Aurora Grey – POV
"You're kidding me, right?" Clarke practically screamed, her voice bouncing off the glass walls of the penthouse living room. Her hands flew up like she needed the ceiling itself to answer for me. "He bought you a penthouse? Sent you a black card? And now you're having private dinners with Ace freaking Wolfe?"
I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Clarke-"
But I didn't even get the chance to explain.
From the kitchen, Percy leaned against the counter, arms folded, a spoon clutched like she was ready to joust with it. "Let's just say what we're all thinking," she drawled, her tone dripping with provocation. "Aurora slept her way into a billionaire's lap."
The air froze.
Clarke's head turned slowly, predator-slow, like she'd just heard the stupidest thing in human history. "What the hell did you just say?"
Percy arched a brow, unbothered, stirring her mug like she had all the time in the world. "Oh, come on. You think he handed her all this-" she waved the spoon in a circle, pointing at the penthouse, the designer furniture, the view that stretched across the city- "for free? Girls like us don't get Maybach rides and couture gowns unless we're putting in... extra work."
"Say that again," Clarke snapped, standing now, her voice sharp enough to cut. "I swear, Percy, I will remind you exactly whose invitation got you into this apartment. And trust me-you are lucky you're even breathing this air."
I didn't need defending. But damn-Clarke had claws, and she was fast.
"I didn't sleep with him," I said coldly, my eyes locked on Percy. My voice came out harder than I meant, steel edged with exhaustion. "Not that it's any of your business. But I didn't."
Percy tilted her head, smirk tugging at her lips. "Then why all this, Aurora?" She gestured again at the apartment like it physically offended her. "Why the penthouse, the card, the dinners? Don't tell me he just... likes your personality."
I stepped closer, matching her smirk with a stare that dared her to blink first. "Because he made me an offer," I said evenly. "A contract. And I signed it."
Silence.
Percy blinked once. Twice. Then her jaw dropped. "Wait... wait, wait, wait. Like-" she made a little circle with her finger, as though that would help her process- "like... marriage?"
I nodded once.
Her mouth fell open so wide I thought she'd faint. "You're going to marry Ace Wolfe?"
"Temporarily." I exhaled, rubbing at the knot in my chest. "It's... complicated."
Percy let out a sharp snort. "Complicated? Aurora, this is insanity. Everything about this screams mistake."
"No," I shot back, stepping toward her until the space between us buzzed with heat. "What screams mistake is you throwing shade at the one person who just might be your only connection to the top floor."
Her mouth opened-probably to spit something cutting-but then she closed it again, jaw tight.
Right then, the doorbell chimed.
The sound cracked through the room like a warning bell. Clarke turned toward the door, her voice pitched high with nerves. "Another package? Are we on some royal delivery list now?"
I swallowed hard and crossed the room, my heart beating faster with every step. The concierge stood at the door, polished in his uniform, holding a black velvet box and a white envelope sealed in wax. He handed them over without a word and disappeared down the hall.
My phone buzzed before I could even open them.
The name on the screen made my stomach clench.
Ace Wolfe.
I swiped the screen. "Hello?"
"Did it arrive?" His voice was smooth, unbothered, like he was confirming the weather.
"Yes," I managed, my voice tighter than I wanted.
"Good. It's what you'll wear tomorrow. My parents have expectations."
My fingers fumbled at the box. The lid lifted with a faint sigh, and there it was: a dress. Emerald silk, hand-stitched beadwork that shimmered under the penthouse lights, plunging back that made my breath stutter. It looked like it belonged in a museum vault, not on me.
"And the necklace," he added, his voice low enough to prickle my skin. "Matches the emeralds in your eyes."
I froze. "You've been staring at my eyes?"
He didn't answer. Typical.
I swallowed again. "Do you always send your girlfriend's designer armor to meet your parents?
"Only when I need them to look like queens."
The line went dead before I could say another word.
Clarke had drifted over, curiosity painted across her face. She peeked into the box and let out a low whistle. "Damn. I take it back. Forget coffee shop shifts-I want a billionaire contract too."
I laughed weakly, but my chest was tight.
Because tomorrow, I wouldn't be walking into the Wolfe estate as Aurora Grey, broke barista with a sick mother.
I'd be walking in as the woman Ace Wolfe had chosen.
And for once, that terrified me more than anything.
"