Aurora pushed through the glass doors of Black Corp and stepped out into the crisp evening air.
She heaved a sigh after the long, painful walk through the lobby, where she had endured countless stares and whispers, though it was quieter now than when she had arrived in the morning.
She peered at her wristwatch; it was past six, and the sun was starting to set behind the clouds.
She sucked in a large gulp of the evening air, pulling her coat tighter against her frame as her eyes scanned the streets for a taxi.
A prickling sensation went down her neck, sending all the hairs at the back of her neck to stand straight.
Someone was watching her, she realised, and her head whipped in the direction before she could think about it.
A familiar sleek black vehicle was parked by the kerb.
She could hear the sound of the engine from where she stood, but the car hadn’t driven off.
She squinted her eyes at the dark windows just as they glided down smoothly, revealing Cassian in the back seat.
He looked like he had been struck by lightning.
His eyes were thunderous, sending daggers in her direction.
Aurora held his gaze for a long moment before a small smile lifted on her lips, and she winked at him.
His expression hadn’t changed, but she could see his jaw clench even more.
She turned and walked away, waving down a taxi that was approaching.
The black vehicle finally pulled away from the kerb and merged into the ongoing traffic whilst Aurora climbed into the taxi, spouting off her address in a cheery voice before she leant back in her seat, smiling to herself as the city passed by in a blur.
She pushed through the front door of their apartment to find Jude leaning against the wall as he untied the shoelaces on his right leg.
His backpack still hung from his shoulder.
“Hey, you’re earlier than I would have thought,” Jude said as she started to kick off her own shoes.
“What can I say? I’m a hard worker. How are your classes?”
“Good. It was great, actually. I just checked my midterm grades, and I aced everything,” Jude grinned as he propped both their shoes on the shelf by the door.
“Really? Jude, that’s amazing,” Aurora cheered, pulling him into a hug.
A warmth she hadn’t felt in ages spread its way through her chest.
“It’s just midterms, Rory. It’s not a big deal,” Jude shrugged, but a smile lingered on his lips.
“What about you? How was your first day? You look exhausted.”
“I am exhausted,” Aurora groaned, rolling her neck.
“Black Corp is not for the weak,” she said, avoiding mentioning Cassian’s name.
“Wait,” she stopped Jude, whose hand was already turning the door knob.
“Before you go in, I need to talk to you about something.”
He paused, his smile faded.
“What’s wrong? Is it Cassian Black? What did he do?”
“No, it’s not him,” Aurora said.
“It’s about Grandma. Her birthday is this weekend.”
“Oh,” Jude sighed, relieved.
“I know. I was going to tell you. We need to buy her a cake to celebrate.”
“Actually, I want to do something bigger.” Aurora said, “I want to send her to Catalina Island. You know, just for the weekend. A solo retreat where she can relax and not worry about anything. It’s going to be really good for her health as well.” New chapters come out on NovelPing first.
“That’s a great idea, but Catalina is expensive,” Jude said carefully.
“It’s okay, I got an advance at work. I can afford it now.”
“Rory—” Jude started, but Aurora held up her hand.
“I’ve already thought it through.
She hasn’t been anywhere since her health got worse.
She always loved the ocean, remember?
When did we used to go on summer trips to Catalina before the accident?
Jude’s face dropped at the mention of their parents’ death.
“She has dropped her life to take care of us, Jude. This is the least we can do.”
“You’re right,” Jude said after a short beat.
“But she’s going to refuse. She’ll say it’s wasteful and that we should save the money.”
A mischievous smile lifted on Aurora’s lips.
“Which is why we’re not going to tell her that.”
“What do you mean?” Jude raised a brow.
“We will tell her that it’s her doctor’s orders,” Aurora explained.
“Her cardiologists have been asking me to find a way for her to get some rest. I’ll just say that he recommended the trip. And that the trip is paid for by my job, like a bonus that the company gives its employees, and it can’t be refunded or transferred. If she doesn’t go, it gets wasted.”
“You’re a genius,” he laughed.
“I know,” she shrugged smugly.
“Also, she will believe it more if we both say it. So I’m going to need you to bust out those acting skills.”
“Okay, okay, you got it. I’m in. When do we tell her?” Jude nods.
“Tonight before dinner,” Aurora said, hooking an arm around his shoulder as they went inside the house.
“I don’t need a vacation. I’m fine right here,” Grandma Maggie said as she handed Jude the casserole dish of roasted veggies to set on the table.
The two siblings had cornered her before dinner, but Maggie was putting up a fight as they had expected.
“Maggie, it’s not just a vacation. This is your doctor’s order. He said you need rest,” Aurora said.
“And I’m not talking about taking a short nap and then sneaking off to Mrs Herrera’s to gossip.”
“We do not gossip. We only share information about the community,” Grandma Maggie narrowed her eyes.
“Also, which doctor? I don’t remember any doctor telling me that.”
Jude steps in smoothly.
“It was in the notes from your last appointment. Also, Rory confirmed with the doctor when she picked up your prescription. Right, Rory?”
He said, staring pointedly at his sister.
“Yeah, yeah,” she quickly nodded along.
“He said you need at least three days of complete relaxation.” Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
“in Catalina?” Grandma Maggie raised a brow.
“Yep,” Aurora said, pulling out an envelope from her pocket.
The reservation confirmation that she had printed at work.
“Also, the resort is already paid for. It’s a bonus from my new job.”
“And before you say it, it can’t be refunded or transferred. I am busy with work, and Jude has school, so if you don’t go, the trip is going to go to waste.”
Grandma Maggie peered at the envelope, then between the two siblings who were looking at her with hopeful eyes.
“You two are up to something.”
“Just taking care of you, Maggie,” Jude said with a wide smile.
“For once, please let us do this.”
“Please,” Aurora pressed.
Grandma Maggie was quiet for a long moment before she sighed, giving into her grandchildren’s charm.
“Fine, but not a minute longer than three days. And also, I am bringing my own food. I don’t want any more expenses, okay?”
They both laughed before they went in for a family hug.
“Deal,” they both said in unison.
Dinner went by in a delightful blur.
Jude’s grades were back to normal.
Grandma Maggie dished out juicy gossip she heard from Mrs Herrera, while Aurora briefed them on her new job without mentioning Cassian, Savannah, or the whole ordeal she’s going through at work.
After dinner, Aurora forced Grandma Maggie to rest in her favorite armchair, while Jude did the dishes.
Aurora plopped onto the couch, resting her neck on the soft but worn-out cushions.
She had just put on a face mask, a cheap one she had picked up from the pharmacy on her way back, that smelled like cucumbers and lime.
She blinked up at the ceiling, her mind going to the one person she didn’t want it to go: Cassian Black.
She wasn’t thinking of a perfect swirl in his eyes or his perfectly chiselled jaw.
Instead, she was thinking about all the ways that she could make his life more miserable.
Small ways that wouldn’t get her fired.
“Rory, look at this,” Grandma Maggie called out as she turned up the volume, leaning up in her seat.
Both Aurora and Jude looked at the TV, where a news reporter was standing outside a courthouse.
Behind her was a middle-aged man in a suit being escorted towards a large black car.
His head was bowed between his shoulders, and his hands were in cuffs in front of him.
The reporter cleared her throat as she started, “Terry Webb, CEO of Webb Corporation, was just arrested this morning on charges of tax fraud. Federal prosecutors allege that Webb deliberately concealed over forty million dollars in offshore accounts over the past decade. If convicted, he faces up to fifteen years in federal prison.”
Aurora’s mouth hung open.
Terry Webb was Astrid’s father-in-law.
Looks like her sister’s luck had finally run out.