Aurelia huffed as she looked down at her watch. 6 am. The airport was filled even at such an early time, and as she made her way through the crowd, her mind drifted off to the night before.
She had taken a bold step, confessing her feelings to get out of the contract with the CEO. It was out of impulse. His words stabbed her more than his reaction, and she wasn’t strong enough to just sit and bear the pain. She was done feeding into his ego, dancing on his palm like a puppet.
Luke had talked about owning her fully, and it was nothing but an insult. Maybe it was her mistake for falling for him, for setting herself up for heartbreak, but she had enough.
Although she was somewhat satisfied, seeing the shocked expression on his face was like a soothing balm to her wound. She had completely caught him off guard, and among her bountiful losses, this was a fair win.
She left the restaurant without looking back or waiting for a reply. Luke didn’t stop her, and she was grateful for that. If he had pulled her back, he would’ve seen the tears she held back. That would have been embarrassing.
“Fate seems to bring us together.”
Aurelia’s head snapped up at the familiar voice, her eye rounding with recognition.
“Ezekiel.” She smiled softly, and he mirrored her expression.
“Heading back to New York?” He asked, but Aurelia could hardly focus because of the wall of bodyguards around him. Ezekiel noticed her uneasiness, sending a curt nod to the guards to give him privacy.
Since he wore a face mask, and cap to hide his identity from the paparazzi, the bodyguard stood at a safe distance. Ezekiel sat beside Aurelia, sighing loudly as he did so.
“You can relax now.” He reassured her and she nodded, fiddling with her fingernails. Aurelia wasn’t overwhelmed by the bodyguards, but rather, it was because Ezekiel had confessed to her, and seeing him made her self-conscious.
“Don’t do that.” Ezekiel ruffled her hair, forcing her to turn his way. He grinned, showing perfect rows of bright teeth. “The last thing I want is for you to be nervous around me.”
“But-”
“No buts.” He cut her off, his gaze skimming her face. Ezekiel noticed the dark circles under her eyes and frowned. “Did you sleep at all?”
“Oh.” Aurelia tried to look away, but Ezekiel grabbed her face, squishing her cheeks together. A pink tint spread across her skin as he narrowed his eyes as if reprimanding her.
“Aurelia.” His tone was firm, and Aurelia chewed on her bottom lip. “What happened?”
Aurelia wanted to say nothing was wrong, she wanted to say she didn’t spend the night crying. She wanted to say she was fine. To say she wasn’t utterly broken, but instead;
“I broke up with Luke”
Tears streamed down her cheeks, wetting Ezekiel’s fingers.
“I thought it was for the best but it hurts…”
Ezekiel instinctively pulled her into a hug, letting her bury her face in his chest while he rubbed her back. “Shh, don’t cry.”
Aurelia settled into his embrace, but then she remembered they were in public and tried to pull back. “People are watching, you shouldn’t be holding me like this in public.” Being a celebrity, if anyone caught him holding a strange woman, it would cause a huge scandal.
“Who said I care?” Ezekiel rolled his eyes, brushing away her tears with his thumb. “I intend to make you my girlfriend anyway, so it’s best if they get the buzz.”
He had said that as a joke to lift her spirits but more tears slipped down her cheeks.
“I don’t know Ezekiel…. I don’t think I can enter a relationship in this state.” She said truthfully, not wanting to take advantage of his kindness.
Ezekiel sighed dramatically, then he flicked her forehead. “Dummy. It was a joke.”
Aurelia gave him a watery smile, chuckling softly. “I appreciate it.”
“But to be honest.” Ezekiel started, taking her hands in his. “I can wait for you.”
“Ezekiel…” Aurelia shook her head, but Ezekiel tightened his grip on her hands, his golden eyes shining with sincerity.
“I will wait for you. I want to be by your side Aurelia, and I promise to treat you right. I know you’re not ready but I have a preposition.”
Aurelia arched a brow. “Preposition?”
“Yes.” Ezekiel nodded. “I was going to tell you when we get back to New York but I’ll say it now.” He paused, bracing himself. It was a decision he made after confessing to her, one he’d hoped would bring her closer to him. And now that Luke was officially out of the picture, it was the perfect opportunity.
“Will you consider becoming my personal designer?”
Aurelia’s lips parted in awe. “Really?”
“Yes.” Ezekiel nodded, his expression serious. “Think about it and let me know your answer.”
Aurelia settled in silence, the gears in her mind turning.
“Alright.”
Ezekiel beamed at her answer, pulling her into a hug once more.
“Remember that we’re friends before anything, so you can always confide in me.”
Aurelia smiled against his chest, hesitating a bit before returning the hug. “Thank you, Ezekiel.”
Ezekiel patted her head, his soft smile shifting into a knowing smirk. A subtle reaction that Aurelia had missed. “Anything for you Aurelia.” His grip on her unconsciously tightened, “Anything for you.”
Meanwhile…..
“Aurelia won’t be joining us?”
Veronica arrived at the private jet, but Luke ignored her presence, gazing out the window with his jaw set.
Veronica heaved out a sigh and took her seat. “That’s too bad, I was looking forward to seeing her again.”
Luke remained silent, and that was when a brilliant idea came to mind. Her lips curled into a cheeky smirk as she leaned back into her seat. “I really wanted to know what she thought of our kiss.”
Luke’s ears perked. He whipped his towards Veronica. “What kiss?”
His shocked expression made Veronica laugh out loud, then she merely shrugged her shoulders.
“You better know what you’re doing Arroyal, it’s rude of you to make such a pretty girl cry.”
She cried? Luke thought to himself, but he brushed it off before it could settle in his mind. However his efforts were wasted, because all he could have was Aurelia. Since they met, there wasn’t a day that passed without her clouding his thoughts.
Their entangling relationship came to an end, and he decided that it wouldn’t be long before he found a new toy, someone easier to control. His ego wouldn’t allow him to tell her to stay. No. He was the one with the upper hand, and he had never begged a woman to be with him, neither would that change anytime soon.
But still. Despite all that, his chest throbbed and ached, like someone had stabbed him and twisted the knife.
“I don’t care.” He lied effortlessly like any successful businessman would. He did care, he wanted to know if she had confessed just to end the contract, or whether it had been real. “She’s not my responsibility anymore.”
Did he want it to be real? That he didn’t know.
“Oh?” Veronica made an O with her mouth, feigning surprise. “I definitely didn’t see that coming.” She added, sarcasm dripping in her tone. “It looks like Ezekiel won after all-”
“Veronica.” Luke gritted out, his face taut with cool anger. “If you don’t want me to kick you out of this jet, then watch your mouth.”
“Hmmm.” Veronica tilted her head to the side, totally unfazed by his threat. “I’m having an odd sense of deja vu here.” She tapped her chin, humming a random tune as if in deep thought.
Luke narrowed his eyes, instinctively knowing what she was going to say. “Don’t even dare.”
“Aha!” Veronica snapped her fingers with a wide grin. “Seraphina! It’s just like our college days.”
Luke’s head hung low, a menacing aura circling him. “Get. Out,” he growled lowly. “Now.”
Veronica chuckles darkly, twisting a strand of her hair around her finger. She adhered to his request, standing to her feet with smooth grace. “Oh poor Arroyal.” she cooed, looking down at him with a disappointed shake of her head.
“If you keep letting the shackles of your past hold you down, you will never be able to accept the truth in front of you.”
Luke raised his gaze, but his eyes were empty. “Don’t make me repeat myself.”
Veronica sighed, raising her hands in surrender. “I’m going to hang in Paris for a while longer. Don’t miss me too much.”
With that said, she left the jet.
Luke faced the window again. He clenched and unclenched his fists, forcing himself to remain calm.
There was no truth to accept, and to him what Veronica called shackle, he saw it as armor, saving him from making the same mistake he did six years ago.
The mistake of falling in love.
“Seraphina.” The name felt foreign on his tongue, but his scars were a testament to her existence.
Aurelia wasn’t Seraphina. Neither would she ever be.