“Wow, this is beautiful.” Aurelia gaped, her lips parted in awe as she admired the beautiful event hall. “Kendall really pulled through huh?” she turned to an excited Oliva, sporting an impressed smile.
“Yes!” Olivia clapped in delight. “He’s the absolute best!-but don’t tell him I said that.”
Aurelia chuckled lightly, giving Olivia a reassuring pat on the back. “Will do. I’m just glad you’re getting the wedding of your dreams.”
“And to the man of my dreams,” Olivia added, her gaze sweeping over the beautiful hall once more, warmth tickling her heart. “It all feels surreal.”
“You can say that again.” Aurelia agreed, recalling the day she was welcomed to the team by the bumbling couple. They were always at each other’s throats, so it was shocking to see that in between their heated arguments and childish taunts, they had built a strong connection that led to love. And now, they’re getting married in a few days. “Who would’ve thought.”
“Definitely not me.”
Both women turned to see Kendall walk into the hall, logging a set of boxes along with Mathew.
On spotting her soon-to-be husband, Olivia frowned, rushing over to probably scold him again.
“I told you to let the boxes be, the event planner already hired people to move them .” And that she did.
Kendall rolled his eyes, but he held a fond smile. “As the saying goes future wife; If you want to get something done, then you better get it done yourself.”
“Oh really? Then why pay thousands of dollars for interior decor when you can do everything yourself Mr jack of all trades?” Olivia stood her ground, earning a long groan from Kendall.
“Would you cool your tits woman!”
“Hey! Don’t talk to me in that tone!”
Mathew and Aurelia shared a knowing look before bursting into laughter, amused by the constant bickering.
“Guess love isn’t enough to stop them from arguing.” Mathew joked, and Aurelia nodded in agreement.
“Guess not.”
“Mathew help me out here!” Kendall called out to Mathew as he literally ran from Olivia’s nagging, leaving her huffing and puffing like the wolf in The Three Little Pigs.
Mathew obliged, and Olivia begrudgingly returned to Aurelia’s side.
“Just let him do what he wants,” Aurelia told her. “He’s as stubborn as a bull.”
“Tch. A fox is more like it.” Olivia sighed, sending Kendall one last glare before focusing her attention on Aurelia.
“Now you.” She says sternly, and Aurelia suddenly felt like she was in danger. What was Olivia cooking up now?
“Yeah…?” Aurelia shifted awkwardly in her spot, her brows furrowing in confusion. “What about me?”
Olivia closed her eyes, almost as if collecting her thoughts. Then when she opened them, her gaze was sharper than a skilled sword.
“You MUST bring a date to my wedding. Don’t bother to come if you’re going to come alone.” Olivia put forth, her tone leaving no room for excuses.
“What?” Aurelia’s jaw hit the floor, “Isn’t that too harsh?”
Olivia smiled, throwing an arm over her friend’s shoulders. “Nope.” She giggled, “Because I know you’re seeing someone.”
Aurelia’s eyes widened, her cheeks turning red without her permission. It was a dead giveaway and Oliva was quick to notice.
“Aha!” she snapped her fingers in triumph. “So I was right!”
Aurelia tried to shuffle away from Olivia, but the brunette’s hold on her was shockingly strong, preventing her from escaping. “Tell me now, who is it?” Olivia persisted but Aurelia was tongue-tied.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about…” she attempted to sound nonchalant, but her voice trembled. Aurelia averted her gaze, sweat dropping as Olivia narrowed her eyes in suspicion.
“You’re a horrible liar Auri.” Olivia pulled back and crossed her arms against her chest, her piercing gaze turning critical.
Aurelia wanted to crawl into a hole. She knew she was a bad liar, but there was no way she could reveal the truth, especially when it was far from what it seemed. She wasn’t exactly seeing someone, but at the same time, she was.
“Seriously I’m not-”
“Then what about the car that picked you up at the last company dinner?” Olivia interjected, causing Aurelia to gulp her spit. She was running out of liable excuses to avoid the topic. “And don’t say it’s an Uber ’cause it was a sleek Mercedes Benz girl. Spill the tea.”
Aurelia’s mind raced, her heart rate picking up. There was only one option left now.
“Okay, you got me.” She surrendered, but…. “It’s not a boyfriend…. more like a situationship?” It was the truth, just not the whole truth, and this got Olivia invested.
“Wow.” She gasped, her eyes rounding in disbelief. “I’m impressed, you moved on from Caspian quickly.”
Aurelia felt a pang of guilt on hearing that, but she masked it with a sheepish smile.
“Do I have to bring a date?” She asked and Olivia replied with an enthusiastic nod.
“Definitely! Now that I know that there is someone, situationship or whatnot, You have to bring them along!” She beamed, while Aurelia internally panicked
Oh boy. Aurelia thought. How the hell was she going to convince the CEO? She hadn’t seen him since the company dinner, and neither had he tried to contact her. It worried her, but then again, when has he not worried her?
But one thing was for sure. If she showed up to the CEO, it’ll be as good and revealing as everything. Unfortunately, Aurelia couldn’t say no to Olivia, so she decided to take matters into her own hands.
The wedding was in three days. Three days. If the CEO wasn’t going to call for her, then she might as well go to him. It was the weekend, and she recalled that he usually held stakeholder meetings in the office during this time. It was the perfect opportunity to see him, but the problem was……
“Hey, beautiful.”
Instead of the CEO, Aurelia met Ezekiel in his office instead.
“Ahh…Mr Sterling?” it was awkward, especially after what happened the last time they met. Aurelia had not forgotten the shocking revelation he casually dropped on her, Neither had she forgotten how he’d teased her.
After she returned to the dressing room that day, Ezekiel had already left the store, leaving a message to Ava to drop her off at work, along with a note expressing his sincere apologies. He needed to attend to an urgent emergency. He’d also paid for the emerald heels, and Ava would not let her return it. The drive had been quiet, but the thoughts that roamed her mind were at their loudest.
She’d contemplated telling the CEO about it but decided against it. He might even be aware, that man monitored almost everything about her. But deep down she’d hoped he wasn’t aware because then she would have to face his outrageous jealousy.
So what exactly can she call this situation now? A coincidence?
“Uhm….” Aurelia shifted uncomfortably in her spot, eyeing Ezekiel’s feet that rested carelessly on the CEO’s precious desk. “Pardon me for asking…but why are you in the CEO’s office?”
Ezekiel was dressed elegantly as always, wearing black slim-fit pants, a crisp white shirt, and a metallic tie that made his piercing golden eyes pop. His bleached-white hair was styled in a messy low bun, with a few loose strands framing his face.
“I should be asking you the same.” he shot back, a taunting smirk playing on his lips. “The last time I checked, fashion designers don’t report directly to the CEO do they?”
Aurelia chewed on her bottom lip, her gaze lowering to get feet.
“I used to work as his assistant.” that was the only excuse her brain provided her.
“Interesting.” Ezekiel hummed, kicking his feet off the table. “Arroyal that sneaky bastard,” he muttered, but Aurelia heard him.
Her brows furrowed. What exactly was the relationship between Ezekiel and Luke? Are they friends? Luke had said he was a mere acquaintance, but it looked like it was more than that.
“You have so many questions written on your face.” Ezekiel’s voice pulled her from her train of thought, and Aurelia raised her gaze, a gasp escaping her lips as he now stood before her. His tall frame towered over hers.
Startled, Aurelia jolted back, tripping on her feet and falling backward. But Ezekiel caught her in the nick of time, his arm snaking around her waist to steady her against him.
Aurelia stared at him, wide-eyed, cheeks dusted pink and heart leaping in her chest. It was a normal reaction, at least that was what she told herself. Any woman would have their heart racing at the sight of him, especially when he held them closely against him, his hands rubbing slow circles on the curve of their waists.
Ezekiel on the other hand, was glad to see her blush. But that wasn’t all. He knew he was only getting involved with her because of Luke, but each time he got near her, he began to think of doing more than seducing her. At this moment, his eyes lowered to her lips, tracing the delicate curves of the pink flesh.
He remembered how they tasted and slowly wet his lips, meeting her gaze once more. It was then he realized how closely their bodies were pressed against each other, and he became dangerously aware of her plush breasts brushing against his chest. Ezekiel gulped his spit, feeling himself go rigid in his pants.
His mind strayed to her sex bucket list, to all the things she’d wanted to do with him in mind. This wasn’t foreign to him, he’s always been the object of people’s desires, both men and women. He was used to it. He was supposed to be used to it. Supposed to be unaffected.
So why……
Why was hers different?
Aurelia snapped out of her daze and looked away, covering her face with her palm. “I-I have to go.” She said, but it fell on deaf ears, instead of releasing her, Ezekiel leaned in and Aurelia instinctively squeezed her eyes close.
“Aurelia.” He whispered sensually in her ear, using the opportunity to inhale her scent. “I can make you feel better than Luke ever will.”
Aurelia stilled, her skin paling before exploding in red.
Ezekiel glanced at the door, a mischievous smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
On cue, the door clicked open, revealing the CEO.
Luke’s eyes widened, and then they lowered, a dark shadow enveloping his form.
“Am I….” he gritted out. “…. Interrupting something?….”