Aurora returned to her room, her mind still wandering over what the blond-haired man had said before he left.
"Some things are better left alone."
"Why?" she asked herself, pushing the door to her room open while the guards following her remained outside, guarding it. "Do they all have secrets in this house?" Aurora wondered.
She slumped onto the cozy, soft bed and picked up the files lying beside her, and as she flipped through the pages, her eyes stayed focused on her father’s signature. She would have concluded it was forged, but there was no way on earth her father’s signature could be forged, since the only time she had ever seen it was whenever she visited him at the office. Her father had always promised she would marry the man of her choice, but the man had to come for assessment no less than five times.
And here she was, sitting with a marriage document with no rules, one that meant she would probably get a divorce in the next two years. She picked up the pen, her hand hovering over the signature line.
"What are you using to get to my father?" she asked herself, tossing the pen to the other side of the room.
Saint sat on the couch, legs crossed, picking at the vegetables he had cooked earlier while typing a message on his phone to Milo. He set the plate aside once he had eaten enough, and just then the door pushed open and the middle-aged nanny stepped forward, Alyssa’s small figure behind her, tiny fingers wrapped around her bag, which Saint knew contained the homework she would want him to help her with.
"Uncle, my numeracy teacher is always grumpy." Alyssa frowned as she rushed toward him, making him slide his phone beneath the couch.
"I caught you. My nutrition teacher says it’s very unhealthy to eat and be on your phone at the same time. It affects the eyes a lot and can make you lose..." She trailed off.
"Make you lose your appetite for food and gain an appetite for the phone," Saint finished, already having mastered the line since she used it like a song whenever she caught him on his phone, even a call while eating counting as a bad habit in Alyssa’s eyes.
"Thank you. So, how are you, Uncle?" she asked as Saint pulled her into his lap after removing the bag from her shoulder.
"Nina said you refused to eat your food, and even the one you took to school, you didn’t eat it..."
"I wasn’t—"
"I told you never to cut me off when I’m speaking. That’s a sign of disrespect, Alyssa."
"Sorry," she said, bending her head slightly.
"Nina," Saint called. "Tell the butler to serve food for Alyssa, and get some for yourself if you’d like."
"Okay, sir." She nodded and dashed to the kitchen, where she assumed the butler might be, and a few minutes later walked back with a plate filled with fluffy Belgian waffles, fresh strawberries, scrambled eggs, and turkey bacon, arranged neatly beside a glass of chilled orange juice.
Saint pulled the table closer while the nanny placed the plate on it, but Alyssa jumped down from his lap before he could hold her and stood at the edge of the stairs, her hands folded across her chest.
"I don’t want to eat."
"Alyssa, come down," Saint warned, standing up and striding toward her with long steps, and Alyssa raced up the stairs with him trailing behind her, until in her panic she pushed the bedroom door open and slammed it right in his face, his jaw clenching tightly.
"Alyssa, open this door," he commanded from outside.
Aurora jumped up, her heartbeat thumping hard from how forcefully Alyssa had slammed the door, having been sitting on the bed reminiscing about the tragic turn her life had taken when suddenly the door was pushed open. Alyssa stood there, pressing her tiny figure against it with all the strength she could muster, totally unaware of the lady staring at her with wide eyes.
Aurora stepped forward and helped her lock the door with the key, and Alyssa looked up, her sad eyes immediately gleaming with a hint of joy when she saw the lady with the smoky cloud of hair, the one who had refused to mention her name, staring down at her.
"Uncle’s wife, you’re still here. I thought you’d gone home," she whispered, knowing full well her uncle might still be standing outside the door.
"Huh?" Aurora gasped, her cheeks going red from embarrassment as she pulled the child closer to her body and wiped the tears that had trailed down her cheeks.
"Who’s chasing you?" Aurora managed to ask after several minutes of her heart doing flip-flops.
Before Alyssa could answer, the door was pushed open with force, making it hit the wall, and in the doorway stood Saint, hands tucked into his pants, trying to force a smile onto his face, while the nanny stood beside him with the plate of food in her hands. Aurora pulled Alyssa behind her while the kid wrapped her hands around Aurora’s waist, gripping it tightly in fierce protectiveness.
"Alyssa, you have two choices. Either you sit down there and let the nanny feed you, or I’ll feed you myself. But you’re going to eat something," he said calmly, though his anger still shadowed his calm.
Aurora remained quiet, trying to think of a possible way to persuade Alyssa to eat her food.
"Alyssa," Aurora called, unwrapping Alyssa’s hands from her waist, earning a teary gaze from the child, who was on the brink of bursting into tears.
"I don’t want to eat," the child cried, this time gripping the hem of Aurora’s clothes.
"Why?" Aurora asked calmly.
"Uncle promised to take me shopping, but he didn’t, and whenever I remind him, he always gives me an excuse that he’s busy," Alyssa rambled, her voice cracking.
"What if I feed you, tell you my name, and still help beg your uncle to take you shopping?" Aurora offered, urging the nanny to bring the food.
"No." Alyssa shook her head in disagreement.
"Hand me the food," Saint ordered, and the nanny immediately handed the plate to Saint, who was now losing his sense of calm entirely.
"Umm," Aurora stuttered. "I’ll make her eat. You don’t really have to force her."
"You’d better make her eat, or I’ll feed both of you myself," Saint threatened, and Nina cleared her throat at how intense the room was becoming.
"What?" Aurora screamed in her mind, but instead she forced a smile. "I’m only going to eat if Uncle lets both of us go shopping together."
"No." His voice came out flat, void of any consideration.
"Then she doesn’t eat." Aurora shrugged, keeping her voice calm even as her heart thudded against her ribs. "You can see for yourself she’s not going to budge. How do you expect me to feed her if you won’t comply with what she wants?"
Alyssa peeked around Aurora’s side, watching her uncle with wide, hopeful eyes, while Saint exhaled hard through his nose, turned to stare at Nina, then back at the two small figures who were testing the last of his patience, clearly hating that he was outnumbered by a woman he barely trusted and an eight-year-old kid who knew exactly how to work him.
"Fine," he finally bit out. "But the guards come with us. All of them."
Alyssa let out a shriek of joy that startled even Nina, scrambling down from where she had been hiding behind Aurora and practically launching herself at the plate of food, eating like she hadn’t eaten all day, cheeks stuffed, humming to herself, downing the orange juice in just a few gulps.
"I’m Aurora," Aurora said gently, crouching beside her with a smile plastered on her face, though the thought of guards monitoring her every footstep threatened to ruin her plan entirely. Still, she had to do it for the child.
"Uncle’s wife," Alyssa said around a mouthful of waffle, grinning.
"Uh..." Aurora muttered, but Alyssa was already giggling, clearly delighted by how it made Saint’s jaw twitch from across the room.
"Your hair is so pretty." Alyssa reached out, fingers brushing through a strand of Aurora’s smoky curls. "I want hair like yours."
Aurora laughed, the sound surprising even herself. "Then you can have whatever style you want, though the only way you could truly have hair like mine is by dyeing it, and nothing is ever quite as good as the original," she laughed softly.
Alyssa turned instantly to her uncle, eyes shining. "Can she pick my hairstyle for shopping day? Please?"
"She’s not a hairstylist, Alyssa," Saint said, arms crossed.
"She doesn’t have to be," Aurora cut in smoothly. "Alyssa can choose for herself. I’ll just be there."
Saint stared at her a beat too long, something unreadable passing behind his eyes, before he muttered a reluctant, "Fine," and immediately turned to leave the room before either of them could ask for anything else.
The mall was loud and bright, and Alyssa was a blur of energy the moment they stepped through the doors, guards trailing several paces behind. Saint walked close but hung back, watching more than participating, as Alyssa dragged Aurora from one store to the next, chattering about hair clips, dresses, and which shoes were the prettiest, while Aurora smiled and nodded along, even at things she didn’t hear, all the while thinking about how she could get to the back door of the shopping mall without anyone noticing. This might be her only chance.
Saint’s phone buzzed, and he glanced at the screen, his expression changing almost instantly. "Milo," he muttered, stepping several feet away and answering the call, his attention shifting fully toward the conversation. Aurora’s eyes flickered toward him, and she knew this was her chance, though she needed to move carefully. Alyssa was busy examining a display of hair clips, while the guards were spread out between the store entrance and the corridor.
Aurora turned toward one of the guards. "I need to use the restroom."
The guard nodded. "I’ll take you."
"No." Aurora quickly shook her head. "I’ll be fine. Alyssa is right there, and I won’t be long."
The guard hesitated, and Aurora gave him a convincing smile before adding, "Saint won’t want you leaving Alyssa unattended either."
The guard glanced toward Alyssa, then toward Saint, who was still on the phone, and after a brief hesitation he nodded. "Don’t take long."
Aurora nodded and immediately headed toward the hallway, and the moment she disappeared around the corner she quickened her pace, passing the restroom and continuing farther down the hallway, her eyes searching for an exit. Then she spotted it, a back door propped slightly open by a delivery cart. Her pulse jumped, and she looked over her shoulder to find no one there, so she pushed the door open and rushed outside.
The moment she stepped into the parking area, she kicked off her heels and hurried toward the street, waving down a cab, which came to a halt as she immediately climbed inside.
"Please, can you speed up?" Aurora urged the taxi driver.
The car stopped right in front of Jules’s apartment, and Aurora rushed toward the door but turned back, remembering she hadn’t paid the driver, and tossed him her hand chain, worth more than five thousand dollars. He examined the diamond chain, a smile spreading across his face as he flashed a row of white teeth, then bowed slightly to Aurora before driving off.
Her heart thumped hard in her chest, her breathing ragged and shallow as she tried to catch her breath, her throat gone dry, and she slammed her palm against the door, but there was no response. Just as she was about to do it again, her phone rang.
"Jules?" Aurora answered, relief flooding her voice.
"Aurora," Jules’s voice trembled through the line. "Listen to me."
Aurora’s smile faded. "What’s wrong? Your voice sounds groggy. Have you been crying? I’ve been knocking on your..."
Aurora immediately went quiet when Jules sniffled.
"I’ve been kidnapped," Jules whispered.
Aurora’s heart stopped, her hands tightening around the phone.
"How?" she managed to ask.
"They will get to you if you don’t move fast."