Aurora's eyes welled up with tears as she remembered the night her parents died. The sound of her sister's screams still echoed in her mind. "Dadddd!" Laura had wailed, her voice piercing the night air.

It had been years since that fateful night, but the memories still lingered. Aurora's parents had been taken from her in the most brutal way possible. 

A man with dreadlocks with a striking tattoo on his left arm had stormed into their home. It started off as a heated argument between her parents and the man, until he shot her mother in the leg and her father in a desperate attempt to protect his family.

He didn't just kill them, he burnt their house to ashes. 

The twins had miraculously survived the accident, but Laura suffered a burn on her left leg.

Aurora shook her head, trying to clear the memories. She was starting a new job at Bytoi Cosmetics, and she couldn't afford to be late. She took a deep breath, smoothing out her dress, and walked towards the bus stop.

As she approached the Bytoi Cosmetics building, she admired its modern architecture. 

Her heart swelled with gratitude as she thought about Mrs. Martinez's kindness. 

"This is all thanks to Mrs. Martinez," she said to herself, smiling brightly. Her phone rang, and she saw Mrs. Martinez's name on the caller ID.

"Hello, Rory," Mrs. Martinez said warmly.

"Hello, mama," Aurora replied, using the affectionate term she had for Mrs. Martinez.

"I just wanted to check in on you. Are you at the office yet?" Mrs. Martinez asked.

"Not yet," Aurora said, gazing up at the impressive building before her. "But I'm about to go in."

"Okay, dear. Don't forget to come by for lunch when you're done with work, okay?" Mrs. Martinez said.

"I'd love that," Aurora replied happily.

"Good, I'll let you go now. Bye," Mrs. Martinez said.

"Bye," Aurora replied, and they hung up.

Aurora took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves, and walked towards the entrance. Just as she was about to step inside, a car screeched to a halt beside her, splashing mud all over her clothes. 

Aurora's eyes widened in shock as she stumbled backward, her heart racing.

As she looked up to see who was responsible, she saw a sleek black Rolls-Royce with tinted windows. 

The driver's side door opened, and a young man stepped out. He was tall, with chiseled features and piercing blue eyes that seemed to bore into her soul. 

Aurora's eyes narrowed as she took in the young man's expensive suit and confident demeanor.

"Watch where you're going," she snapped, trying to clean the mud off her dress. Her hands were shaking with anger and frustration. "Not on my first day at work." She muttered angrily.

The young man raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement on his face. "Sorry about that. Are you okay?" he asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Aurora's eyes flashed with anger. "Do I look okay to you?" she spat, her voice rising. "You just splashed mud all over me, and now I'm going to be dirty on my first day at work."

The young man's smile grew wider, and he took a step closer to her. "I'm sorry about that," he said, his voice low and husky. "But you're not exactly the most pleasant person to apologize to."

Aurora's eyes widened in outrage. "How dare you," she hissed, her fists clenched at her sides.

The young man chuckled, his eyes glinting with amusement. "I dare because I can," he said, his voice dripping with arrogance.

Aurora's face burned with anger, and she turned to storm into the building. But as she reached the door, she heard the young man's voice behind her.

"You know, you're not exactly the kind of person I expected to meet today," he said, his voice low and husky.

Aurora spun around, her eyes flashing with anger. "And what kind of person did you expect to meet?" she spat.

The young man smiled, his eyes glinting with amusement. "Someone a lot more... refined," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Aurora's face burned with anger, and she turned to storm into the building, leaving the young man standing alone outside. 

Julian stood by the entrance, feeling utterly humiliated. It wasn't his fault that she had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Why did she have to be so rude? 

He gazed after her retreating figure, hissing in frustration under his breath. His day was already off to a terrible start, and he wasn't about to let some petite young lady make it worse.

Just as he was about to get into his car, his phone rang, displaying his father's name on the screen. Julian hesitated, tempted to ignore the call. 

He wasn't ready to deal with another of his father's problems, but he knew the consequences of ignoring the call. With a deep sigh, he picked up.

"Why aren't you in school?" his father's deep voice thundered through the phone.

Julian struggled to find words to explain himself, but he knew it was pointless. "I...I...uh..." he stuttered.

"Listen, young man," his father interrupted. "I need you in that school in the next ten minutes. You have a job to do."

Without waiting for Julian's response, he hung up. Julian let out a frustrated grunt. "This day just keeps getting worse," he muttered to himself

Aurora grunted in frustration as she tried to scrub off the stubborn stains in the restroom. She couldn't possibly face her boss and colleagues looking like a mess. The memory of the jerk who had collided with her still lingered, making her blood boil.

"It's going to be tough to get those stains out," a voice chimed in from behind her. Aurora turned to see a plump young woman in a silk dress, her eyes gleaming with a knowing glint.

"Good morning," Aurora replied, forcing a warm smile.

"Good morning. You must be the new recruit we've been expecting?" the woman asked, her tone dripping with curiosity.

"Yes, ma'am. I'm Aurora Philips," she replied, extending her hand.

As they exchanged pleasantries, Aurora couldn't shake off the feeling that the woman was sizing her up. The air was thick with an unspoken tension, and Aurora's instincts screamed at her to be cautious.

As the woman walked away, Aurora returned her attention to her stained dress. Her anger simmered just below the surface, threatening to boil over at any moment. The memory of the young man's careless behavior still rankled her.

"He wasn't even sorry," she muttered to herself, her frustration palpable.

The rest of the day passed in a blur, with Aurora struggling to focus on her work. Her colleagues' curious stares didn't help, and she couldn't shake off the feeling.

Just when she thought things couldn't get any worse, Victoria, a friendly colleague, approached her. "Hey, ignore the stares That's just how it is around here," Victoria said with a reassuring smile.

Aurora smiled back, grateful for the kindness. "Thanks, Victoria. I had a bit of a rough morning. Some guy collided with me, and I ended up with these stains."

Victoria's eyes widened in sympathy. "That's terrible! But don't worry, these things happen."

As the day drew to a close, Aurora reflected on the events that had transpired. Despite the rocky start, she was determined to make a good impression and prove herself.

As she walked home, the aroma of freshly baked bread wafted through the air, enticing her senses. But her smile was short-lived, as she was confronted by their landlady, Mrs. Blakes.

"When do I get my rent?" Mrs. Blakes demanded, her voice dripping with venom.

Aurora stammered, searching for words. "I-I'm going to pay you, ma'am. We just need a little more time."

Mrs. Blakes' expression turned toxic. "How's that my business? Pay me my money, or get out!"

Aurora's face burned with shame as she muttered, "Not today."

As Mrs. Blakes stormed off, Aurora turned to her sister, Laura, who had been oblivious to the tension. "Laura, how can you be so indifferent?" she asked, her voice low and even.

But Laura ignored her, lost in her own world. Aurora's anger boiled over, and she exclaimed, "Laura, I'm talking to you! Can't you see what's going on? We're struggling to survive, and you're just ignoring it all!"

Laura's response was immediate and fiery. "Can you just let me be?" she screamed, her voice echoing through the neighborhood. "I have a project to submit to Delmakai Studio, and I need to focus!"

Aurora didn't know how to respond to her sister's outburst. She simply walked into the house and retired to her bed, feeling frustrated and helpless.

As she stood by the window, gazing out into the night, her mind flashed back to the young man she had met earlier. "Such a jerk," she muttered to herself.

Suddenly, she felt a pair of eyes upon her. She looked around, but saw no one. She peered out of the window, and that's when she saw him – a shadowy figure lurking behind a mango tree.

"Who's there?" Aurora asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

The figure darted out from behind the tree and sprinted into the street. Aurora's heart racing, she wondered who could be stalking her. And why?