“What is it about?” Aurora asked, avoiding Amber’s pointed look.
“Can we meet in person?” Astrid’s voice was low and uncertain, unlike her usual overconfident and self-absorbed self.
Aurora sighed.
“Just say what you want to say, Astrid.”
“I know I don’t deserve to call you and demand to meet, but it’s really important, Aurora.” Astrid’s voice sounded desperate and more like herself before she got married to Marcus and became a millionaire’s wife.
She sounded like Aurora’s sister.
“What is it?” Amber whispered when Aurora went quiet.
Aurora shifted the phone away, covering the speaker with her palm.
“She wants to meet; she says it’s important.”
“No!” Amber shook her head.
“Don’t—”
“Hello? Rory, are you there?” Astrid called, still on the line.
“Um, yeah.” Aurora put the phone back against her ear.
“Can you come to our favourite coffee shop at the LA Mall?”
“Yeah, I can,” Astrid agreed instantly.
“I will text you when I arrive. I will be there soon.”
Aurora hung up the phone to face a frowning Amber.
“Why do you never stand your ground with her?” Amber asked.
“She’s probably reeling from her father-in-law’s arrest. It wouldn’t hurt to hear her out.”
“Exactly, she’s going to use it as her leverage to manipulate you into doing her bidding.”
“I won’t fall for it, I promise,” Aurora said, and Amber just nodded, though she wasn’t fully convinced.
“Come on, before the shoes get sold out,” Aurora urged, getting out of the car, Amber following behind her as they entered the mall.
The mall was teeming with people, as expected of a Friday afternoon.
The two women went straight to the shoe store, where Amber finally got to buy on the shoes she wanted.
While Amber was browsing around, Aurora stood by the entrance, her mind drifting to Cassian Black in his black pullover.
And the blonde woman.
Why do you care? she asked herself.
She cleared her throat at the thought and glanced at her wristwatch.
It had been an hour since Grandma Maggie’s flight left for Catalina Island.
And Cassian’s as well.
She wondered if they would cross paths.
She hoped not.
It would be a catastrophe, her grandma meeting her nemesis.
Though thankfully, Grandma Maggie never knew anything about Cassian or the Black family.
“Earth to Aurora.” Amber snapped her fingers in front of Aurora’s face, pulling her out of her daze.
“You’re doing it again.”
“Doing what?” Aurora raised a brow.
“Thinking about him,” Amber said.
“That’s not true. I was wondering where Astrid was. It’s been almost an hour already.” Aurora shrugged just as her phone buzzed with a text.
She thanked God for the distraction before checking her phone.
“She’s here, come on,” Aurora prompted, and they walked to the coffee shop on the first floor.
It was Aurora and Astrid’s favourite place to hang out before their relationship got ruined.
The place looked relatively the same as Aurora remembered it, since she hadn’t been there in a long time due to Maggie’s deteriorating health.
And she got busy with work, and Astrid abandoned them.
She was sitting in a corner when they arrived.
The place wasn’t packed, allowing for an actual conversation.
Astrid sat down, her back slumped over the table, unlike her usual prim lady facade.
She wore a simple chiffon blouse and pants.
The outfit was a large contrast to her usual flashy designer outfits.
Though her makeup was immaculate, it seemed to overcompensate for the simplicity of her outfit.
Aurora sighed before she and Amber walked in her direction.
“Astrid,” Aurora called her name, and Astrid’s head shot up to look at her sister.
Her eyes glossed over in an instant, and she looked like she was about to burst out crying.
Then her eyes darted to Amber by the side, and her face slightly dropped.
“Aurora.” Astrid blinked back the tears, her face visibly hardened.
“I was hoping we could speak in private.” Her eyes grazed over Amber sharply as she spoke. they never used to get along.
Amber rolled her eyes.
“I will be over there when you’re done,” she said to Aurora.
“No.” Aurora caught Amber by the arm, stopping her from walking away.
She looked at Astrid squarely, while Amber looked taken aback for a moment.
“You can say whatever it is you need to in front of Amber, or you can leave.”
Astrid’s jaw tightened at Aurora’s statement, but she steeled her expression, forcing a small smile on her face.
“Fine, she can stay.”
Both Aurora and Amber took their seats while Astrid shifted uncomfortably in hers.
She clenched and unclenched her fingers on the table, going quiet for a long moment.
“Well?” Aurora prompted.
Astrid sighed like she was firing herself up to speak out.
“I need to borrow some money.”
Amber scoffed at the same time that Aurora shook her head.
She genuinely thought her sister was finally coming around.
But it seemed she was wrong.
“No.” She uttered the single word, and Astrid rushed to speak.
“I said no,” Aurora said.
“You threatened to destroy our lives, demanded money that I didn’t have. Even told me to sell my body Just so you could get money and now you want me to lend you money. What sort of a fool do you take me for?!”
Astrid’s face dropped.
“You really will never change. Everything is money with you! Well, I don’t have any money to give you,” Aurora said.
“Rory, please, I know I don’t deserve it, but…”
“But nothing,” Aurora said, moving to stand up.
“Whatever you’re going through is not my problem. Why don’t you seek the help of your new family that you abandoned us for?”
Astrid’s hands tightened around the edges of the table.
“I’m sure you’ve seen the news about my father-in-law’s arrest. The Webb residence has been turned upside down. All the family’s assets are frozen because of the ongoing investigation, and Marcus…”
She paused a second before she continued.
“He’s stressed because of all this, and now he’s cold and distant, and he’s even asking me to sell my bags for money.”
Aurora just stared at her sister’s face in disbelief, wondering how she turned out to be so stuck-up and out of touch.
“He’s right for once. What’s the use of your designer items if you have nothing left to survive on?” Aurora fired at her.
Astrid’s sad eyes turned cold in an instant, and she glared at Aurora.
“Why are you acting like a total bitch? I know you have money because you just sent Maggie to Catalina, and it’s not like I won’t pay you back.”
Aurora paused for a second.
“How do you know about Maggie’s trip?”
Astrid exhaled before she leant back in her seat, the helpless facade gone.
She flicked the tear that had run down her face with a sharp finger.
“She called me herself and told me about it. After all, I’m still her granddaughter.”
She finished with a smile, and Aurora couldn’t speak, her hands clenched into fists under the table.
“Look, I know the Blacks are treating you well, and I’m not asking you for much, just $5,000 until Marcus’s assets are unfrozen.”
“No,” Aurora gritted out.
Astrid glared at her sister.
“We’re done here. Come on, Amber.”
Aurora stood up from the table, and Amber mirrored her movement.
They walked towards the exit, ignoring a frazzled Astrid, but just then, a sharp sound stopped them in their tracks.
Astrid had slammed her hand down on the table so hard all the people in the cafe had turned towards them.
Aurora slowly turned to face her sister, her eyes dropping down to the table.
There was an envelope under Astrid’s hand.
“What is that?” Aurora asked.
For some reason, her blood had run cold.
She wanted to know what was inside the envelope.
Astrid didn’t answer.
She just stared pointedly at the envelope, her hands trembling.
“Why don’t you open it and see?” Astrid said, lifting her eyes to meet Aurora’s.
“Don’t fall for it,” Amber warned by her side.
Aurora didn’t move, her hands clenched by her side, debating whether to open the envelope or leave with Amber.
Astrid slowly stood up from her seat, grabbing the envelope with her, and stalked until she stopped in front of Aurora.
“What’s in the envelope, Astrid?” Aurora asked again, the uncomfortable feeling in her stomach intensifying by the second.
Astrid bit her lip for a moment, and Aurora could see her having the debate about whether to tell her or not in her eyes, but then she finally decided to.
“I’m pregnant.”