soothing sound of tires speeding across the road behind her."Has anyone told you how much you look like a painting?"Her lips
Aurora groaned, coughing gently as she struggled to open her eyes. She heard footsteps thumping on the ground and the sound of hushed whispers.When her vision finally cleared, the first thing she saw was the sight of the school nurse leaning over her with a bright light pointing into her eyes."Miss Rochester?" The nurse's hollowed voice called out, "Miss Rochester, can you hear me?"She nodded dazedly, blinking once and then twice. Her senses slowly returned, the buzzing sound morphing into a more clearer and sharper sound."How many fingers am I holding up?" She heard the nurse now, better than before and she sighed.Aurora sat up instantly, wincing at the effect it had on her head. She rubbed the heel of her palm against her forehead,"There, there," The nurse cooed, rubbing her back, "You shouldn't have sat up so quickly. Are you still feeling the migraine?"She nodded wordlessly and the nurse muttered something while helping her relax against the headrest before stalking off.Th
The drive was mostly smooth, after the engine had sputtered quite a few times causing some drivers to yell obscenities at them for being too slow but asides that, nothing too outrageous happened.Aurora mustered the courage to check the internet and her Instagram was already flooded with dozens of messages, post and videos. The amount of backlash she got was overwhelming, while some supported her, others were outraged that she would expose herself like that, some with the good sense were questioning who and why anyone would take such photos and demanded that she sue them.But one question remained; who was the mysterious guy?Aurora snapped her phone shut and threw her head against the headrest, shutting her eyes tightly,"Is it that bad?" She heard Louisa asked and a weary sigh escaped her lips."It's worse," She replied tiredly.Louisa hummed, drumming her fingers against the wheel, "I don't think you have anything to be ashamed of. If anything, your tits looks really great."Her ey
Aurora winced as Rosa dabbed the wet cotton onto her flesh, swiping side to the side. Her forehead was creased painfully together and she grimaced at the splotches of red on the inside of her palm,"I know it hurts, sorry," Rosa muttered, dropping the stained ball and picking up the kittens designed bandaged.She hadn't realized that her nails would do so much damage to her skin and didn't know that Rosa noticed that she was bleeding from her hand either. After her declaration, her mother had sent her to the guest room while Aunty Clara remained silent, with an awe-stricken expression.Honestly, she didn't know why she did that. She would've gone with the lie but it wouldn't be fair on Matt or Ryan either. After she was done, she looked up and her lips pursed together. Aurora tried for a smile but the side of her face hurt too much to do that,"Is it that awful?"Rosa blinked and she caught a shimmer in her eyes, Aurora sighed, using her good hand to hold the woman,"You know I hate
They rode for what felt like an eternity and she wondered if they were heading towards another district. She wasn't far from it because soon they were threading down the neighborhood town and past different houses. Ryan finally slowed as he drove into a gravelly path making the vehicle bounce a bit,Finally he stopped, cutting the engine off but leaving the lights on. Aurora gingerly climbed down and then proceeded to take off the helmet, ruffling her hair with a hand. She frowned as she took in the expanse of land in front of them and the large house sitting on the middle."Where's this place?" She questioned, wondering why he even brought her here.He didn't respond, instead taking the helmet from her hand and replacing it with his. He tugged her forward and she threw him a skeptical glance but followed nonetheless.When they got to the front door, he dug into his pocket and fished out an ancient looking key. She watched as he slipped it into the keyhole and unlocked the door. It op
Evan slurped noisily from the smoothie cup in his hold, the young mother sitting her her two kids in the table adjacent his kept throwing him dirty glances but he didn't pay her any attention.His focus primarily on the trio walking along the sidewalk, there were about to cross the road and he just knew that they were coming here. After all, this was their usual spot, every Saturday they always assembled here and ordered the same thing.Just as he predicted, seconds later, the three friends bursted through the front door and stealing the attention of most people who were either mid-bite or swallow. Evan watched with hawk eyed focus as the three of them sauntered to the counter, making gestures with their hands as they placed their order.His gaze was fixed on the girl in their middle, the one who seemed much more quiet, allowing her friends to do the talking."Sorry, did you order for a cheese hamburger?" His attention was momentarily stolen by the smiling waitress who held a plate of
Ryan killed the engine of the motorcycle and pulled off the helmet from his head, raking his fingers through the curly strands of his hair. He always hated having to wear the goddamn helmet but the precinct officers were getting serious about road regulation rules so he always had his helmet plus an extra.His long legs crossed the entryway, walking casually into the dimly lit building. A merry tone slipped into his mind and he began whistling, he knocked the usual way on the door and it was pulled open for him to enter."Hey, man," Nate, the large bouncer who usually stood at the gate greeted with a gruff nod and stretched his hand.Ryan accepted it for a shake, patting his back in response. "Rossi has been waiting for you," Nate told him as they both walked through the dark hallway. Since they were already used to the passage, it wasn't hard to find their way past.Ryan grunted in a sign that showed that he had heard, "How mad is he?"From this point, he could hear the loud bass an
Ryan could list off his head a thousand and one reasons why he shouldn't be here just before a fight but he would ignore them anyway. He knew Theo would blow his shit if the big guy found him sitting her but Ryan honestly couldn't help it.Today was a shifty day fof him and he needed some booze to calm his system. He downed the entire glass in one gulp and poured himself another shot. As he swiveled the whiskey around in the ice, Ryan took the opportunity to really look at the bar. It wasn't his usually setting, the place was too bright and it looked expensive as well, obviously for the hotshots but he didn't have any choice. It was the only place close to the ring and if he chose to drive to his usual spot, he was likely to miss the fight which would give Theo even more reason to bash his face in.Ryan looked towards the left, catching the eye of a busty brunette smiling his way. She was surrounded by two other girls and they looked like they were discussing something, although her
She placed the foiled turkey into the oven and closed it shut before proceeding to pull off the mittens covering her arm. Aurora took long strides towards the counter, taking another long look at the recipe book sitting on the counter.It was pure luck that she was able to get Rosa's cook book just before the older woman left for her hometown in Spain. Aurora was leafing through the Christmas recipes on the book and she sighted this particular dish and of course, come gingerbread. Christmas wasn't complete without one.She went on with mixing the batter whilst putting the necessary ingredients. The noise from the living room and overwhelming and she cast a dubious glance at the doorway.Would Ryan be okay with the kids? He wasn't really the best of a role model for the children and most of the times, he joined in on their shenanigans rather than stopping them."Hey, babe!"Speaking of the devil. Aurora smiled warmly at him, giggling when he wrapped his arms around her waist and presse
|FIVE YEARS LATER|"Thanks."She dropped down from the cabby, pulling her shades to the top of her head. The driver came down and helped pull out her luggages, dragging them towards where she stood. She gave him a grateful smile and he tipped his head in response.She watched the house in front of her with a nostalgic smile before moving to wrap her fingers around the luggage handle. Her steps were slow, the clicking of her booted heels resounding against the pavement.Finally, she got to the front door. She took in a sharp inhale before rapping her knuckles against the glass frame. No response came and she knocked again, hearing a high-pitched 'I'm coming' echo from inside.Aurora took a step back and waiting, listening to the rustling on the other side. She blinked and the door pulled open, revealing a disheveled Rosa. "Diós mio!" Rosa gasped, wide-eyed and mouth parted in astonishment, "Aurora!" She squealed in excitement, pulling her into her arms and squeezing her tightly. Auro
"Have you taken everything?"She pushed the suitcase out the door and kicked it close with her booted foot. Aurora blew out the stray strand of hair that had escaped from her messy bun and was now dangling in front of her face. Her father took one of the heavier bags from her hand and she rested the other smaller one on top the suitcase before leaning against it,"Yeah but I packed light, I didn't want to exceed the airport's luggage limit," She answered, pushing away from the suitcase and strolling after her father.Harry scoffed but it was more of an amused one, "This is you packing light?"She threw him a look and chuckled as they meandered downstairs, there was a clanging noise coming from the kitchen area and she cocked a brown"Rosa has been at it since early this morning, claims you need to have good food when you leave," Harry shrugged, "I told her not to bother, the airplane gives good service meals but she wouldn't have it."Aurora laughed softly, nodding her head, "Tell he
Dinner ended after the entire fiasco but she was stunned to see her father laughing proudly, even Matt seemed more livelier than when he first arrived. They walked out of the restaurant together and waited out front for the valets to bring in their respective cars."I wish we could have more nights like this," Matt confessed, a relaxed expression shining in his eyes. He wrapped his arms around Louisa, pulling her closer into him.Her father nodded in agreement, "Me too."Louisa stalked forward, taking her palms and smiling, "I know you're leaving tomorrow and I might not get the chance to see you off but I wish you all the best," She wrapped her arm around Aurora in a comforting hug and she reciprocated the gesture.Matt hugged her after that, reminding her that she would always have a place in their hearts and bade her goodbye too.Their cars soon came and they waited for each one of them to go in and drive off, waving them goodnight."Don't stay out long!" Her father had yelled much
"How do I look?" Aurora peeped over her shoulder at him, fluffing her hair one last time before swiveling to completely face. She smiled, sauntering towards where he nervously stood and reached up to arrange the bow tie around his collar,"I think you look splendid," He cocked his head to the side and she chuckled, "What?" Ryan shook his head, the curls bouncing with the effect, "Nothing, it's just that I wasn't quite looking for that word. What's splendid supposed to mean?"She knew he was joking with her because a devious smile had begun crawling up his lips. Aurora smacked his chest and rolled her eyes, moving to grab her purse from the counter,"Let's go now or else we'll be late."Ryan breathed out but nodded and linked his fingers with hers as they walked out the door. The night's air was quite chilly, she was grateful that she'd decided to wear the cashmere overcoat like Rosa advised."Why do you think your dad wants dinner with me?" He asked as they slipped into the car with
Aurora walked hand in arm with her father, the weather was fairly gloomy with the sun glowing dimly from between the clouds. She was thankful that it wasn't going to rain today, or at least that was what the forecaster announced earlier this morning. The wedding was a open event, set up in one of the finest gardens she'd ever seen."I think it's going to rain," Natasha muttered from beside her, frowning at the darkening clouds.Mason hissed, jabbing his arm into her side, "Don't jinx it." Aurora smiled at their banter, shaking her head softly. After the entire rollercoaster, she'd signed off from the school to the dismay of the Chancellor. Louisa has gotten the role, thank goodness, and she was in the process of preparing for the main competition which was weeks away."Don't fret," Her father told them warmly as they settled on the last row of chairs, "It's not going to rain, my feet always tingles whenever it's about to and so far, I haven't felt anything."They both gave his open m