Whispers filled the hall. Everyone's eyes were on Aurora. She was so close to losing it. She looked at Selene who was holding back a sly smirk. Her cunning blue eyes lit up in a way that Aurora despised.
Damian sighed, "Aurora, I'm sorry. I.. I'm engaged to Selene. This is our engagement party."
Aurora's eyes darkened, "Your what?" She stepped closer to him, "Care to repeat what you just said?"
Before Damian could say another word, Victor stood up, "Look here, Sinclair. My son owes you no explanation, understood? Just leave quietly and await further instructions from us. Don't make this hard for yourself."
Aurora couldn't believe her ears, "Is this some kind of joke? Sinclair? I'm Aurora Blackwood!" She looked back at Damian, "Tell them, Damian. I'm your wife."
"Using that title is a bit of a stretch, isn't it? Considering that you can't have children." Victor calmly said. The hall was now filled with loud mummurs.
"She can't have children?"
"So she's infertile."
"No wonder they put her aside so easily."
Aurora's heart skipped a beat, "Seriously? You're clowning me for something I have no control over?"
"Well, how can we be so sure you didn't fool around before you met my son?" Victor shrugged and everyone looked at each other in agreement.
"Excuse me? I met your son in high school! We got married when I was 19! He was the first and only person to-"
Damian held her arm, "Aurora, please."
"Take your hands off me!" She pulled away and shot Damian a glare. Her expression took him aback, not once did he think that Aurora would have this kind of look on her face.
She let out a breath, "So this is your plan?" She asked the Blackwood men, "This is what you have decided to do?" She then looked at Selene, "You're picking her? Of all people?"
"Unlike you, Selene has a proper background and is capable of giving me a grandchild. She's everything you're not. And the perfect woman for Damian."
"Hah!" Aurora laughed bitterly, "You've decided already." She stepped down from the podium and made her way towards the exit. Her heels clacking loudly as she walked. When she reached the exit, she turned and looked at Damian, "You'll regret this." Her eyes went from Damian to Victor, then to Selene,"You'll all regret this." She left.
"Good riddance. Carry on with your speech, Damian." Aurora heard Victor say. She still couldn't believe any of it.
It wasn't until she reached the elevator that the tears came. She slumped down, right there on the elevator floor and cried her eyes out.
__
Now at the present.
She crashed into her bed, after leaving Blackwood enterprises 2 weeks ago, she went back to the Blackwood mansion to grab a few things and left. She then checked into a hotel and it's where she's been ever since. "Back to being single." She whispered and chuckled painfully, She then sat up, "Screw you, Damian Blackwood." She cursed silently and got up.
She went to the bathroom to take a long warm shower. In the process of turning on the water heater, she noticed her reflection in the mirror. No matter how much she didn't wanna admit it, the whole process took quite a toll on her body. Her hair had lost colour, she got a little thinner and her skin appeared pale. She never really left the hotel that much since she checked in except when she had a few meetings with her lawyer, and she even had to drive there so getting some sunlight was really not in her activity list the past 2 weeks.
She shuddered at the sight of her reflection and looked away, "Screw you, Damian Blackwood." She said again and prepared for the shower.
__
At the Blackwood mansion.
A sleek black sedan parked in front of the mansion and the door opened. Damian got off and walked in, accompanied by his bodyguards. Selene was in the luxurious-looking living room, waiting for him. She stood up when he walked in and hopped towards him happily, "Honey!" She called excitedly and wrapped her hands around his neck. Not minding the presence of his bodyguards, she pressed a kiss against his lips.
"Congratulations on being free from that bitch." She said after letting go and brought out an expensive champagne, "Now we can finally push through with the wedding. No more obstacles, am I right?"
"Sure." This was all Damian said, he then turned and walked away. Selene's smile faded, she scoffed and put down the champagne bottle, "Who does he think he is?" she angrily muttered to herself.
__
Damian finally got the quiet he needed, he rested on the door for a while after closing it behind him. He didn't say a word. He then went to sit on the bed and undo his tie. During this process, his eyes then spotted the vintage red wine Aurora had gotten him two weeks ago. Turns out he had gone back to his office after his speech to be alone for a while and there they were sitting on his desk, the bag and the wine.
He of course couldn't bring himself to eat what she had gotten him, he gave it out. The wine though, he knew how rare it was and could only imagine how hard it was for Aurora to get him that. He just couldn't give it away, throw it out aot even drink it. It was just there...the last thing she got him before leaving the mansion.
The door opened and Victor stepped in, "Why the long face? You should be celebrating." His cold voice echoed through the room. Damian looked away, "I'm just a little tired."
"Still not enough time for you to give your future wife the cold shoulder. You should treat her well, Mr Davenport agreed to that investment deal on the condition that his daughter is happy and marries you, Damian. Go apologize to her, now."
Damian looked at him. His grey eyes had an unreadable flicker, "I'll make it up to her tomorrow." His voice left no room for further discussions regarding Selene. Victor sighed, his eyes landed on the wine a few inches from him, he picked up the bottle.
Damian's eye moved from Victor to the wine.
"She couldn't even get the nicer version, how cheap." He said with a sneer and left the bottle in the air, making it fall to the ground and shatter. A few of the bottle pieces flew towards random directions. And the wine flowed out of the top half of the bottle.
Damian stood up, his jaw worked, his thick eyebrows creased and his fist subconsciously clenched.
Victor scoffed, "See? Cheap. The real one wouldn't have cracked, let alone shattering at the bottom." He then looked at Damian dead in the eye and added, "That ought to help you forget about that useless wench and focus on the matters at hand. We have a wedding to go through with, papers to sign and monies to make. Try not to get distracted. I didn't pay that judge millions to speed up the divorce process just for you to sit here and still think about her. You got that?"
Damian swallowed, "Yes, father." He looked away.
Victor smiled and patted his shoulder, "That's my son." He said with a smile and added before leaving, "I'll send someone to come clean up this trash. Get some rest, son. Busy day tomorrow."
Damian stared at the flowing liquid in silence for a while and eventually let out a little sigh.
