Chapter 22: In Which They Miss Each Other Badly

Theo raked his hair over his forehead in frustration. How could he tell her?

A big guy like him sleeps with the lights on because he gets anxious in the dark. What would she think? She would see him as a freak.

He took a deep breath to steady the furious beating of his heart. Had he not done enough to show her that he can be trusted? Why does she still doubt him? Why does she keep thinking the worst of him?

Theo turned back to Aurora and she was back to packing up her belongings. This time, he didn’t stop her. Staring at the feisty goddess angrily mumbling inaudible curses while blindly thrusting things into her luggage, his skin seared with vexation.

Fine. She wants to stick to the deal, then he’ll do exactly that.

Don’t do it, a tiny voice in his head pleaded. But Theo ignored it.

Just get the deal over with and I’ll go on with my life, he thought, gritting his teeth.

He strode over to the side of the bed and folded his arms. “You can’t leave.”

Aurora looked up from the heap in her luggage and glared back. “I’m leaving,” she insisted.

Theo swung his body around and strolled to the armchair. “Very well, then we cut the deal. You return all the money. You can go.” He sat down with a forced smile on his face.

A lightning bolt of heat struck her head. Aurora you dumba*s! Again, you’ve forgotten about the money. For f*ck’s sake, what the hell is wrong with you? She was holding onto a blouse and clutched it tightly as if it was a stress ball.

Then, a thunder of reality clapped in her mind. Theo is her boss too and there’s no way she can quit the job. F*ck! This is some deep sh*t she has gotten herself into. She had been caught in the whirlwind of his sweet words and thoughtful gestures. And all the flirting, she grumbled silently. She was so high up in the sky that she had forgotten about the ground.

Ignoring the sting of his words, she inhaled slowly and carefully to clear her mind. The blackmail, the debts and her life came crashing back in.

When Aurora lifted her gaze at Theo, there was dead calmness in her eyes.

“I apologize,” Aurora said in her usual low, raspy voice. “I was acting out of place.”

“I thought so,” Theo breathed with an arrogant grin. Then, he tore his gaze away before he succumbed to the pinch in his chest.

Aurora removed her clothes from the luggage and replaced them in the closet. “I’ll finish this as I’ve promised.”

“By the deal.”

“By the deal,” she stated flatly. Then, she straightened and stared directly at the gorgeous man who was looking the other way, refusing to meet her gaze. “Oh, and by the deal… ” she emphasized. “... after all this, I suggest we keep a distance from each other.”

His eyes flew back to her face wide with surprise, but then his expression immediately hardened and he returned to staring at the bathroom door. “We should,” his voice was strained.

“So, aside from work, Mr. Barone...”

Theo closed his eyes at the formal address of his name in her voice.

“... we won’t meet,” Aurora finished with a hoarse voice.


******


“You have to go talk to him, Aurora,” Kate said quietly, holding her hand.

It has been three days since they returned from the retreat. Once the plane landed, Aurora collected her luggage and left the airport in a cab. She returned to work immediately - at Theo’s office and then at Madame Zoya’s.

Collecting the check for her bonus gave her a huge sense of relief. She cashed it and transferred the money to the lunatic who blackmailed her.

Of course, there was an uproar from his/her end.

Unknown sender: I asked for 10k, you b*tch!

Aurora replied: That’s to let you know I’m getting the money, you a*shole.

She still hadn't figured out who it was. She had a strong hunch that it was Audrey - that dumb woman has been silent since their confrontation - but why would a multi-billionaire’s daughter want her money?

Aurora decided to just get rid of this sicko first, then sort out her debts. She’s still looking forward to the day when all this ends and her life returns to normal. She may be able to return to college and continue from where she left off.

The squeeze in her hand jarred her back to Kate's weak smile. Aurora returned her an assuring smile.

“I’m sure he’s doing fine.”

That irritatingly handsome man had been coming into the office around ten. After listening to Rose’s daily report, he left the office for strings of meetings; and since he’d always arrived with a cup of coffee in his hand, Aurora saw no need to get him any, so they had almost zero interactions.

He didn’t need her, of course - except when Audrey was around. Aurora chided herself for losing sleep over him.

Their friends and family did not know of the secret deal between them, so it was natural for Kate to approach Aurora about Theo.

“But he has been drinking every night since he got back, Aurora,” Kate crinkled her brows.

A vision of Theo drunk in a club, surrounded by women, surfaced in her mind. She pushed it away and forced a warm smile back at the worried-stricken princess. “That’s what all men do, right? Drink after work to cool off some steam.”

“He drinks with Gill… ” Kate’s expression fell into a grim one as she revealed her main concern. “... till the wee hours in the morning… at our place.”

Aurora widened her gaze. “Oh.”

“I’m sorry to come in between your quarrel. A lovers’ tiff is a private affair,” Kate explained hastily. “But… I’m sure you understand. Gill and I just got married and we… we were supposed to be working on our baby.”

Aurora’s hand shot up and she bowed her head in furious defeat. “I get it. You don’t have to explain further.”

Kate brightened up instantly. “So you’ll go talk to him?”

Aurora shook her head with her eyes closed. Just when Kate’s expression fell in disappointment, Aurora opened her eyes again and said, “But I have a solution.”

Kate was at all ears.

Aurora leaned closer and whispered, “Get Keane to take over.”


******


Aurora stared at the man in a yellow rollneck and a grey patterned suit with a combed-back style haircut. Though he dressed like a model from a men’s magazine, Aurora thought he looked like crap.

“You have to go talk to him, Aurora.”

Aurora thrust her face at the ceiling in exasperation. Here we go again.

“What now?” She folded her arms.

Keane leaned forward and whispered angrily, “We’ve been drinking for days now. Seriously, at the rate that we’re drinking, I’ll need to see a doctor.”

Aurora noted the red strains in the whites of his eyes and his stubbled chin, and chuckled.

But Keane wasn’t smiling. “He’s not just drinking, Aurora. He’s like literally pouring alcohol into his stomach. Jeez… What happened between you two? I’ve never seen him like this before.”

Aurora exhaled an angry sigh. “You should ask him.”

“He told me to ask you,” Keane rubbed his temple. “You tell me to ask him.” He stood and fished out his phone. “I can’t take this anymore. I drink with women, not men, and certainly not a bitter man. God, now I’m starting to feel depressed - all that negative energy is getting to me."

His thumbs danced eagerly across his phone screen as he ranted. With one final tap, he looked at Aurora again.

"There! I’ve sent you a video. Take a look at it and start thinking when you want to talk to him. I suggest soon. Or he’ll be hospitalized for liver damage.”

With that, the stock market sharp shooter sprinted out of the shop.

Aurora stared at the black curtain. Honestly, if she didn’t have to work, she could do with a couple of drinks. Actually, she might need lots of it. She couldn’t sleep. Even with Trish sleeping by her side, she was wide awake throughout the night.

Her next customer came through and she was snapped back into Madame Zoya’s shop.

As she welcomed another of Theo’s friends to the stool, she wondered about the video. Should she watch it?