THIRD PERSON POV
Luke was tired. Tired of forcing smiles and empty pleasantries. The fashion week had worn him out and he couldn’t wait to return to New York.
“Your bitch face is showing.” Veronica teased him, noticing that he had already drained his social battery.
“Wouldn’t be the worst thing.” He sighed, looking down at his watch. For how much longer did he have to be here? Luke looked over his shoulders, his eyes searching for Aurelia.
His jaw clenched as Ezekiel came up beside her. He watches Aurelia’s face brighten up on his arrival, and Luke’s brows furrowed, his chest burning with jealousy.
“You guys are so typical.” Veronica rolled her eyes, following his line of sight. “It’s boring to watch the same thing happen again.”
Luke clicks his tongue in annoyance, facing forward. “Then why did you insist on coming along?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Veronica smirked as watched Ezekiel and Aurelia. “I also made a bet on who would win, and I’ll be damned not to see it for myself.”
“Tch.” Luke scoffed, finishing his drink in one gulp and setting it on the table a little too hard. “You think he’s going to win?”
“Well, you might have had a head start.” Veronica raised her glass of wine, gesturing towards the couple in question. “But it seems he’s taking the lead.”
Luke’s brows wrinkled as he quickly turned around, his eyes twitching as he caught sight of Aurelia and Ezekiel sneaking out of the event. Hand in hand and all smiles.
“Shit.” Without thinking, his feet moved to go after them, but his steps faltered Veronica latched onto his arm, preventing him from going further. Luke gritted his teeth, sending her a warning glare.
“What do you think you’re doing.” He snapped.
“Helping out a family member.” She retorted, a devious smile spreading across her crimson lips.
“Veronica.” The threat was obvious in his eyes, but it only made her smile widen.
“What do you want Luke?” She asked him, but he was in no mood for her trivia questions. He had a bad feeling about Ezekiel’s motives, like he always has, but tonight it was more glaring and soon he began to connect the dots.
“You sent me the picture of Aurelia and Luke at the wine event on purpose didn’t you?” Luke jabbed at her, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.
Veronica snickered, her manicured fingers slithering up his chest and playing with the buttons of his shirt.
“Maybe, maybe not?” she shrugged her shoulders.
“Answer me when I ask this.” Luke swatted her hand away, jerking away from her hold. “Did you do it to help me or Ezekiel Veronica?”
“Oh my.” she gasped dramatically, feigning a pained expression. “Of all times you question my loyalty now Arroyal?”
“Answer me.” Luke’s patience snapped, but he didn’t raise his voice to cause a scene. He had believed that Veronica was on his side, but he seemed he played into her hands like a bumbling fool.
“What?” Veronica crossed her slender arms against her chest.
“You know I’m all about good entertainment, and Ezekiel never fails to deliver.”
Luke takes a deep breath to calm himself, his hands balling into fists at his sides to prevent from strangling her. “Fuck you.”
Veronica chuckled softly, her brows arched in amusement. “Don’t act like you didn’t use me as well?” despite his intimidating aura, she matched his gaze, her chin tipped high and her lips curled into a knowing grin. “You used me to make Aurelia jealous and I know you must have felt really good about that right?”
Luke doesn’t reply, after all, she was right. He’d used her for his selfish gain as well, but that was when he thought they were on the same page.
“See?” she confirms, glancing down at her watch. “It seems my job here is done.” with that said, she gracefully gathered her gown in her hands and walked away, giving Luke a courtesy wave without turning back.
“May the best man win,” she called, and Luke snapped out of his daze, cursing under his breath as he realized she successfully distracted him.
But still, he didn’t let that stop him from following the trail he last saw Aurelia. He didn’t know what Ezekiel had in mind, so he desperately hoped he wasn’t too late.
Meanwhile….
“I like you, Aurelia.” As the words left his lips, Ezekiel’s heart thundered in his chest. Unable to look at her, he slumped against her shoulders, hiding his face in the crook of her neck.
A long moment of silence passed, and he felt her stiffen and relax, a trail of red rising from her neck to her face.
For Aurelia, her mind went blank, his words replaying in her head like a broken record.
Ezekiel likes her. Ezekiel liked her. THE Ezekiel Sterling likes HER?!
What could she possibly say at this moment, what language would properly express her muddled emotions?
Her first reaction was shock. It rippled through her like a stone tossed in a still lake, disrupting its normal state. Then next she felt giddy, her skin growing warmer than the hot spring itself. It was the kind of joy you get from a compliment from someone you looked up to.
The kind that left you in awe and your stomach aching with butterflies.
Then next she felt uneasy, and this lasted longer, swirling up in her chest like vomit. It confused her, and a long time passed without either of them saying a word.
During this time, Luke had already reached the cave, but stood in the corner, his back pressed against the stone wall. He has heard Ezekiel’s confession, and although it irritated him, he maintained his composure, choosing to remain hidden for now.
Luke also found himself waiting for Aurelia’s reply, and his heart picked up in anticipation. A chilling fear caused his shoulders to stiffen. He convinced himself it was because he didn’t want to lose to Ezekiel, but the true reason held fiery hair and eyes that resembled polished stone.
“Aurelia.” Ezekiel wrapped his arms around her waist, the warmth and the hot spring accompanying him.
“You’re scaring me here.” Although he had said it playfully, it hid the knot tension within him.
He constantly had to remind himself that it was an act. That it was just to annoy Luke. But whenever Aurelia smiled at him, whenever she trusted him and took his hand, whenever her laughter swirls around him, he began to wonder what he felt was a facade.
Ezekiel was about to pull back, but Aurelia shocked him by returning the hug, her hands skimming against his broad back.
“I’ll think about it.” She whispered shyly in his ear.
Ezekiel didn’t know his heart could do a backflip until now, and it was how he realized he’d fallen head over heels for Aurelia.
“Okay.” Ezekiel smiled wide. His heart fluttered with excitement. “I’ll wait.”
In the background, Luke held his head low, feeling like he’d been given a fatal blow to the gut. Casting one final glance at them, he walked away, his mind a tangled web.
As Aurelia held onto Ezekiel, she soon felt guilt creep up her chest like a looming beast, her conscience fighting against her.
She felt guilty. Guilty that she thought of Luke in Ezekiel’s stead, wishing it was him who confessed in his stead.
It was a lone thought, but it stuck, and all her memories with the CEO came rushing all at once.
Ezekiel pulled back from the hug and caressed her cheek lovingly, but instead of his golden eyes, she saw Luke’s mismatched pupils. She saw his gentle smile, his image overlapping her vision.
Aurelia knew she didn’t feel the same way. Her heart longed for someone else. Her body and soul craved for another.
That was when it hit her. Like lightning shooting through a dark sky. Aurelia’s eyes rounded, her heart stopping for a moment.
She….
She was in love with the CEO.