Chapter 25: In Which She Meets His Mother

Theo glanced at the seething woman in the passenger's seat of his car.

She hasn't said a word since breakfast.

He chuckled at the road ahead. "What's on your mind, babe?"

"Surprises."

His left brow lifted. He could never guess what she'd say next. "What about them?"

"I keep getting them."

Theo inhaled deeply. God, her pouting face is d*mn adorable. He's getting goosebumps from it. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel to suppress a need to kiss her, and then relaxed again when the feeling dissipated.

"It's just a meal. One hour tops."

She turned her body to him. "Why do I get a feeling you don't want to be around her?"

He liked that she was becoming more comfortable around him. With a warm smile, he answered, "We're not close."

Aurora leaned back in her seat again and stared ahead. "I thought all mothers adore their sons."

Theo detected a bitter note in her voice and glanced at her, then back on the road. "Does your mother?"

"Ha! Adore is not enough to describe how she feels about my brother. He is the air she breathes," Aurora said wryly.

Theo shared her humour. "I guess you could say the same about my mother."

"Maybe hers is tough love," Aurora showed a comforting smile.

Theo heaved his shoulders. "She's never around so I can't tell," he added with a dismissive attitude.

Then, he looked down and saw her small hand over his. Smiling warmly, he slipped his fingers through hers and clasped her hand tightly.


******


"Dis time yoo hav-eh to trust me, piccolo," Liv stared back earnestly.

The brows of the fiery hair beauty dipped in curiosity. "You make it sound like Theo's mother is a monster."

"Almost," the designer stepped back and rubbed her chin.

She loves it when her creations come alive; and they always do when the right person wears them. Aurora is one of those people she is excited to style.

Wearing the floor-skimming, A-line, white maxi dress from Liv's latest collection, Aurora looked exquisite. The boat-neckline gave her the classic elegance of a queen.

Liv gave her nod of approval. "Pear-fake. Let's go. Aire and mak-eh up." She caught Aurora's puzzled frown and rolled her eyes in impatience, then took Aurora's hand and patted it.

"To dis woman, Theo east her gold mine for life. She would do any-teng to mak-eh sure dis gold min-eh becomes bigger and stronger, yoo know wat I mean?"

"You're saying that she wants Theo to be richer and more powerful."

Liv nodded with a warm smile and pinched Aurora cheeks like she was her daughter. "Yoo are really a clever woman.

They walked out of the changing room with their arms around each other, and Theo thought they looked like mother and daughter. He chuckled at the scenery.

Aurora sighed. "I look funny, don't I?"

"Nonsense," Liv snapped.

It was then Theo took a good look at her dress. He had to give it to the city’s most famous designer.

"You look like a queen," he breathed.

"Doesn't she?" Liv grinned broadly at her nephew and then gave a satisfied smile to Aurora. "Just as I wanted."

Aurora backed away nervously. "Oh God, no! If I looked like a f*cking queen, then it's too much. What would Theo's mother think?"

Liv grabbed her hands and pulled her back. "Trust me. If yoo are going to meet dat woman, yoo hav-eh to dress like a queen."

Theo shoved his hands into his pockets. "I'd listen to zia if I were you. That woman is not a force to be reckoned with."

"That woman is your mother," Aurora reminded. She cast a puzzled glance at Theo and then Liv. "She's just a person, what can she do?"

The aunt and nephew exchanged a meaningful glance.

"What?" Aurora put her hand into Theo's and he held onto it.

"You're familiar with the term ‘suck all the joy out of something'?" Theo asked quietly.

"Yes… but what does that--."

"My mother can suck the life out of a person."

Aurora wanted to laugh. Does he know that he's describing a vampire? She doubted that the woman could suck her blood.

But their serious gazes warned her that she had better braced herself for the worst.

Then, the nerves hit her.

Theo felt Aurora clutching his hand tightly like it was a life ring. He lifted his free hand to stroke her cheek, and when she lifted her gaze to his, he bowed and kissed those rosy cushions.

It was a brief kiss, but it was enough to remove some of her anxiety.

But Liv was not convinced by their display of affection. "Lovey-dovey is good. But only for yoo both. It will not do good for the mama."

She turned to Aurora with a stern gaze. "Yoo need to stay alert, piccolo. Remember what I told yoo. Dat woman east always prepared. She will stop at not-hing to get rid of yoo."

Aurora nodded back at Liv. Basically, she shouldn’t be surprised because anything can happen with Theo’s mother.

Got it, Aurora grabbed her fist at the thought. Bring it on, mother f*cker,


******


The black sports car passed through a colossal gate and cruised through a stretch of empty road, lined with towering pine trees on each side. Aurora felt that they were going through an open tunnel.

At the end of this tunnel was the Barone mansion. Aurora expected to see one of those old castles with gothic architecture, but it was a two-story Mediterranean style house. Its exterior had a good mix of plastered and pebbled walls in friendly shades of peach and brown. An inviting orange-yellow glow shone out from all transparent windows, making the entire mansion seem warm and cozy.

It’s hard to imagine that this is the home of the cruelest person on Earth, Aurora thought silently.

Theo parked the car in his usual spot. “Here we are.”

Aurora exhaled. “Your home is lovely.”

“Yeah, it is.”

“You’re thinking of your father, aren’t you?”

Theo gave a dry chuckle at the gears and then lifted his gaze at hers. “We’ll eat and go.”

“We’ll eat and go,” she repeated with a sympathetic smile and made a mental note to get to know more about Theo’s father.

They stepped out of the car and walked towards the main entrance. The door slit in the middle and opened instantly as they neared it. Then, Aurora realized that it was a man in a uniform with short, grey hair in a neat, glossed style, a folded forehead and a kind smile.

His eyes lit up with a grandfather’s pride as they fell on Theo.

“Young master!”

“Hi Fred,” Theo greeted back with a warm smile. “You can call me Theo when she’s not present. We’ve talked about this.”

Fred shook his head with a sad smile. Then, he gave Aurora a slight bow. “Welcome, Miss Aurora.”

Wide-eyed, Aurora blurted, “How did you know--?”

“He has to know everything, of course.” A solid female voice boomed from above them.

Aurora followed the direction of the voice and a powerful figure met her gaze.

Standing behind the second floor railing, was a woman in a white pantsuit. Even though she was covered from neck to toe, Aurora could tell that she was a slim woman with the perfect body shape.

The woman’s golden locks were pinned up skillfully in a majestic bun and a white cape cascaded off her strong shoulders like a queen’s royal mantle. Her imposing blue eyes pierced at Aurora like a sharp icicle that would’ve sent cold streaks of fear up Aurora’s spine.

Instead, Aurora found a new fighting spirit bursting in her.

“Hello, Theo,” the smooth voice greeted firmly.

“Hello, mother,” Theo answered with an impassive tone.

“We’ve been waiting for you. Dinner’s getting cold.”

She’s ignoring me, Aurora thought as the tiny corner of her mouth lifted. A classic old trick. It was then she noted what she had missed - the woman mentioned ‘we’.

Theo caught it as soon as it was said and asked with a dreaded expectation. “We?”

“Darling, who else could it be?” The woman chuckled crisply. “Your fiancée, of course.”

Aurora inhaled deeply to steady her frustration as the person stepped into the light and stood next to Theo’s mother with the delighted expression of a past celebrity who had found her way back into the limelight.

“Hello, Theo,” Audrey beamed down at the couple.

That b*tch ignored me too, Aurora thought with a silent chuckled. She lowered her gaze and stared ahead with a smirk.

Bring it on.