At once, Aurora took her children upstairs to her old room and hurriedly locked it using the bolt while her back slammed against it.
Her chest rose and fell with great effort as she tried catching her breath. Everything happened so quickly she did not get a chance to think so much.
After what seemed like forever, she pried her eyes open only to be met by four adorable eyes peering worriedly at her face.
"Mum?" Aqua spoke first. He did not understand what was going on but he knew they were safe from the bad man now. "You're safe. That uncle won't disturb you again. If he does, I'll kick his feet."
"I'll bite his leg," Aura chimed.
Hearing those words from them, Aurora felt blessed but now wasn't the time for games. Now that Axel had seen them, she knew he wasn't dumb and he would go digging.
Unfortunately, she wasn't so rich after leaving her family behind, and neither could she prevent such from happening, him tailing their background for the last 5 years.
Still, she was visibly shaken by the encounter. And as though that wasn't enough, her mind raced back to when he brought his face close to hers, his warm breath fanning her cheeks.
She sucked in a deep breath, forgetting to breathe while her mind was invested in that memory.
Knock! Knock!
It wasn't until the hurried knock landed on her door, pulling her mind out of whatever trance state it was in, jolting her to the present.
"Mum."
She cleared her throat, forced a smile at Aqua's worried face and turned around. "I'm coming."
She unbolted the door, stepped aside to open it when she saw Celestine's face and allowed her in. "Ro."
The worried lines appearing on Celestine's forehead were proof enough that she had seen him. Truly her next words proved Aurora right.
"Rora, he was here. I don't know how he got in not using the main entrance but, I saw his men and…" Judging from the agitated state Aurora was in, Celestine sealed her lips, her eyes roaming over her cousin before giving a silent nod.
"He came to see…" she shook her head, "he saw you. You two met and—" she seemed to have swallowed the next words when her gaze landed on her nephew and niece, "he saw them?"
Horror flashed before her eyes. Her lips trembled at the sheer thought of what she had done. At once, Aurora saw her eyes become glassy as tears found its way to the surface of her eyes.
"I'm so sorry. It is all my fault."
Aurora's heart broke. She did not want anyone blaming themselves for her miscalculation. Shaking her head from side to side, Aurora refused to hear her. "It wasn't. I was the one who wasn't careful enough. I should have known better. Axel Jayden controls Golden Arc City."
"But… I was in charge of the kids. One moment I had them within my line of sight and the next my attention was pulled to what was happening outside and then when I turned later, they were gone," Celestine explained in one breath.
"Oh…" Now she understood what happened. Not that it mattered and Celestine understood right away.
"What did he say? What did he do? Did you meet with Uncle?" she asked referring to Mr. Zane Reign, Aurora's father. "Don't tell me, he met with Uncle."
Terror flashed in her eyes. She was the only one Aurora kept in contact with during the last five years from this city.
She knew all Aurora faced and had guided her cousin's secret. More so, when her father was against the idea of her stopping the marriage, Celestine had aided her in running away.
"I couldn't. I was about to when—" she recalled the discussion between those ladies and realied what caused her first distraction before Axel came.
"Rora?"
"Huh...?"
"Did you?"
"No. I couldn't."
"Do you want to, now?"
"I—" she hesitated, contemplating if it was a good idea with Axel still around. Her eyes darted to the window. Celestine followed her line of sight and understood what her fear was.
"Oh, Axel? He… I saw his car leave along with his bodyguards." She kept yammering but Aurora's sharp sigh made her stop and look at her cousin. "You, good?"
Aurora gave a nod. "Now that he has gone, yes." She averted her gaze to her kids. By now they moved to the bed and played with the teddy bears on it.
Although she thought they were deeply engrossed in their fun time, the truth was far from it. It was their little secret and how they eavesdropped on what was happening to their mother.
"Want to visit your dad, now?"
"No." Her words left Celestine quite stunned. "After Axel, I do not want to wait around too long for his return. I'll visit my dad later. I cannot confront him now. My mind is still messy."
Celestine reached for her elbow and lightly rubbed on it. "Say no more. I will inform Uncle you aren't too strong."
Words failed Aurora on how to express her gratitude for Celestine's support. She took a step forward and enveloped her in a tight hug.
Once they pulled back, she looked at her kids. "Aura, Aqua, it is time to go."
"Now?" Aqua inquired bluntly. Rolling her cute eyes, Aura pinched her brother's hand while smiling innocently at her mother.
"Okay, momma."
"Yes, mummy."
She passed a weak smile to her kids and cousin and then hurried to check the window, confirming Celestine's words on Axel's departure.
She believed her but one couldn't be too careful should Axel leave a spy behind.
"The coast is clear. Let's go."
Keeping a close eye on her kids, they came down from the bed, while holding the twin teddy bears in their hands.
"Fine, keep it, mum won't need it either way."
Happily, Aura and Aqua tightened their grasp on the blue and white teddies as they happily rushed out of her room.
Aurora waited for Celestine to walk out first, before taking one quick look around. This was her room and home.
Pushing back the tears that stung her eyes at the memory of her mother, Aurora followed suit, locking the door behind her.
They wasted no time taking the back door and venturing out of the house to Celestine's car before driving off.
A couple of seconds after, a black sedan car kickstarted and drove off in the direction they left while the rider tapped on his phone screen, placing a call to someone.
"Hello?"
"Boss," the deep voice of the driver rang out as he adjusted in his seat. "They've left."
"Good. Keep a close eye on that vehicle. Send me their location when they arrive and never let her out of your sight."
"Got it, Mr. Zayden."
*************
Seated in one of the plush couches in the lavishly decorated big mansions, a young lady is seen scrolling through her iPad on her thighs while subconsciously swirling her glass of champagne on the other hand.
"Humm." She hummed a silent melody, her crossed leg dangling to the song playing in her mind as her focus remained on the trending news on Instagram.
"Ah ah…got it." Her red lips stretched to the side as a spark lit up in her eyes when she tapped on a video. "Axel Zayden," she mused, "I see the new project is taking a big turn for the best. Hmm, father would be proud."
No sooner had she said that than the sound of hurried footsteps echoed through the lobby, heading for the living room.
She lifted her head, her burgundy hair falling behind her as her eyes landed on the young maid rushing over.
At once the smile in her eyes vanished, replaced by an icy stare, freezing the young girl in place who immediately recalled her manners.
Gulp!
"Ma'am Dream." She arched her brow, waiting for the news. "I uh, there's a…" she swallowed, recalling the appearance of the visitor.
"A what, Shiloh?" Dream asked impatiently, narrowing her eyes as her long lashes fluttered a little.
Shiloh shuddered but knew she needed to stop behaving scared lest she invite the wrath of the other scary beast before her.
"A scary burly man is looking for you outside. He said it is important," she rushed in one breath.
Dream fell silent for a minute. "Does his hair have a touch of dark blue?" she inquired and when Shiloh nodded, her icy smile returned. "Send him in."
Shiloh nodded and immediately rushed to do her bidding. A few minutes later, she returned with the said man.
Clad in an all-black ensemble—a long coat, a snug turtle-neck shirt, and tailored trousers—his raven hair tousled back with a hint of cobalt highlights cascading over his shoulders.
His entrance into the living room was marked by a pair of captivating azure eyes, adding to the presence of the imposing figure that filled the space.
"Black Dragon," she mused, dropping her iPad on the couch beside her and giving him a thorough look, "not bad."
Dream turned her head to the side, waving her palm at Shiloh to dismiss her before fixing her attention on the man. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"
Not beating around the bush, the man uttered, "I followed Axel as per your command…"
"Yes. Anything new or are you bored?" her words lacked intrigue but had a faint tone of jest in them.
"One would wish that was the case but…it is worse, I am afraid."
Her brow arched as her lips tugged downward. "What is?"
"His fiancé, Ms. Reign, is back and he went straight to see her."
SHATTER!