Chapter 12- SURPRISE

Aurora could not believe who she was seeing, she knew that the voice was familiar but she had not looked at the man before her throughout the ceremony and now that she had set her eyes on him, she was furious.

*flashback*

'Signora Meta!" she called out as panic set in her voice. Avena had eloped with her boyfriend and now the jobs of every employee was at stake and that worried Aurora. She looked in the kitchen, living room and everywhere else but still, Avena was nowhere to be found.

'Aurora!" she turned around and there signora Meta called out to her and only then Aurora's heart relaxed. She ran towards signora Meta and held her hand as she mumbled some words.

'Calm down" Signora Meta told Aurora as she held her by both her shoulders as to calm her down. 'What is the matter?" Signora Meta asked her and Aurora could not bring herself to respond to it.

Signora Meta grabbed her by her arm, walked her to Avena' s room and shut the door behind them, to her surprise, the makeup artist sat on Avena's bed and focused on her phone.

'Why are you just sitting here, get Avena's makeup ready" Signora Meta yelled at the makeup artist, who quickly stood up from the bed with fear in her eyes.

'That is the problem signora Meta; Avena had eloped with her lover!" Aurora raised her voice, the panic taking over her as she looked at signora Meta.

Aurora had expected signora Meta to panic but she did not, rather she picked up the letter that Avena had left on her bed and read it, and then she put it back down seemingly unbothered.

'What are we going to do? If she is not here before the wedding starts then Signora Mia will surely fire each and every one of you"

'Yes you are right about that" Signora Meta responded, her voice cool and collective as she delivered her answer.

'Why are you not bothered, Signora Meta?" Aurora asked her as she paced the room and then looking out the window at the garden area, to see if the groom and his family had arrived.

'Well there's nothing that we can do, unless—"

'Unless what, signora Meta, please tell me" Aurora begged a she feared that their time was running out.

'The wedding can still take place, even with Avena not being here" signora Meta suggested, her cheeky smile appearing on her face as she looked at the makeup artist, who after some time smiled too.

'What is going on, why are the both of you smiling at one another?"

'Well you could always marry Leonardo Romano on behalf of Avena" Signora Meta told her and Aurora stood on the spot shocked that the older woman could even suggest such a thing to her

'No, no you know that I cannot do that. We have to go and find Avena before the wedding begins—" Aurora tried walking away but signora Meta pulled her back, till she was faced to face with her.

'Aurora, try as much as you like but you will not find her and you know that. You can either marry the Romano family's son and save our jobs or be the reason that many of these people lose their jobs" Signora Meta's words rang inside Aurora's head as she realized the responsibility that lay on her hands.

These people had cared for her when her mother had passed away, they had showed her the work around the mansion and she owed it to them. She turned her head to face senora Meta as a tear fell from her eye.

'But they want Avena"

'No they do not, they have not even met Avena yet, all you have to do is pass as Avena for the time being"

'But what if they find out later?"

'Then we will cross that bridge when we get there" Signora Meta assured her.

'Si, I will have to marry Leonardo then" Aurora agreed, the smile that replaced signora Meta's face was one that she had never seen from the older woman. What Aurora was glad about was that she could make the older woman as happy as she did now.

'Great!" signora Meta clasped her hands together, grabbed the makeup artist and stood her up from the bed.
'Get her ready and no one must know about this" she warned the makeup artist who nodded her head excitedly.
Aurora swallowed the lump in her throat, burying the guilt in the pit of her stomach.

*flashback ends*

Aurora shook with fear, the priest had told them to kiss one another and she was about to kiss a man that she had insulted a day ago, a man that was not even hers to begin with. She too was nervous, the crowd sat silently, awaiting for the kiss that seemed as though it would never come.

Aurora watched as Leonardo's eyes burned into hers, he leaned down to kiss Aurora and she shut her eyes. Never had she kissed a man and now her kiss was from a man that she did not even like.

His lips landed on her lips, soft, moist kisses on her lips and just as quick as it began, it also ended. Aurora inwardly hoped that there was more to come but there was not; the cheering of the crowd awoke her from her daydream.

She shook her head side to side to make sure that she surely was not dreaming and her eyes landed on Leonardo, he was looking away from her and into the small crowd, smiling down at them.

That was it, without realizing it, she had signed the papers along with Leonardo and they were officially husband wife. Without asking her Leonardo reached for her hand, took hers in his big hands and walked her down the aisle, away from the ceremony.

As they walked down the aisle both Aurora and Leonard flashed fake smiles at the crowd, they could not let the world know that they were unhappy with their union. Aurora knew that she was at a greater risk, she needed to keep the pretense on as long as possible as there were people who depended on her to make this marriage work.

Out of the view of the guest, Leonardo's grip on Aurora's hand tightened as he walked her into a nearby door and shut it behind them. Spun her to him and she was now looking at him.
Leonardo ran his fingers through his hair in a fit of rage, but the woman in front of him stared at him bewildered by his action.

'What?" He asked her, angry that she was looking at him like some wounded dog.

'Nothing, you just look crazy that is all" Aurora commented, trying her best to remain calm even though Leonardo Romano towered over her short frame.

Leonardo stared at the woman who was now his bride, standing in front of him, trying to understand who she truly was. Just yesterday, she hated him and now she looked as though his presence did not bother him one bit.

'How much?" Leonardo blurted out without even thinking as to what he was asking her.

'How much what?"

'How much would it cost for you to sign the divorce papers?" Aurora stared at him in disbelief, less than ten minutes ago, they had tied the knot and now he wanted to get rid of her. Aurora knew that calling off the wedding was something that she could not do; the partnership between the Russo's and Romano's had to take place at any cost.

Crossing her hands over her chest, Aurora dared Leonardo, as she looked right into his eyes.

'I am afraid that is impossible" She told him, the look of shock appeared on his face.

'I am well aware of the kind of woman you are, Avena"

'I am not—" she tried telling him that she was not Avena and rather Aurora but she stopped herself. Telling Leonardo who she truly was could spell the end of their marriage and the end of many livelihoods.

'You are not what?" Leonardo asked her but Aurora could not muster up the courage to tell him the truth.

'I- I am not that kind of woman, the type that could be brought by money and materialistic things" Aurora defended herself but to her surprise, Leonardo laughed aloud.

'You know, if I were stupid I would have believed that lie you just told me but luckily for me, I am not that dumb to believe that lie" Leonardo shot back at her.

'What makes you think I am lying?" She yelled at him but them calmed herself, realizing that there was no reason to get angry at him because both she and Leonardo were put in a situation that they did not want to be in.

'You sent me a list as long as the length of Italy, demanding that I buy you all the words riches!" Leonardo raised his voice, angry that she was lying to him. Aurora tried defending herself but she stopped as it all made sense.

Aurora remembered the list that Avena had compiled before she fled and even though she was not the one who wrote it but the fact remained, she was acting as Avena therefore she demanded all those things.

'What happened? The cat got your tongue?" Leonardo asked her. Aurora swallowed every pride she had in her body, looked up at Leonardo and smiled.

Think Aurora, think. She mentally told herself, trying to think of a lie before it was all too late.

'I apologize for that" she said plainly to her surprise, Leonardo burst out laughing. 'What is so funny, if I may ask?"

'You apologizing to me, you literally hated me a day ago" Leonardo pointed out to her.

'That has not changed one bit, however I am grown enough to admit when I have wronged someone" Aurora told him, her tone calm and composed. Leonardo simply stared at her; he had expected that rude and ever so violent Avena that everyone had told him about but the Avena in front of him was different.

'I do not believe this act that you are putting on" Leonardo told her, his voice laced with arrogance as he looked down on her. Like always, people had made her to feel as though she was small and so did Leonardo.

'Believe what you want but as I said, I am truly sorry for the list. I guess I had done it in a desperate effort to rid myself of you"

'And?"

'As we can both see that the plan had backfired and we are stuck in this marriage" Aurora explained quite plainly. She watched as Leonardo's face softened but not enough for her to believe that he believed her. Meanwhile, the only guilt that she had was deceiving innocent people.

'Leonardo!"

'Who is that calling you?"

'It is my mother, now I know that this marriage is not exactly what neither of us wants, but the least we can do—"

'Is to pretend that we are happy with this union" Aurora finished his sentence for him and was met with a nod of agreement. He reached out his hand towards Aurora and she placed her hand in his.

'Let us go and give them a worthy show"