Chapter 12

Aurora fell asleep after she changed her clothes. The room was full of bright light, which came from the large lamps hanging above the ceiling. The rain had almost completely stopped, as the clock on the left side of the room now read eight fifteen minutes past eight.

The woman had traveled a long way from her home, spending most of the day on the road. If Gama could reach their home from the mansion in just four hours by car, then Aurora had to spend almost all her energy to set foot here.

Waiting for the bus, queuing at the counter, and enjoying the slow bus ride. But she was grateful that she was finally in a safe place now, at least for tonight. For tomorrow, she would think again.

The tinkling of the bell caught the attention of Aurora, who had just tied her hair back, as she stepped towards the door now. Opening the door, Aurora found a middle-aged woman in an all-white dress and hat in front of the room she was in. Not alone, there were two young men standing right behind her.

"Good evening, Miss Aurora. I am Mireli, the head chef of this mansion." The woman bowed her head as she introduced herself.

Aurora nodded faintly. "Hi, Mireli."

"I brought your dinner on Mr. Oliver's orders," said the woman named Mireli. As Mireli shifted her body, Aurora could see the two trays carried by the two men behind Mireli earlier.

"Ah, thank you."

"Take them and place them on the table," Mireli ordered the two young men who Aurora suspected were working under Mireli's supervision.

Aurora swiftly opened the door wider, shifting her body to make room for the two men to carry out Mireli's order. A few seconds later, the two young men returned empty-handed.

"Please enjoy your dinner, Miss," Mireli said with a friendly smile.

Aurora seemed happy that she could meet the other female species in the mansion, feeling she was not alone among the macho men there.

"Feel free to correct our cooking if anything is inappropriate, Miss," Mireli continued. "Hope you like the dishes."

Aurora had never been served so well in her entire life. And this kind of treatment was enough to make her heart warm.

"Thank you, Mireli," Aurora said sincerely. A happy smile spread across the young woman's face.

"That's my job, Miss," Mireli said again. "Then you'll have to excuse us."

Aurora nodded as Mireli and the two young men bowed in respect, and turned to leave Aurora's presence. The hallway became quiet again, as if there was no movement or life on the second floor of the mansion.

'Where did everyone go?' Aurora thought to herself.

But it didn't feel like it was something she needed to know, and now she chose to turn around and go back inside. The sound of the door closing rang out loudly, as Aurora approached the table where her dinner was placed.

Pulling up the chair in front of the table, Aurora swallowed her own saliva. A bowl of American goulash sat on the table, paired with beef pasta on another plate. There were chunks of apple and cherry in a medium-sized bowl, topped off with a small bowl of chocolate-flavored pudding.

Aurora didn't wait long to pick up her spoon, happy that it looked like she was going to sleep well tonight.

***

Lexton woke up with a head that was no longer heavy.

The sunlight filtering in through the window brought the man's consciousness back, stirring as it was almost nine o'clock. Pulling back the blanket that covered him to his waist, Lexton opened his eyes slowly.

The thing he saw for the first time was still the same.

The replica of Vincent van Gogh's famous work The Starry Night, which was beautifully painted on the ceiling of the Alfa's room. It seemed to have welcomed him this morning, giving him encouragement from its vibrant bluish colors.

Lexton moved to lean against the headboard of the bed. Dressed in a plain blu-colored T-shirt paired with knee-length pants, he reached for the glass of water sitting on the nightstand.

Taking a sip, Lexton's eagle bead accidentally caught a letter that was still in the same color as the painting up there. A letter from Gama, which was the only remaining memory of the man.

Straightening up, Lexton reached for the letter now. He had reread every sentence Gama had scrawled on the paper since last night more than a dozen times, which brought to mind something new.

Someone who was now in his life, that woman, Aurora Vernon.

With a small gasp, Lexton hurriedly put the letter back down. But not on the nightstand, this time he put it into one of the desk drawers. Keeping it safe, as if he didn't want to lose the letter.

Rising from his oversized bed, Lexton checked the time. He had to get out of the room soon, to check on Aurora's whereabouts. They had a lot to talk about, especially about how Aurora had been living.

Lexton was curious, though he had no idea how he should act as a guardian. And how long should he be her guardian?

Not wanting to waste any time, the Alpha was already heading to the bathroom to clean up quickly. He would meet Aurora for a chat, or perhaps to eat breakfast.

It wasn't long before Lexton looked refreshed, and more energized than he had in days. Gama's departure still left a gaping wound, but Aurora's presence would probably ease Lexton's longing for his best friend.

Oliv was ready on the other side of the door, just as the Alpha pulled the doorknob of his room.

"Is she awake?" asked Lexton quickly.

Oliv nodded, already understanding the subject 'she' that their leader was referring to in the context of his sentence.

"Already, sir." Oliv stepped up to follow Lexton's footsteps towards the stairs.

"She's also had breakfast, and is now back in her room," Oliv reported. "Is there anything I should do?"

Lexton descended the stairs at a brisk pace, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Call her to meet me in the study," Lexton ordered. "And tell Mareli to bring me food as usual, I'll wait for Aurora inside."

Oliv slowed her pace, nodding her head to indicate he understood. Pressing the button in his ear, Oliv was connected to Mareli and relayed Lexton's request.

The Alpha had already disappeared behind a door in one of the rooms, when Oliv turned to go around. Climbing back up the stairs to reach Aurora's room, he knocked twice on the door.

Aurora's head poked out from inside, keeping the door from opening too wide.

"Good morning, Miss," Oliv greeted politely. "Mr. Lexton is waiting for you in the study right now, I'll escort you there."

Aurora was silent as she listened to Oliv's words. But she knew that sooner or later she would definitely come face to face with the violent man again, whether she wanted to or not. After all, she also had things to say.

There were still so many questions about Gama that were stuck in his head, even though he still remembered clearly how Gama asked him not to ask about it. But still her curiosity needed answers.

"Okay," she replied. Stepping out to follow Oliv's footsteps, Aurora wrung her fingers restlessly.

Lexton's office was on the ground floor, next to a large room where the organization's fighters usually gathered. Aurora didn't see anyone other than herself and Oliv that morning, even though she had looked all over the room.

Her heart skipped a beat when Oliv opened the door, letting her in now. Stepping slowly, Aurora frowned as she entered the room. Filled with large and tall cupboards, Aurora had no idea what might be behind the cupboard doors.

Slowing down, Aurora found Lexton already sitting on a comfortable-looking sofa, waiting for her with his head held up.

"Have you arrived?" the man greeted.

Aurora nodded silently, keeping her voice choked in her throat.

"Sit here," Lexton requested as he pointed to the sofa in front of her, separated by a transparent glass table.

The young woman complied. Taking her position, she sat directly in front of Lexton now. Raising her head to meet Lexton's gaze, Aurora found the look in his eyes a hundred and eighty degrees different from the one she saw last night.

There was no anger, no malice.

There was silence between them for a few moments, followed by Lexton's dejection later. Aurora took a deep breath, savoring the atmosphere that still felt awkward.

"So, Aurora Vernon..." Lexton's voice echoed throughout the room.

"Yes?"

"Where can we start?"