Aurora settled into the car beside Slade. She has her eyes fixed ahead. She caught sight of a girl, dressed in black getting on a bike.
The front door of her car opened and she peeled her eyes away from the girl. Nicholas got in, sat behind the steering wheel and ignited the car.
"Do you live in the penthouse?" Aurora questioned.
"Yes. And that would be your home too." Slade said without turning to look at her. His attention remained glued to his phone.
"Home." Aurora tested that word in her mouth. As an orphan, Aurora never had a home. Sure she's lived in different places, but it never felt like home.
She couldn't help but wonder if it was truly going to be different with Slade.
"I'd like to get some of my things from my previous apartment." She said. "You can pull over at the side and I'd take a cab." When she returned there yesterday, she decided to put the place up for sale, who knew she'd be moving out this soon.
"No need, let's go together."
"No, you know we can't be seen together," Aurora said.
Slade turned to her, lifting his head from the phone, "No one would see us. Except you have something to hide."
"Of course not." Her voice rose a bit, "You can come over if you want to."
The ride to her house was silent. Immediately, Nicholas pulled the car in front of her building, and she stepped out first. "Give me a few minutes." She said then dashed into the room.
In three minutes, she wiped all trace of her and Liam, from the framed pictures of the, to whatever reminded her of him.
She opened the door and invited him in. The apartment was not as big as his, but he looked around in satisfaction, happy she was a clean one.
Aurora disappeared into the room and returned with a suitcase a few minutes later. "Let's go." Slade moved forward offering to help her with it.
"What do you plan to do about this place?" He asked as she locked the door.
"Sell it. It will be of no use for me anymore." She paused, taking one last look at the place where she once lived. She had so many memories of her and Liam, and also of Jenny. Maybe that is why it hurts to live here.
"Why?" Slade asked noticing her shoulder slump and her eyes red as she turned to leave.
"I don't need it anymore." She replied. For some reason, he felt a pinch in his heart as he saw the sadness in her eyes. He'd rather her banter with him than see her sad.
He made a mental note to ask Nicholas to buy it. It may hurt to look at it now, but after some time, he was confident she'd feel different.
When they got to the car, Nicholas was standing in front of the car. He had just ended a call.
He passed a hand over his hair, a gesture that made Aurora squint since he had very little hair on his head. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other.
"What's wrong?" Slade asked.
"Well, uhmm…" Nicholas inhaled sharply. "I just received a call from the Grandmaster." Nicholas referred to Slade's grandfather as the Grandmaster.
"What did he say?" Slade's jaws flexed as he watched Nicholas fidget, never a good sign. He could only wonder what his grandfather said to cause such anxiety.
"He, uh… he wants you to move into Wells' estate." Nicholas said, "he said it's time you move out of the penthouse since you now have a wife."
"No," Slade stared firmly, then he opened the door for Aurora, "get in." Aurora looked between the two men before stepping in. It seems Slade doesn't fully get along with his grandpa, because there was no reason for him to speak to his grandson through his P.A.
Nicholas remained standing in his position after Slade closed Aurora's door. "What now?" Slade asked.
"He said if you refused, then he wouldn't keep his promise." If there was one thing Nicholas hated, it was getting caught up between these two men.
"And you couldn't convince him otherwise?"
"I tried, but then, I think the Grandmaster has a point, if you move to Wells estate you'd be-" Slade's hard stare was enough to shut him up.
"Nicholas." He called.
"Yes, boss." A bead of sweat rolled down Nicholas's back. Even after working with Slade for five years, he still gets the chills when Slade calls his name in such a manner.
"Who do you work for?"
"Y...you boss."
"Then, do the needful." Slade said and began walking around his car, then stopped and spun, "Do what you need to do if you want to keep your job."
Aurora noticed Nicholas' firm grip on the steering wheel. It was never her intention to listen to whatever they had to say after she got in the car, but her windscreen had been down and she heard everything.
She knew she wasn't to say anything about it, but she couldn't help it, poor Nicholas seemed to be caught in a difficult position.
"Is it really bad to live in Wells Estate?" Aurora asked. Slade turned to her lifting a brow, "I mean, since your grandpa said to live there after marriage, we can do that."
Aurora was careful with her words she didn't want to fuel his anger or whatever he was feeling.
What she didn't understand was that it wasn't that Slade had anything against the estate, he just didn't want to obey his Grandpa.
"I mean, if he wants us to live there, we can do that. You get to keep your penthouse and get a new apartment. It would be sad to see you give up on whatever reason made you get married, simply because you don't want to love somewhere." She explained, and for a moment, she thought his expression softened.
Her phone beeped before he could respond. She tapped on the message notification fi reveal its content.
A message from an unknown number, "Congratulations on your wedding, bestie." Aurora's finger tightened around her phone. She lifted her gaze wondering if Slade had seen it too.
To her relief, he hadn't. She let out a shaky smile, turning the phone off. Her heart rammed against its ribcage as the realisation hit her.
Someone knew.
This meant one thing: 'trouble.'