Chapter 003

Nova reached the Valencia mansion. The mansion was four times bigger than her family's estate. She walked in and was greeted by the workers of the mansion. None of Aeros's family members came to welcome her which made it pretty much clear to Nova what kind of treatment Reverie was receiving in this house. 

She was led upstairs to the masters bedroom by a servant. She plopped on the bed weariness growing on her. The heels were killing her feet. 

She got up from the bed to take a shower to relax her nerves, it's an old habit of her's to shower before sleeping especially in a cold weather like this. 

Looking at Reverie's closet Nova understood that she usually wore silk nightgowns but that would be uncomfortable for Nova as she's not used to it, she rummaged through her suitcase and found a nightsuit, a shirt and pants that would be comfortable for her.

Nova made her way towards the bathroom, her footsteps echoing in the silence. She entered the steam-filled room, ready to cleanse away the exhaustion of the day. As the warm water cascaded down her body, she let out a contented sigh, momentarily forgetting about the potential awkwardness awaiting her outside.

As Nova finished her shower, she turned off the water and stepped out onto the cool tiled floor. The realization hit her abruptly: she had forgotten to bring her clothes with her into the bathroom. Panic surged through her, and she quickly wrapped the towel around herself tightly. 

Taking a deep breath, Nova cracked open the bathroom door and peeked out. 

She walked towards the bed, to her surprise, Aeros was sitting on the edge of the bed, engrossed in his smartphone, startled, Nova let out a high-pitched yelp, the sound bouncing off the walls. He gazed up at her, her heart raced, and she stumbled backward, losing her footing.

In an instant, Nova found herself airborne, her body hurtling towards Aeros. Time seemed to slow down as their lips accidentally brushed against each other in the midst of their unintentional collision.

Embarrassment flooded Nova's cheeks, and she hastily grabbed her nightsuit from the bed, stumbling backward once more.

Flushed with mortification, Nova scurried back into the bathroom, her mind racing with a mixture of embarrassment, confusion, and self-deprecation. How could she have been so careless? She silently chastised herself, feeling a profound need to escape the situation that had unfolded.

When Nova finally emerged from the bathroom, the room was shrouded in an eerie tension. Aeros stood near the bed, his expression a mixture of anger and frustration. Without warning, he slammed Nova against the wall, his grip firm and unyielding. His voice seethed with accusation as he demanded an explanation.

"Is this what you're doing now?" Aeros hissed, his eyes blazing with fury. "Trying to get my attention? by seducing me? Well, let me make one thing clear—I will never ever love you or accept you as my wife, "

Nova's temper flared, fueling her next actions. She balled her fist and delivered a sharp punch to Aeros's gut, causing him to momentarily loosen his grip. 

'is this how this fcker treats my beloved sister?', Nova thought to herself as her blood boiled in anger. 

Her voice laced with contempt, she retorted, "You arrogant jerk! I don't need your attention or your affection. I can't believe you'd think so highly of yourself."

"How dare you—" he tried to speak before he could do so Nova cracked her knuckles, "You deserved it, and if you don't want another punch from me, maintain a distance with me" Nova warned in a dead serious tone 

Aeros looked as if he had seen a ghost, a totally different person, Reverie his said wife who did everything she can to get him look towards her is now telling him to stay away from her? He could not believe his ears. 

"Fine, that's actually a great deal for me, don't you dare forget your words" Aeros accepted her statement with a warning 

She swiftly moved away from Aeros, grabbing a nearby pillow and blanket. Defiantly, Nova marched towards the couch, determined to separate herself from the hostile atmosphere. 

She flung the bedding onto the couch and laid down, staring up at the ceiling.

As Nova tried to calm her racing thoughts, her heartache mixed with lingering embarrassment, she couldn't help but question how their relationship had taken such an unexpected turn. The shared bedroom suddenly felt suffocating, and she wondered how they would navigate the days to come, trapped within the confines of a tense coexistence.

The golden sunlight seeped through the curtains, as it hit her eyes, contemplating if she should just get up or there's more time left to sleep. 

Nova tossed around not realising that she was sleeping on the couch, but before she could have realised it she was landed on the hard floor on her butt as she winced in pain, 'What a wonderful goddamn morning" she thought to herself getting up from the floor

She gazed towards the bed which was empty she figured that Aeros probably wakes up early unlike her he is a disciplined fellow. 

She went into the shower as yesterday's incident made her feel embarassed once again. She changed into denim shorts and a white sweatshirt, she almost forgot to wear her wig. 

The door was opened which made her startled, "Oh it's just you" Nova said as Aeros walked into the room, the upper two buttons of his shirt were open and his tie was in his hands, he stood in front of the mirror struggling with the tie.

Nova cleared her throat, "I can help you with that" she stated

"I don't need it" was his cold response, Nova shrugged off her shoulders, After a few minutes Aeros turned to her, "Fine, make it quick" he said

'This ungrateful little—' 

"Is that how you ask someone for a favour?" Nova slyly questioned, 

His lips parted in disbelief, "Please" he hesitantly uttered through gritted teeth

"Sure thing, afterall you're so desperate for my help" Nova smiled in victory, snatching the tie from his hands, they both stood in front of the full length mirror, she wrapped the tie around his neck

A mischievous smile played on her lips as she meticulously adjusted the knot by holding the narrow end and sliding the knot up towards his neck 'accidently' choking him up in the process

He coughed, "You did it on purpose!" 

"There, it's all done, thank me later" Nova asserted, he streched his hand out to grab her by her shoulders but his hands brushed against her hair and he pulled her wig 

Her eyes widened, "You son of a—" she cursed but stopped herself in the mid as she realised she's not 'Nova' right now, she quickly picked up her wig and wore it

"Since yesterday you've been acting weird" Aeros uttered suspiciously,

"Why're you wearing a wig though? Are you perhaps balding?" He questioned his voice holding a bit of curiosity

"No! Actually I cut my hairs short impulsively by myself and now I don't like it, I like my usual long hairs!" Nova reasoned out 

"Did you also get a tattoo on an impulse?" He said his eyes looking at her hips, she gasped again, 'Nova, you dumbfck' she cursed herself mentally "You're full of surprises, you should rethink your career as a model and try being a clown instead, atleast it's one thing you're good at" he added  

Nova bit her lower lip as she glared at him. 

"You know that the elders won't like their daughter in law getting a tattoo? What made you think it was a good idea?" He retorted, his hands in his pocket, 

Nova scoffed in annoyance, the hypocrisy of this family, she really felt bad for her sister who had to live with a jerk who thinks that he's the centre of the world.

"Can you please cut your crap for once? Since yesterday you're grumbling like an old grandpa, you can play around and no one bats an eye, suddenly when I get a tattoo it becomes a problem? I can make my own damn decisions" Nova snapped, 

Aeros was dumbfounded by her statement, "Fine, you're right, we don't have to poke into eachother's business" he commented 

"That'd be very benevolent of you!" Nova exclaimed walking out of the room, slamming the door.