Aurora's face burned in shame. She wished she could disappear.
Olivia and Owen choked back their surprise at her presence. They were not expecting her; she was supposed to be doing her interview right now! They quickly turned their nervous gaze away, in search of someone.
The guests began whispering amongst themselves having recognized Aurora. Some remembered that she used to be with Owen Scott. Come to think of it, there was never a breakup scandal between the two. Their eyes widened as they looked back and forth, soaking up the drama.
Stella ground her teeth seeing Aurora inside the hall and trying to disrupt her daughter's celebratory atmosphere.
'Who the hell let her in?!' She thought to herself as she marched towards her.
"I'm so sorry!" Aurora quickly apologized and didn't dare to relax with so many pairs of eyes fixed on her back.
"Are you all right?" a man's smooth voice automatically cut through the turmoil in Aurora's head.
She slowly locked her gaze with him and was surprised to see the same man who had helped her gain entrance, back at her side and this time around, offering his handkerchief.
"Thank you." Her fingers brushed against his, sending heat up her cheeks as she took the crisp cotton fabric and dabbed the back of her hand where the golden liquid left a trace.
When she was done, she lifted her head, her gaze softening into an apologetic smile, realizing his handkerchief was stained now. "I'm so sorry," she said, her voice barely a whisper as she handed it to him.
"It's fine," he said, stuffing it inside his inner jacket pocket before sticking out his right hand to introduce himself while maintaining eye contact with her. "I'm Xander Scott."
Aurora hesitated for a moment before taking his hand. "I'm Aurora Swift." Her small soft hand contrasted his large warm hand. She liked how it made her feel safe and protected.
Xander's expression remained calm, but his piercing blue eyes crinkled slightly at the corners, hinting a subtle smile. "I am delighted to make your acquaintance."
"The pleasure is mine," she replied as he released her hand and immediately, she missed his warmth.
"I'm so sorry about the mess," she continued, gesturing to the shattered glass and spilt champagne. Xander waved his hand dismissively. "Accidents happen. You're shaken. Take a deep breath."
Aurora inhaled, feeling a fraction of her tension dissipate under Xander's soothing tone as he led her away from the mess.
She was still basking in his kindness when suddenly, Stella appeared in front of them with two men in black. Instantly, the warmth in her eyes disappeared.
"Apologies, Mister, for the disturbance my stepdaughter has caused. I'll ensure she doesn't trouble you further," Stella said, her tone dripping with forced politeness as she attempted to curry favour with Xander, whose calm yet commanding presence intimidated her.
"It's fine. She is with me," Xander stated, fixing a strong gaze on Stella who had no choice but to back away, but not without giving Aurora a death stare.
Aurora released a deep sigh of relief as she quickly turned to Xander. "Thank you so much."
"Will you be fine on your own?" He asked, looking at her with worry.
"Yes," Aurora managed a smile. "Thanks to you, no one will throw me out."
With her words, Xander gave a nod and returned to his table.
She, on the other hand, wasn't going to leave without giving those two scums a piece of her mind.
When her gaze found them again, they had three bodyguards following them as they marched toward the VIP tables to greet their guests.
'Cowards!' Aurora spat, knowing the reason those two had people following them around.
Owen took Olivia straight to Xander's table. His tone was filled with respect and admiration that Aurora had never seen from him before, especially as he made introductions. "Babe, meet my uncle, Xander Scott. He recently returned to take over our family's tech company."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Scott! I had no idea that Owen had such a handsome young uncle!" Olivia gushed as she reached out her hand for a handshake, but Xander refused to take it, only giving her a casual nod.
Stella who overheard the introduction immediately came over to make her presence known. "Thank you for coming," she said, sounding overly familiar as she assessed Xander with eyes narrowed.
"Owen is family," Xander said curtly like it would kill him to add a few words.
After realizing Xander Scott's identity and the fact that he was unmarried, Stella wished regrettably that he had shown up on time so she and Olivia would have aimed for him instead of his nephew as she could tell that he was a hundred times more valuable than Owen.
On the other hand, Aurora, who had been listening to their conversation, widened her eyes in shock. It turned out that the man who had helped her earlier was her scum boyfriend's uncle.
Aurora refused to take her eyes off the cheating couple and finally, they decided to make their way towards her while acting all loved-up with arms linked, intending to inflict emotional pain on her.
"There you are, sister!" Olivia raised her glass of champagne to her. "Why do you look so uptight? You are here for me and Owen's engagement, not your mother's funeral."
If it weren't for the fact that Aurora arrived with Xander Scott of all people, Olivia would've wanted her gone as soon as possible. However, since she was here, Olivia might as well come to gloat in her face.
Something snapped in Aurora and she took a step forward before she could think about it and immediately, the bodyguards Olivia and Owen had surrounded themselves with took a step as well.
Olivia clicked her tongue. "I would be mindful if I were you."
The security team had a role to play with the smug smile on Olivia's lips and the confident look on Owen's face.
"You will regret hurting me," Aurora said, her eyes were cold and sharp.
Olivia leaned into Owen properly and lightly brushed her big boobs on his chest with a pout on her lips as if asking him to defend her.
It's now that Aurora understood this context 'I have already moved on with someone bigger and better' in Owen's message having seen Olivia's exposed cleavage from her white dress. And she bets the blind fool doesn't know it's all plastic.
Olivia was just 23, yet had such a voluptuous figure for someone her age, all thanks to the BBL surgeries she embarked on in the past.
She was just an insecure brat obsessed with keeping up with societal beauty standards just like her mother. While Stella believed ageing was shameful and had to be covered up, Olivia was convinced that a banging body was all she needed to attract and keep any man she wanted.
"Aurora, I understand you are very mad about the timing of the breakup text but you can't blame me for it as I was busy chasing my dream woman," Owen stated. "At least I was human enough to break up with you before slipping the ring into your sister's finger."
Aurora stood, slightly agape, wanting nothing more than to curse his soul out. "W-What?"
"Move on, Aurora!" Olivia suddenly leaned away from Owen, looking slightly pissed. "Do you think you deserve someone like Owen or your current position in Dad's company?! You really have no idea, do you?"
Aurora simply thought Olivia was just spewing gibberish to upset her and no longer wanted to continue their conversation. She had a more important goal to pursue.
Therefore, overlooking her rudeness she said, "Wait until Dad comes back."
Olivia's eyes flashed with fury. As Aurora turned, her eyes caught the trail of her dress and without thinking twice about it, she stepped on it with her stiletto, and the sound of fabric ripping echoed around them.