Mira turned her head to Aurora. “Don’t worry. She’s not in any immediate danger.”
Aurora looked at her gratefully. “What about her condition?”
“To be honest, not great.”
Asher stepped forward, steadying Aurora. “Don’t worry. Medical technology is so advanced now. Even if something happens to Tina, she can be treated. But you need to take care of yourself first.”
“Let’s go. Keep up-I drive fast,” Mira said as she climbed into her Maserati. Asher helped Aurora into his car, and they followed behind.
Mira’s driving wasn’t just fast; it was reckless, like a high-speed race. Asher, worried about potential danger, could hardly relax. But her driving, despite being fast, was surprisingly steady.
The two cars sped out of the city center, heading toward a massive estate. When they arrived, the sheer size of the property was overwhelming. Even the gate was imposing. Mira greeted the guards, and the vehicles were allowed to pass.
Inside, Aurora noticed the architecture on both sides was traditional, with a deliberate and intricate layout.
“This estate feels strange,” Asher remarked. He, too, found it different from anything he’d seen before.
“Maybe it’s just a traditional style,” Aurora said, remembering what Denis Vukic had told her. The R family had immigrated long ago, and the older generations still preferred traditional designs. It wasn’t surprising.
“Doesn’t it feel like the layout resembles some kind of chessboard?”
“You know chess?” Asher raised an eyebrow.
“I’ve liked it since I was a kid. My mom used to…” He trailed off, suddenly stopping himself.
Aurora tactfully refrained from asking further. After a few more minutes, they finally arrived at the garage.
Mira was already waiting outside. Aurora glanced at the enormous estate. “Tina lives here?” It was almost too grand to believe.
“She has several houses. She doesn’t always stay here, but this is where her family lives,” Mira explained patiently.
Asher leaned in close to whisper in Aurora’s ear, “Your mom is seriously loaded.”
Aurora rolled her eyes. “Can’t you tell this place has some history?”
“Fine. Your family is seriously loaded,” Asher replied, grinning.
Aurora sighed, exasperated.
“Miss Montgomery, this must be your first time at the estate?” Mira called to them from up ahead.
Aurora nodded. Until recently, she hadn’t even known her mother was alive, let alone where she lived.
“Then you should get used to it.”
“What do you mean?” Aurora felt there was more to Mira’s words.
“I mean, if you plan on visiting the family head often, you’d better get familiar with the place. The layout is confusing, and first-timers almost always get lost.”
“That explains why it feels so different here,” Aurora admitted.
“Of course. If you knew what kind of business our family used to run…” Mira trailed off, smiling. Unlike others who might avoid certain topics, she was refreshingly candid.
“I heard the owner of this estate is some kind of fortune-teller?” Aurora pressed, sensing Mira’s openness. She wanted to learn more.
“Of course. Our family has a long history. If you want to know more, someone will explain it to you in detail. They’ll do a much better job than I ever could,” Mira said with a cryptic smile. Her words seemed straightforward at first but always carried an underlying meaning.
Asher, meanwhile, was keeping a close eye on their surroundings. The estate was massive, almost unnervingly so. It took ten minutes just to walk from the garage to the main building.
Halfway there, he realized something was wrong. Aurora and Mira were gone. “Damn it!” he muttered.
He’d been so focused on observing the strange buildings, which felt like a massive maze, that he hadn’t even noticed when Aurora vanished.
Without a guide, it was easy to get lost-exactly what Mira had warned them about. Asher had been suspicious of her from the start. Her eagerness to take Aurora to see Tina, coupled with her emphasis on Tina’s poor health, had set off alarm bells in his mind. Yet, despite his caution, he’d somehow lost track of Aurora.
Pulling out his phone, he discovered there was no signal. “What the hell is this place?” he cursed.
Aurora, meanwhile, was engrossed in Mira’s stories about the family, completely forgetting Asher was behind them. By the time they reached the front door of the main building, she turned to speak to him and realized he was gone.
“Where’s Ashy?”
“He must’ve gotten separated. Most first-timers who don’t stay close to their guide end up lost. Don’t worry. I’ll take you to the family head, and I’ll send someone to find Mr. Betts and bring him here,” Mira reassured her.
“Alright,” Aurora said, her mind focused on seeing Tina. Mira didn’t seem like a bad person, so Aurora let her guard down.
“Let’s go,” Mira said, knocking on the door. The entrance was a traditional, old-fashioned wooden door, with a knocker instead of a doorbell.
For a moment, Aurora felt like she’d stepped back in time. The scene was surreal.
“Will they hear us? This place is huge,” Aurora asked, watching Mira.
“Of course,” Mira replied with a smile.
As soon as she spoke, the door creaked open with a long, drawn-out sound-exactly the kind you’d hear in old movies. Aurora froze, startled. Experiencing it in real life was entirely different.
Inside, at least ten people stood lined up on either side of the doorway.
The sight overwhelmed Aurora. This wasn’t what she’d expected when coming to see Tina. It felt more like she was being welcomed as an honored guest. Dazed, she turned to Mira.
“Your family’s welcoming ceremony is… elaborate,” she said uncertainly.
Mira smiled mysteriously. “Not everyone gets to enjoy this kind of welcome.”
“Isn’t this the usual way?” Aurora asked, sensing something off. With Asher gone, she started to feel uneasy, recalling his earlier warnings.
“This isn’t a place just anyone can visit. I told you, this is where our family lives,” Mira said, her tone ambiguous.
Aurora hesitated at the door. “I’ll wait here for Ashy. He’ll worry if he can’t find me.”
“I told you, there’s no need to worry. I’ll make sure he joins you shortly. What you need to do now is go inside, Miss Aurora,” Mira said firmly.
Her tone had changed. Until now, she’d addressed her as “Miss Montgomery.” The sudden shift to “Miss Aurora” sent a chill down Aurora’s spine.