Selene put the shoes back in the box and smiled at him, "Fine. I'll forgive you this one time. I trust you've learned your lesson?" She asked with a smug smile, thinking she's the one who won.
Damian cracked out an amused chuckle, he took a sip of his wine and smiled back at her, lifting his glass, "I sure have."
She swept back a strand of her hair and leaned on the table, "You know... I have an interesting way to thank you for this gift."
His eyebrows raised slightly, "An interesting way?"
She only smiled.
__
A few minutes later. At a 5 star hotel penthouse not that far from the restaurant. The door burst open with Damian and Selene kissing each other aggressively. Selene was in the lead, she undid his tie and began to unbutton his sleeve.
Damian broke the kiss and looked at her, "Is this the interesting way of thanking me?"
She breathed heavily as she continued with unbuttoning, "Yes. Why do you not want this?" Her eyes already indicated that she wouldn't take no for an answer.
Victor's words flashed in Damian's head, "Treat her well..." He bit his lips and closed his eyes, "Fine, Father. I'll do what you want." He said inwardly and unzipped her dress from the front, he then pulled her in for a kiss and carried her to the bed. After landing roughly on the bed, he continued to kiss her and pull on her dress until it was no longer in the way.
__
Aurora finished the final piece of chicken and sat back. She let out a sigh of satisfaction after chugging down a whole glass of freshly-made orange juice. She laughed at herself when she looked at the bucket that now contained only leftover bones. She couldn't help but feel liberated.
Back when she was at the Blackwood mansion, she always tried to keep an image. She was never allowed to be herself whenever Victor was around. Aurora was not devoid of elegance, she was rich in charm and was almost as charismatic as Damian. However, she wanted to be free every once in a while and have as much fun as she wanted but Victor would always call her free-spirited side "Careless", "image-tarnishing" and "not ladylike"
She sighed, "None of that anymore, Victor Blackwood. I live by my own rules now."
She went to bed that night feeling liberated and excited for what the next day would bring.
__
Her eyes slowly opened. She looked at the wall clock, 10am on the dot. The first thing she did was get up and did a stretching exercise that she read about in the wellness and nutritional manual.
After she was done, she spread the curtains and let the sunlight hit her, she inhaled while closing her eyes to soak it all in.
Aurora had a lot of activities for the day; She needed to register with a hospital closest to her for maternity care. Afterwards, she'd reach out to Jaxton Reid. Not to hire him as her business consultant, but to apply to be a business consultant.
Aurora worked in marketing before, despite her status favouring her at work, she still did her job really well and her colleagues loved her... too bad all of them turned out to be back-stabbing traitors who attended Damian and Selene's secret engagement party. She quit by mail immediately after leaving the party that evening.
Her last activity for the day depended on if she got the job as a consultant or not. She wanted to buy a car, one way less expensive than the last one, in good condition and capable of getting her to work, the hospital, to get groceries and run other errands.
She felt proud of herself after scribbling the activities on her notepad, "I can do this." She told herself. After wishing Maywell a great day through text, she headed to the bathroom.
__
Dubai
Damian watched the setting sun from the hotel balcony. He closed his eyes and allowed the evening breeze to swirl around him.
Selene was inside, asleep against the silk sheets after an exhausting round of "passion". Even after sharing a bed with her, Damian felt a recognizable sense of emptiness gnawing at him.
His phone buzzed in his pocket, cutting through the silence. He glanced at the screen, and the name flashing across it made his expression harden.
Victor Blackwood.
Damian took a breath and answered. "Father."
"How's the honeymoon?" Victor's deep voice held its usual authority.
"Everything's fine," Damian replied smoothly, "Selene is happy. I was thinking of cutting the trip short, though. Returning the day after tomorrow."
There was a slight pause on the other end before Victor spoke again. "And have you spoken to Selene about this?"
Damian's fingers drummed against the railing. "Not yet, but-"
"Then don't make decisions without consulting your wife first," Victor cut in. His voice was firm, leaving no room for argument. "She's the daughter of the Davenport family, Damian. She sacrificed her reputation to marry you, a divorcee, after that lowlife wench left. The least you can do is make sure she's satisfied."
Damian clenched his jaw. Sacrificed? It almost made him laugh. Selene had gotten exactly what she wanted. And as for Aurora...
He exhaled through his nose. "If she's against it, I'll stay."
"Good." Victor's tone softened slightly. "This marriage is important for both families. You've done well so far, don't ruin it."
The call ended, leaving Damian standing there, the weight of expectations pressing down on him.
__
Aurora stepped out of the hospital, the cool breeze brushing against her skin as she took a deep breath. Registering for maternity care had been a big step,one that made everything feel even more real.
She brought out her notepad and checked it out. The next on her list was to meet up with Jaxon Reid. She took a deep breath and dialed his number. It rang for a bit and he picked up.
"This is Jaxon." His confident voice echoed
"Mr. Reid, it's Aurora Sinclair," she said, keeping her voice steady.
"Aurora," he repeated, as if testing the way her name sounded on his lips. "I was wondering when you'd call."
"I'd like to meet up. There's something I want to discuss."
"Right now?"
"Yes, is that okay?" She asked in consideration.
Jaxon remained silent for a bit before he responded. "Of course, I'm always available for business."
Aurora sighed in relief.
"There's a café downtown. The Grand Bean. Do you know it?" Jaxon asked.
Aurora nodded, even though he couldn't see her. "I do." She had passed by the café on her way to the hospital.
"Great. Meet me there in thirty minutes."
"Alright. See you soon."
She ended the call, gripping the phone tightly for a second before slipping it back into her bag.
This was it. The first step toward creating a new life,one where she didn't have to depend on anyone.
