Jaxon stared wide-eyed at Aurora, "Uhmm, could you please say that again?"
Without faltering, Aurora repeated, "I'm applying to be a business consultant."
Jaxon was perplexed, it was his first time seeing someone apply for the job straight up, her confidence kept him interested. He leaned forward and asked with an amazed smile lingering on his lips, "What made you think it was that easy to apply?"
"I never said it was," Aurora firmly answered, "I am just confident that having me work with you and your team will boost your ratings."
He chuckled, "You really are an interesting woman, aren't you? No one has ever done this before."
Aurora brought out a file envelope from her bag and handed it to him, "Here are my credentials to prove that I'm perfect for the job."
Jaxon sighed, "I guess it can't be helped." He took the files from her and opened it, "Even if I do find your credentials impressive, I don't exactly have the power to give you the job."
Aurora watched in silence and he flipped through the files. Her facial expression emitted confidence, however, she was feeling a bit uneasy on the inside. She never thought she'd be this desperate to get a positive review from someone regarding her work.
Jaxon blinked multiple times, his brows furrowed as he whipped his head towards her, "Blackwood? As in the Aurora Blackwood? Damian Blackwood's wife? Hold on..." He leaned on the table and asked in a low voice, "Isn't there a rumor that he got married recently? Does that mean...?"
"It was on the damn news. It's no rumor."
His eyes widened slightly, "And you're okay with that?"
She looked away, her hands tightening on each other, "So what if I am? I'm done with that family anyways."
Jaxon let out a soft gasp. He had watched several events hosted by Blackwood enterprises on live television before, and every few minutes, his eyes would dart towards the fine lady that always sat next to Damian Blackwood. But on most occasions, he wouldn't be able to find her simply because she didn't attend.
Blackwood enterprises was a really popular and powerful company after all, of course anybody associated with them would be easily recognizable. But Aurora was an exception, she attended only a few social events with the Blackwoods and even when she did, her face would be heavy with makeup because Victor preferred it that way. She knew why, of course. So that she wouldn't be recognizable outside these events by reporters, so they wouldn't approach her and ask any sensitive questions. Aurora didn't know whether to be happy or angry about it, while she liked the peace of being able to mix in with the public, she still would've been able to handle the attention.
Looking back, there were a lot of signs leading up to the separation of her and Damian which indicated that the Blackwoods had been planning it for quite a while. She scoffed and looked back at Jaxon, "Damian Blackwood and I are no longer married. I am not tied to Blackwood enterprises anymore or anyone else in connection with them. So I would appreciate it if you left out the part about me being Damian's former wife when putting in a good word for me to your boss."
Jaxon put the files down and let out a soft laugh, "Oh? And what makes you think that I'd put in a good word for you?"
Aurora calmly took a sip of her drink and smiled, "Because you've seen my work and you're impressed by it. And then decided to take a proper look at my name because you skipped that part at the beginning thinking it was a waste of time. You almost didn't believe that I'd be this qualified but those files proved you wrong."
Jaxon remained silent for a bit, "I think you're the fortune teller here, Ms Sinclair." (Reference to chapter 5 where Aurora first called him a fortune teller) He leaned back, "You're right, you do have great work credit. But my boss will have to know your background to see if you earned those credits genuinely or with your former status."
Aurora bit her lips, at the end of the day, the Blackwood name still had her on a chokehold. It would take a lot of convincing and close observation for them to believe that she was indeed a hard worker. She huffed, running low on options, she finally agreed. "Very well, do your investigation."
Jaxon smiled, "Great. You'll hear from me in 3 days. I'll be taking these with me, if you don't mind." He tapped on the files and Aurora nodded in agreement, they were photocopies anyways.
"Now that business is out of the way, why don't we talk more comfortably now?" He asked with a calm smile, his voice and expression now softer. "Can I call you Aurora?"
She took a deep breath, maybe small talk wouldn't be a bad thing. The only person she had been talking to was Maywell, thank goodness for that or her descent into madness would've been brutal, having someone else around would be good for her, mentally. "Sure. You can call me Aurora."
His eyes brightened up so much that Aurora almost noticed it, "Great, so...divorce, huh? Must've been hard."
"It wasn't that hard. All we did was sign a few papers." She answered with a shrug, trying her best to play it off but Jaxon wasn't having it, however, he didn't push further. He already observed that Aurora was a reserved person, she didn't look like the type to converse without filter after just meeting a person twice, especially if those meetings were initially for business purposes. He only laughed at her answer and asked a question, "Tell me, what do you plan to do with this newfound freedom of yours?"
Aurora smiled, she took a quick glance at her own stomach and answered, "Satisfy a lot of cravings. Oh, I've always wanted to..." As she talked about the activities she'd like to try in the city, Jaxon's smile involuntarily began to widen.
"Aurora Sinclair..." He called in his head, "So Damian Blackwood actually let someone like her go? Someone this beautiful? Just look at her, she's so angelic. A little on the tough and no-no sense side but still angelic. Hell, if she were mine, I'd never do anything to make her look at anyone else." He blinked and tilted his head, "If she were...mine." His heart couldn't help but beat in a whole new way.
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Dubai.
Damian and Selene were curled up on the plush couch in their luxury suite, watching a late-night movie. The massive TV cast a soft glow over the dimly lit room, and the sound of crashing waves outside their balcony blended with the movie's background music.
Selene rested her head against Damian's shoulder, lazily feeding him popcorn every now and then, even though he wasn't exactly in the mood. He played along, letting her press a piece to his lips as he absentmindedly chewed, his mind elsewhere. He was silently rehearsing how he would bring up the idea of cutting their honeymoon short. He knew she wouldn't like it, but he needed to get back. The longer he stayed away, the more restless he felt...and the more the whereabouts of Aurora became more of a mystery.
But before he could even open his mouth, Selene suddenly spoke. "Honey, should we just go home tomorrow?"
Damian blinked, turning to look at her. "What?"
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