Aurora – POV
The apartment was small. Too small for dreams, but just big enough to keep breathing. Peeling paint. Flickering hallway light. A door that creaked on its hinges like an old man with secrets.
Home-for now.
I kicked off my heels the second I stepped inside, exhaling the weight of the city behind me. Burnt onions and tomato sauce filled the air, followed by the sound of my little sister's off-key humming.
"Smells like an experiment," I teased, dropping my keys.
"Rude." Maya turned from the tiny stove, brandishing a spoon like a sword. "I made jollof. And I didn't burn the pot this time."
"Progress," I grinned.
Her teenage face shone with pride, forehead slicked with grease. Sixteen going on twenty. She already carried too much responsibility in her eyes, and it gutted me that I couldn't shield her from all of it.
"You're late," she said as she plated our dinner. "Everything okay at the coffee shop?"
"Long shift. And I stopped by Clarke's place on the way home," I lied, sliding into our rickety chair.
Maya joined me, nudging a chipped plate toward me. "I've been thinking."
"Always dangerous."
She ignored me. "Maybe I should get a job. Part-time. Just to help."
My stomach clenched. "Absolutely not."
"Alara-"
"No." I cut in gently but firm. "You focus on school. I've got everything under control."
Her lips pressed thin, unconvinced. She was too smart. Too observant. After a beat, she said softly, "Oh. A package came for you."
My brows pulled tight. "From who?"
"No idea. Box looked... expensive."
She crossed the room and came back with a sleek black box tied in satin, a tiny envelope tucked beneath the ribbon.
My pulse stuttered.
I peeled it open carefully. Inside: Van Cleef & Arpels. Gold. Ivory enamel. Tiny clover charms glittering under our cheap kitchen light.
Maya gasped. "Is that real?"
I didn't answer.
"That's like... ten thousand dollars. Or more." Her voice dropped. "Who-?"
But I already knew.
Ace Wolfe.
I grabbed my phone and slipped into the hallway.
He picked up on the second ring. "Grey," he said, my name rolling off his tongue like it meant nothing. "I was expecting your call."
"What is this?" I hissed.
"A gift."
"I didn't ask for this."
"You didn't have to."
"There are no strings?" I pressed.
"None," he said flatly. "Take it. Don't. Throw it in the ocean. Doesn't matter to me."
"You don't send jewelry worth a car without wanting something."
A pause. Then, smooth as sin: "I want you to rethink my offer."
Silence stretched.
"Don't confuse courtesy for seduction," he went on. "I don't play games, Aurora. I get what I want. And I give generously."
My throat tightened. "Why me?"
"You'll figure it out," he said, colder now. "Or maybe you won't. Doesn't matter. The offer stands."
The line went dead.
I stared at the phone, pulse hammering.
When I stepped back into the kitchen, Maya was still holding the bracelet with wide-eyed reverence, as if she was touching magic.
"Who was that?" she asked.
"No one," I lied. "I'm going to the hospital tomorrow. To see Mom."
Her face softened. "Tell her I'm doing okay. That I didn't burn the pot this time."
"I will," I whispered, kissing her forehead.
But later, lying in bed, I couldn't stop staring at the black box on my dresser. The bracelet shimmered like a promise-or a warning.
Ace Wolfe's shadow was everywhere now.
And ignoring him was no longer an option.