Chapter 93
61 veusters
The morning came with a loud bang on their door. Not the gate, but the actual living room door, the one you reached after stepping out of the private elevator.
Elara yawned, her eyes blinking open slowly. The noise filtered into her consciousness, pulling her from sleep. For a moment, she thought it was part of her dream, some distant sound that didn’t really matter. She closed her eyes again, going deeper into the warmth of the bed and Marcus’s arms.
Then the bang came again. Louder this time. More insistent. Aggressive, even.
Elara’s eyes shot open. She turned her head to look at the bedside clock. The numbers glowed an offensive
red in the dim room.
6:40 AM.
“Who the fuck is disturbing the peace of this house at six fucking forty in the morning?” she muttered, her voice filled with sleep and irritation. “God, if it’s Mimi or Dante, I swear I’ll kill them both.”
She glanced over at Marcus, expecting him to be awake too, ready to go downstairs and handle whatever this was. But he was completely unfazed, still sound asleep like the banging wasn’t even happening. His chest rose and fell in the steady rhythm of deep sleep, his face relaxed and peaceful. Not a single muscle
twitched at the sound.
Of course. Of course he could sleep through this. Men.
Which meant Elara had no other option than to get up and go check who it was herself.
The knock came again, even louder and more aggressive. It echoed through the entire penthouse, bouncing off the high ceilings and expensive artwork, impossible to ignore.
“Fuckkkkk!” Elara screamed into her pillow, her hands tightening in the fabric. She wanted to throw something. Wanted to march downstairs and strangle whoever was on the other side of that door.
She threw the covers off and sat up, the cool air hitting her bare skin and reminding her that they’d slept naked last night. The memories of what they’d done came flooding back, making her cheeks warm despite her irritation.
She grabbed the slippers by her bed, shoving her feet into them with more force than necessary, then stumbled over to the wardrobe to find something to wear. She couldn’t exactly answer the door naked.
She pulled out the first robe she saw, a silk one in deep burgundy that Marcus had bought her weeks ago. She wrapped it around herself, tying the belt tightly at her waist. The fabric was cool and smooth against her skin, but it did nothing to calm the rage building in her chest.
She made her way downstairs, each step fueling her anger. Her feet hit the marble floor harder than they needed to, the slap of her slippers echoing in the quiet penthouse. Who showed up at someone’s house at this hour? Who banged on doors like a maniac before seven in the morning? It was Sunday, for God’s sake.
A day meant for sleeping in and recovering from the chaos of the night before.
When she reached the living room, the knock came again. Three sharp raps that made her jaw clench. This time her hand was already on the doorknob, already turning it with more force than necessary.
Chapter 93
ay
She yanked the door open, ready to unleash absolute hell on whoever was standing there.
And immediately, the sour sight of Aurora filled the entire doorway.
55 vunters
For a moment, Elara couldn’t speak. Couldn’t process what she was seeing. Aurora stood there in the hallway, perfectly put together at this ungodly hour, with two large designer suitcases beside her and a smile on her face that made Elara want to commit violence.
“What the fuck?” Elara finally managed, her voice sharp. “What are you even doing here? And how did you get past security?”
Aurora’s smile widened, like she’d been waiting for exactly this reaction. Then, without waiting for an invitation, without even pretending to have manners, she pushed past Elara and walked straight into the penthouse like she owned the place.
Elara stood frozen in the doorway, watching in disbelief as Aurora dragged her expensive luggage inside and left it by the entryway table. The audacity was breathtaking.
“First,” Aurora said casually, walking over to the living room couch dropping her designer luggage by the entryway and settling in ike she’d done it a thousand times before, “I was here before you, don’t forget. All the security guards and household staff know me very well. Marcus and I dated for three years, remember? So it’s really not a problem for me to get past them. They practically waved me through.”
She crossed her legs, making herself comfortable on the couch that Elara and Marcus had been sitting on just last night. The couch where they’d eaten takeout and laughed together. Aurora was claiming it now, marking her territory. Her outfit was annoyingly perfect for this early in the morning.
Elara’s hands clenched into fists at her sides. “You still haven’t answered my first question. What are you doing here at six forty in the morning?”
“Second,” Aurora continued, completely ignoring Elara’s question and looking directly at her with challenge burning in those blue eyes, “Marc said I could come stay here, remember? We discussed it last night at the event.”
“Marcus,” Elara corrected sharply, taking a step forward. “His name is Marcus. Not Marc.”
Aurora’s smile turned into something more vicious. She leaned back against the couch, spreading her arms out along the backrest in a posture of complete ownership. Like she belonged here and Elara was the intruder.
“Well,” Aurora said slowly, deliberately emphasizing the syllable of the nickname even if there was none, “Marc said I could stay here for two weeks while I finalize the business deal with Thorne Dynamics.”
She tilted her head, her ponytail swinging with the movement. Her eyes traveled over Elara’s silk robe, taking in her bare legs and messy hair with obvious judgment.
“So I’ll be here for two weeks, co-wife.”
15:02 Mon, May 11
