Originally, Aurora only intended to make Hayden understand the feelings she had back then, but under Julian’s flirtation, she genuinely began to react. A soft moan escaped her, which only fueled Julian’s wicked thoughts further.
Hayden’s fingers clenched tightly, his palms marked with blood from his own nails. He had never imagined that one day Aurora would find pleasure in the arms of another man. Now, here they were, reacting to each other in such a place. She had changed. She was no longer the little girl he had once adored.
“When did you develop this taste, Uncle Julian?” Hayden interrupted, his voice breaking through. He feared he might lose his mind if this continued.
Hearing him, Julian realized why Aurora, who had initially resisted, was now reciprocating. He released her and carefully adjusted her skirt before turning around. “Having a beauty in one’s arms is truly irresistible,” he remarked, his arm still firmly around Aurora’s slender waist.
Aurora leaned lazily against him, reaching up to wipe the lipstick from Julian’s mouth. “Look at you. Always in such a hurry, making us the subject of ridicule,” she chided, implying that such encounters were common for them.
Hayden thought about how in the past, the most he had ever done was hold her hand, and kisses were just pecks on her cheek. The only kiss they shared was light. And now, Aurora was openly engaging in such acts with a man on a balcony, stirring a mix of emotions within him.
“Which man could hold back with such a tempting woman around?” Julian said slyly, their banter piercing Hayden’s heart like thorns.
“Aurora, I need to speak with you,” Hayden suddenly said, his tone icy.
Aurora smiled lazily, “But I thought we had already said all there was to say.”
Hayden remained silent, his cold gaze fixed on her, clearly unwilling to leave without her consent.
“Fine, Julian, why don’t you wait for me inside? I’d like to hear what Mr. Alvarez has to say,” Aurora suggested lightly.
“Alright,” Julian responded, pulling out her lipstick from her purse. “Your lipstick is smeared. Let me touch it up for you.”
He gently lifted her chin and meticulously outlined her lips. With the dim light, she nearly drowned in his tenderness.
Hayden stood frozen, unable to reconcile this gentle behavior with the cold, harsh man he remembered. “I’ll leave you to it. Come find me later.” After last night’s events, he felt confident that Aurora would not rekindle anything with Hayden.
“Okay.” Aurora watched him leave.
Only Aurora and Hayden remained on the balcony, about three meters apart.
Aurora waited for him to speak. A breeze fluttered her skirt and hair. Hayden desperately wanted to tuck the stray hair behind her ear.
“Julian’s waiting for me, so make it quick,” Aurora prompted.
Hayden began, “To get back at me, you chose him. Aurora, do you really enjoy degrading yourself like this?”
Aurora laughed in response, “What makes you think of that?”
Although Julian had indeed proposed a deal before, she had not agreed but merely considered it.
Aurora decided to be with Julian because of who he was and how well he treated her.
“You wouldn’t be doing this if it wasn’t to get back at me. Of all men, why did you choose him? You wouldn’t even hold my hand when others were around, and now, to provoke me, you do this.”
“If you intend to get back at me by doing this, then let me tell you, you’ve succeeded. I’m about to lose my mind.”
Hayden advanced towards Aurora, unable to imagine what would have happened if he hadn’t spoken up to stop them just moments before. Would they have had sex right in front of him?
The thought of Julian’s hands wandering over her body caused him a pain so sharp. It felt as if someone were scraping his heart with a knife.
Was this how Aurora felt three years ago when she saw him with Susan in bed, too heart-wrenchingly helpless to change the outcome?
“Mr. Alvarez, don’t flatter yourself. Love and desire are natural human emotions. Julian treats me well, and I like him. We’re simply doing what you and Susan did. How can you say I’m retaliating?”
“How well can he treat you?” Hayden, unaware of their past, believed Aurora was only with Julian to spite him and Susan, convinced that there couldn’t be any real love between them.
And Julian, having never shown interest in any woman for years, made it even harder for him to believe in Julian’s love for Aurora.
“Anyway, he treats me much better than you ever did. If this is all you wanted to say, I’ve answered you. Now, I should go. You probably have more socializing to do, and who knows what Susan would think if she saw us together?”
As Aurora walked towards the door, Hayden abruptly grabbed her hand. “Aurora, stop. Don’t continue like this.”
She met his gaze, his expression perhaps likening her to a woman who had fallen into disgrace. She chuckled lightly:
“Mr. Alvarez, from now on, whether I live or die, it has nothing to do with you. You have your wife, and I have my love. I’m sorry, but that person is not you.”
She slowly pulled her hand from his grasp. Whether she was happy or not, she didn’t need to explain herself to him. The goodness of Julian was for her to know.
“Don’t you mind his fiancee? Have you stooped so low as to become the other woman?” Hayden said coldly.
Aurora paused, “The other woman? If I recall correctly, you were the one who asked me to stay with you until you and Susan split. You want to make me the other woman.”
“Aurora, I did it because I love you! I wanted to give you the best life.”
“No need. The best life doesn’t need to be provided by anyone else. I can live well on my own. As for his fiancee, I’m sure Julian can handle it. You needn’t worry about that.”
With that, she didn’t pause for a moment longer, pushing open the door and stepping back into the light, a habitual smile curling at her lips.
She looked around for him and finally spotted him, though Julian was standing next to a young woman in a pink evening gown.