Chapter 32 Anastasia
RORY POV
“Oh my Anastasia. It’s you!”
What? What is happening? Who is Anastasia?
“I’m sorry, I don’t know you,” I whispered stepping back.
The man beside her opened his mouth, his face a mask of grief and confusion, but he was silenced the moment a heavy hand settled on my waist. The heat of Alexander's palm seeping through the thin silk of my dress made my skin prickle.
"I'm sure your daughter is rolling in her grave at the thought of you not recognizing your own flesh and blood," Alexander said, his voice as smooth and cold as polished marble. He pulled me flush against his side, his grip was possessive.
"Or should I say the amnesia is getting to you, Caroline?"
Amnesia? My heart did a slow, painful roll. So that's what this was. They thought I was someone else-someone they had lost.
"How, Alexander?" the old man asked, his voice was shaking. "What is this? What are you doing?"
"Thomas, Caroline... this is my wife, Aurora. My new wife."
A collective gasp rippled through the ballroom again, sharper this time. The murmurs turned into a frantic buzzing.
"And please," Alexander's voice dropped to a lethal, low growl that silenced the room, "stop with the stupid faces. This is Aurora. My wife.
Treat her as such, or leave."
"I never thought l'd see the day l'd have another sister-in-law," a sharp, feminine voice cut through the tension.
I turned toward the sound. Standing there was the woman l'd seen online-Vivienne Miller. Up close, she was breathtaking. She wore a red mini-dress that clung to her slim frame, showcasing legs that seemed to go on forever. Her hair styled in a perfect bob. Her lips shimmered with red gloss.
She looked perfect.
"My name is Vivienne," she beamed, pulling me into a sudden hug before I could even process her presence. "I'm your husband's sister."
"Don't fucking squeeze her, Viv," Alexander sneered, though his tone lacked the true malice he usually reserved for me.
Vivienne rolled her eyes, stepping back but keeping her hand on my arm. "Old habits die hard, brother. I see you're still a caveman. Don’t worry I won’t be spoiling this one." She turned back to me, her eyes softening slightly.
"You look beautiful, Aurora. Truly."
I felt the heat creep up my neck. I actually blushed. My cheeks went warm and I looked away shyly, I could not remember the last time a compliment had done that to me. Probably because compliments had not been a regular feature of my life. and hearing it from a woman like her felt like a win.
"Thank you," | muttered shyly.
"Can you all stop staring and go back to your drinks?" Vivienne yelled at the room, her voice commanding and loud. Slowly, the guests began to turn away.
Alexander didn't wait for another word. He grabbed my hand and pulled me toward a quieter corner of the ballroom. I used the walk to look at him properly for the first time tonight.
He was wearing a suit as usual but this was the best I had seen on him. Dark and perfectly fitted, his jet black hair styled without a strand out of place. Even with my heels adding inches this man still managed to make me feel small standing next to him. I hadn’t seen him in two days and somehow he had gotten more handsome in that time which felt deeply unfair and that fact irritated me.
“You’re tempting Aurora.”
His voice came low beside my ear.
“H — hi,” My voice was a pathetic, shaky mess.
He said nothing back. He just looked at me — that slow deliberate assessment that started at my face and moved downward without apology, his eyes dark with a hunger that made my knees weak.
He moved closer, crowding me until my chest was pressed against his. His hand drifted to my hair, playing with a stray brunette strand.
He leaned down, his lips ghosting against the shell of my ear. "I'm two seconds away from fucking you in front of every person in this room right now."
The gasp left me before I could stop it.
The bluntness of it, the raw heat in his voice, it made my blood boil. I couldn't look at him, so l stared ahead.
My heart was beating so fast I was genuinely concerned about it. It could get bursted through my corset any moment from now on.
It was insane. Completely insane. The things this man made my body do without touching me properly. I would be lying if I said a part of me didn’t want exactly what he had just described. Not in front of these people obviously. But the idea of it—
For God’s sake Rory. You don’t even like sex.
“People are watching,” I breathed. My voice was barely audible.
He didn’t seem bothered. If anything he looked like the idea of people watching was a mild inconvenience at most.
“There are a lot of dangerous people in this room tonight,” he said quietly, his lips still close to my ear. “People who hate me. I invited them because I wanted them to see you.”
I processed that slowly.
His enemies are here. Are they the ones who kidnapped Liam?
Are they the ones who... killed her? His first wife. Does he want to get me killed too?
“Will they hurt me?” I asked. I couldn’t keep the worry out of my voice.
“No one will touch you,” he said. “I’ll make sure of it tonight.”
For some sick twisted reason I believed him completely.
“One question Aurora,” he said.
“What?”
“Do you know anyone named Anastasia?” His voice was measured and careful. “Have you ever met her?”
That name again. The same name the old woman had sobbed at me across the ballroom. She had called me Anastasia.
Was Anastasia her daughter? And who was Anastasia to Alexander?
“I don’t know who she is,” I told him. “I’ve never met her.”
"We need to talk.” A sharp, masculine voice interrupted us.
I pulled away as Alexander let me go. Standing in front of us was a man who looked like he was about to start a fight. He was handsome-brown hair, a sharp jawline, and deep brown eyes that were currently fixed on Alexander with pure irritation.
“Somebody is moody tonight,” Alexander smirked, his eyes flickering to the newcomer. He turned back to me, his expression hardening into a mask of command. “I’ll be back. Don’t talk to anybody. If anyone asks you strange questions, remain silent. Do you understand?”
I nodded, watching as Alexander and the brown-haired man walked away, their shoulders tense with the weight of something I wasn't allowed to know.
why do I feel like a lot could go wrong tonight?