Johanna's confession left me feeling some type of way.
Geez, the girl sounds like a stalker. Even though Pierce said not to pay her any attention, I can't help but feel disturbed. She doesn't seem like one who would back down after being told to.
I was in the bathroom fixing my makeup when someone walked in. Too busy applying lipstick, I didn't bother to look.
"Aurora, is it?"
I turned to see Johanna standing by the door.
Speak of the devil, and they shall appear.
"Johanna, is it?" I repeated, copying her tone. For real, she sounds like a stuffed chicken.
She folded her arms, running her blue eyes through my tiny frame. "So much nerve you have, but then I blame Pierce. It's not your fault. If it wasn't for him, you wouldn't make it past security."
You know she's right, I got here purely through connections, and I hate to admit it, but there's not much I can do about it. I'm sure the others must see me like some sort of gold digger, but like Pierce said, what's the worst they could do?
Done with my lipstick, I headed for the door, but Johanna blocked my path.
"Where do you think you're going?" She asked evilly.
"Where else?" I smiled sweetly, "Obviously to meet Pierce in his office. He texted a while ago saying he missed me."
I could see Johanna struggle to contain her rage, and it pleased me a great deal.
"Move," I commanded.
And to my surprise, she did.
"This is not over." She said storming off angrily.
The second she was out of sight, I collapsed on the wall, feeling my heart race in my chest. I'm not cut out for all this drama, I fear. It's too much for me to bear alone.
One of the toilet doors fell open, taking me by surprise. I held on to my beating heart in fear as I watched a frail-looking girl walk out.
She had brown hair and wore a suit similar in color to her hair.
"I'm sorry," She said, "I didn't mean to eavesdrop."
"It's okay." I waved it off.
"I'm Jordyn." She smiled.
"Aurora."
"Oh, I know," She said excitedly, "You're the boss's fiancée."
I'm still not used to being addressed that way; everything happened way too fast. Sometimes it feels like this is all just a horrible nightmare.
"Yeah, according to the media."
She eyed me for a bit, "You don't sound too happy. Did you not consent to it?"
I did not; Pierce forced this on me.
"It's not like that," I lied, "It's just I feel like I'm losing my identity." Which was true. Nobody sees me for who I am anymore; they all see me as Pierce's fiancée. Don't get me wrong; I like the attention, but it's sometimes overwhelming.
She took a step forward and placed a hand on my shoulder, "I'm sure the people around him are not making things easy for you." She seemed to understand.
I still remember my encounter with his mother yesterday, the hidden disapproval in her tone, the condescending look in her eyes, and then the threat from Johanna right now.
Removing her hand from my shoulder, she smiled, "If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here."
I responded with a nod, and she walked away.
When I got back to the office, I found Pierce flipping through some papers seriously; he didn't even spare me a glance. Seeing as there was nothing for me to do, I placed my head on the table and closed my eyes, drifting into unconsciousness.
"Aurora." I heard him call gently.
Slowly, my eyes peeled open.
"It's time to go home." He announced, causing me to smile, finally.
We were on our way out hand in hand when a bunch of reporters swarmed us, all shoving their mics in my face.
"Ms. Aurora, is it true that both your parents are deceased?" Asked a reporter, causing me to duck in shame.
Pierce stepped in front of me, and the next thing I knew, both the reporter's mic and camera went flying to the floor with a loud shatter.
Immediately, the commotion ceased.
"Leave the bill with my clerk right there; I'll see to it," he said to the female reporter who was too shocked to say a word.
Without uttering another word, he pulled me away.
I watched him pull me away in awe. Although anxiety threatened to devour me, this man was my saving grace. Even if the world is against us, I know for sure he won't leave me to fight by myself, and that alone turned my worries to dust.
"Are you okay?" He asked the second we got in his car.
"Mmh," I replied with a slight nod.
"How could I not be with you by my side?"
He smiled and said, "I have something for you." And I was eager to know what it was.
Reaching for his pocket, he brought out a black box and opened it.
I gasped on seeing the diamond-shaped ring; it was beautiful and it also screamed expensively.
"I feel bad for how everything played out; I didn't get the chance to propose properly."
"Aurora.."
His tone had a fine tune to it when he called my name.
"Will you marry me?"
Without hesitating, I threw myself into his arms, screaming yes.
I wish my parents were alive to see it. Dad's biggest regret in his final minutes was leaving me alone to fend for myself. And I would love to tell him that I was no longer alone now; I had someone to share both my happy and sad days with. It was truly a dream come true.
The next day was a Sunday.
I was in the market buying food supplies to stock Pierce's empty freezer when someone walked by and snatched my purse.
The culprit in black clothing and a face cap immediately ran off, and I trailed after him, not ready to kiss my belongings goodbye.
"Thief!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, running down the sidewalk like a madwoman, but nobody attempted to stop the man who was running away with my purse.
He ran into a corner, and I stupidly followed him. It wasn't until I ran into a dead end did I realized how empty my surroundings were.
Scared, I turned around to leave but stopped when two men appeared from the side. With the thief guarding the other side, I found myself trapped in the middle.
"What do you want?" I asked in a shaky tone.
He flipped my purse to the ground without even bothering to take a look inside. Right, the purse was not his target; I was.
"Relax; I just want to have a word with you." He said, taking dangerous steps towards me, and I found myself backed into the wall.
He flipped out a knife from his pocket, and I instantly became alarmed.
"Stay away from me," I warned, but he kept coming close.
I don't know where I got the idea from, but as soon as his hands shot up, probably to hit me, I raised my knees and kicked him where the sun didn't shine.
"You witch," he cursed, holding his private area in pain.
I took that as my cue and darted in the opposite direction. Looking over my shoulder, I could see two men chasing me, and I increased my speed.
Just what is going on? Who are these men, and why do they want to harm me? I knew this had something to do with Pierce, but I needed to make it out of here alive first to catch the culprit.
Although I ran with all my might, they soon caught up to me. My cheek was graced with a slap, and I was flung across a very buff shoulder, struggling to break free to no avail.
I was being carried down the street when the men came to a stop. I wriggled my body, trying to get a glimpse of what lay ahead.
I was tossed to the ground harshly by my captor. A sharp pain shot up my elbow, and I struggled to get up. Finally pulling myself off the ground, I wanted to make a run for it when I noticed the men who had kidnapped me previously rolling on the floor in pain.
"No need to thank me," a voice said, stealing away my attention.
Standing steps away from me was a teenage-looking boy. He had curly brown hair, and when he smiled, a dazzling set of white teeth exposed themselves.
He looked so frail and wimpy; there was no way he beat these men by himself. But there was no other explanation as there was only the two of us here.
"Nice to meet you, Aurora," he said, sticking out a palm, "I'm Ethan."
"Yeah, nice to meet you t-" I came to a pause when it hit me.
"Wait, how do you know my name?"