Chapter 21
“Aurora” he whispers, his hot breath fanning my face. This would have been a romantic situation if he wasn’t glaring at me so harshly.
“I have had a f***g long day-he continues, placing his hands on both sides of my
head.
I don’t have the patience for your tantrums right now. If I say there is a dinner, then there is a f*g d**inner. You have no. other job than to help me keep up appearances so don’t get carried away with whatever frivolities you might be engaged in. Get dressed” he barks at me and I involuntarily close my eyes at the ferocity in his tone.
He leaves me standing there in the hallway fuming at myself for not giving him a piece of my mind.
The doorbell rings and I go to open the door for Sawyer and two other people.
“You can drop them there, thank you.” I say as they put the bags on the floor of the living-room.
“Thanks you guys.” I say to them after they are done bringing the bags in. After they are gone, I stomp to my y room with a couple of the bags and dump them on my bed.
Candace looks up from where she is playing with her toys and gives me a questioning stare, “Sorry baby.”
“Who the f***k does that f**ace think he is.” I mutter to myself angrily as I check each bag for an appropriate outfit.
Sure he is right about what my job description is, help him keep up appearances as his wife. But, I deserve basic courtesy
right:
What’s wrong with telling me about the dinner so I have time to prepare, both physically and me*y.
I d**on’t see an outfit I feel like wearing in the bags so I go to the living-room to check out the rest of them.
“What the f****k are you doing Aurora?” Aaron says, standing in the doorway leading to the living-room from the hallway. “What the ***k does it look like? I say without looking up as I continue rummaging through the bags. “I don’t like litter.”
“Oh yeah?” I remark sarcastically, “Neither do I, but since somebody lacks basic courtesy and won’t give me prior notice. before springing up a dinner on me, so I have to go through these gazillion shopping bags to get an appropriate outfit.” I angrily slam a shopping bag on the floor and stand up to stalk toward him.
He raises an eyebrow at my fuming expression, “Don’t speak to me like I don’t deserve some basic respect, like I am just something you own.” I bark at him, referring to how he spoke to me earlier in the hallway.
“But you are.” he says without a hint of emotion in his voice, he moves closer to me, “For as long as you live as my wife and stay under my room, you are something I own.”
I furrow my brows in disbelief, “Why the f***k are you like this? Do you not think about how your words could affect other people?”
“I am only saying the truth, it’s not my fault you can’t handle it.”
I scoff. “You can speak without trying to put me down Aaron, did your parents never teach you manners?”
He grips my hand tightly and I yelp at the sudden pressure, “Don’t ever f***g talk about my parents again.” he says with a look in his eyes that chills que to the bone.
He releases his grip on my hand and steps back, “Clean up my living-room, now!” he orders and walks away.
I shakily sit down on the floor surrounded by the shopping bags le did not grip my hand so tightly that it hurt but it was
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Chapter 21
still forceful.
I rub my arm with a scowl, ‘asshole”
I give up in searching for the appropriate outfit, my mood is too sour anyway. I grab a random bag and carry it back to my room. I put it n my closet and return to the living-room to carry the remaining bags.
I dump them one by one in the floor beside my bed and sit on the bed, I glance at Candace who is now watching cartoons on my phone sleepily.
I smile as I watch her trying to fight sleep, we had a long so I am not surprised to see her feeling sleepy.
I shoot up as a thought suddenly occurs to ine, “If I am going to dinner with him, where is Candace going to stay?”
I go over to Candace and pry my phone away from her hands, I gently carry her and she snuggles into my chest finally succumbing to sleep.
I put her on the bed and cover her with the duvet. I walk out of the room and quietly close the door. I am startled to see Aaron lounging on the wall opposite my door, he is still wearing a sour expression and I mirror him.
“The dinner is happening at the hall on the second floor, it’s just a mini get-together with my employees to boost morale. So, no pressure. Dress nice but comfortable.” he says monotonously like he is reading from a book.
He turns to walk away, “What about Candace? How am I going to take her to this your…” I draw air quotes, casual dinner,” “You are not.” he says with an air of finality.
1 scoff at him, “I told you before singing that contract that I will not be going anywhere without my daugh…without Candace.”
“I already made arrangements for that. Lina will be taking care of her in one of the apartments on the second floor.”
Lina, the nanny from the wedding. I have no complaints about her so I keep quiet.
“Anything else?” he asks with an air of disinterest. I shake my head. “No.”
“Okay, see you in an hour.” he says and walks back to his room. I wince as the hot water hits my back,
I quickly turn off the water and regulate the temperature. After a relaxing shower, I get dressed for the casual dinner. I don’t dry my hair completely, leaving a little moisture to allow it for slight curls.
I jab at my eye-shadow palette with a frown, I make a mental note to get a new and better one the next time I go out.
I pick out a natural dusty brown colour and apply it on my eye lids. Then I apply nude lipgloss. I smile at my reflection in the mirror, beautiful.
I wear my olive green dress with nude heels. I chuckle as I twirl in front of the mirror on the wall of my closet, I look like one of the wives on reality TV.
I think about what Aaron is wearing, shouldn’t we match? I shrug. He is going to wear a dark colour anyway.”
I am satisfied with my look so I gently carry Candace in my arms, grab my purse and leave the room.
Aaron is sitting in the living-room when I enter. He stands up immediately he sees me and glances at his watch.
“I am not late” I protest immediately Candace stirs, I pat her back so she keeps sleeping.
“No, you are right on time. Let’s go he doesn’t comment on how nice I look. I scoff at myself, why would he?
Chapter 21
“I did not peg you as
ride.
the type to care about boosting your employees’ morale.” I say, disrupting the silence of the eleva
“I am professional. I understand that they need it from time to time.”
“So, what do you people do at these casual dinners?”
He put his hands in his pocket and sighs, “Talk about work on a lighter note. They talk and I listen.”
“Sounds nice, so is everyone bringing their spouses or it’s just you?”
He sighs in exasperation and faces me, “Your classmates hated you in school right?”
Igape at him, “What?”
“You seem like the type to keep asking the teacher questions long after the bell has rung.”
I scoff, “I never did that.”
Except once in biology class in highschool. I was curious about why I found it weird to refer to insects as animals, the wor “animal” made me think of just mammals for some reason.
“I find that hard to believe.”
you
don’t want to answer my question, that is fine. I just want to prepare myself for whatever it is I am about to w
“I am the only one bringing my spouse, it’s strictly a work dinner. I decided to take you with me because I wanted to see h you would fare in a social event. Take it as a warm-up, like I am preparing you for the big events that I will soon be taking
you to.”
I snort amusedly, “I fare very well in social events, thank you very much.” the elevator ding and the doors open.
“We will see about that he remarks before walking out of the elevator. I follow him and meet Lina standing there with a smile, “It’s good to see you again Mrs. Scott.” she says.
“Same here Lina…” she takes Candace from me gently and I sigh in relief that the movement doesn’t wake her.
“We will be over there she points at an apartment adjacent from where we are standing.
in case you want to check in her she adds with a knowing smile.
I had checked on Candace numerous times during the wedding to Aaron’s annoyance.
I chuckle, “Thank you.”
I watch her walk away with Candace sleeping peacefully in her arms. Aaron stretches out his hand toward me, “Let’s go
I take it and release a deep breath Time to put up a convincing performance,
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