Chapter 181 MARLOISE MERCER...
MARLOISE MERCER.
AURORA’S POINT OF VIEW
‘Marloise….babe…..” Kai’s voice was hoarse for some reason, as if they were held together by torn, worn strings that could give out. His eyes were molten and filled with something unreadable. For a second, I was sure his grip on my hand tightened the second he uttered the name.
I furrowed my brows…not sure if he was…
“Remember what I told you three weeks ago, about my mother and what she means to me?” he smiled, the move easy but….I could swear it looked forced. “Her name was Marloise….not Catherine.”
KAI’S POINT OF VIEW.
Seven years… seven years since I uttered that name….seven years since that name brought me the hell I now live in.
I could feel the ebbs of nausea clinging to my throat each second after I mentioned her name. I wamgted to hurl, but I had to rein it in. I felt Silas’ stare hot on the side of my face, but I did not give him a moment to question my action. I focused on my fiancé…..Aurora, my heart pounding with each second we maintained eye contact.
She was beautiful…too fucking beautiful. But too pure….I could not dare taint her with me….never. However, it might be too late, because I have brought her into my world. And everything I touch turns dark.
I saw it the second I mentioned that name….that darned, poison of a name. Silas visibly flinched for a second that passed by too quickly, the effect of what she;d donw to both of us still too raw to forget.
“Kai.” He uttered my name once, but I did not dare look away from Aurora. If I did, I would see my mother’s face again,…and I might punch Silas for it.
He knew what it meant to me, whichw as why he asked the question. I should have known he would do it, but I swore to myself;
‘he should be a bit human… after all that happened, he needed to be. I was wrong,…so fucking wrong. Yet again, I realized, the only people who could truly care for me were my brothers….Lucien, Cassian, Ace, and Theo…no one else could matter.
The first time I saw Aurora, she’d snuck into the elite's library. I’d caught sight of a dark mop of hair, so I followed it. Next thing I saw after the hair was the uniform. I knew at once that she did not belong there.
She’d tiptoed so fast, I was sure she was not human. For the first time in my life, I went after someone, my feet moving faster as she did, and not stopping until I saw her right at the……erotica collection. That was when I saw her face.
The moment those green eyes entered my field of vision, I was sure a tempest had arrived. She was so fucking beautiful. I hated the color green; my mother loved it and had the same shade of green as her eyes.
However, for the first time in my life, I loved green…and it was because of Aurroa. I stood there, not even noting how many hours had passed. I made sure to keep everyone away from there, only watching as she read through each book, each pamphlet, until the skies turned dark.
I did not stop there either. I went after her the moment she left, making sure to follow her with my car until she arrived at what I suspect was her house.
That led to an unspoken tradition I followed religiously for three months.
I would watch as she tiptoe into the elite library, a spot I later made sure to keep cleared so she could be comfortable. I would stand where, my eyes on her as we read together, I’d read the art of war, while she;d read her eroticas. Then, I’d follow her wherever she was headed, not stopping until she was at that run-down house of hers.
When Morgan, the girl I only kept around because of my father’s chess plans, told me they were related, I saw a window of opportunity I could not let slip by. All I had to do was trust that Morgan’s selfish, whorish ways would click in, and I could sweep in.
So Lucien and the guys assisted me. We placed Toby in her line of vision, and she fell for the bait. Once she knew he was Aurora’s boyfriend, her envy took control.
All I had to do was stake my claim, play the part, and get Silas off my darn back.
“Yes…I remember, baby.” Aurora blinked, catching my drift. She turned to Silas, that mask slipping back in place as she chuckled awkwardly, acting all shy. “I must have been so flustered….you know, Kai made me promise never to tell anyone about it.
We all know how much his mother means to him.” I froze, the smile freezing up. Silas did too. I turned to Aurora, watching her go off. “A mother's love is the most precious, and I am sure Kai received all of it…which is why he is such a gentleman to me.” She even blushed.
I turned to see that Silas was staring at me. His eyes were full of shock…and that gleam I recognized all too well.
For a second, the silence hit again. Everyone paused, waiting for him to speak. But all I could think, all I could see, all I could see, smell, sense….was her….Marloise and Aurora, two faces blurring into one until that red mist appeared again.
“Haha!” The sound of Silas’ laughter brought me back. “I must say, this is quite excellent.” He clapped his hands, rising to his feet. Turning to Armando, he held his hand out;
“It seems we will be family afterall, Armando.” He shook the man’s hand firmly before rounding the table to hug a shocked Aurora.
“Welcome to the family, dear.” He kissed her cheeks.
“What?! No!” Denise and Morgan yelled at the same time. “This is a mistake.” Morgan stomped her feet like a child, her mother following the action, showing me where she got it.
“How could you pick that over my perfect daughter?!” Denise hissed, but Silas didn’t look at them even once. He only patted me on the back and walked out, his secretary following behind him.
“Well……it would seem we are to be in-laws.”