Aurelia: The Exquisite Rose With Thorns

Do you want me to stop?

　　The room dimly lit as Aurelia struggled to maintain her balance, her movements unsteady and clumsy. The flickering light from a lone lamp cast shadows across the walls, adding to the eerie atmosphere. Her breaths were shallow, her heart racing as she attempted to steady herself, her arms outstretched for support. Despite her efforts, she continued to sway, her vision blurred and her mind hazy. Her cheeks were red, making it seem like she had just applied a heavy layer of rouge. The heat was rising in her body, and she was starting to feel flustered. Her thoughts were all jumbled up, and she couldn't think straight, entirely overwhelmed by the intense sensations coursing through her.

　　 As the dress became increasingly uncomfortable, she decided to remove it. She struggled to maintain her balance and stumbled, but her determination to remove the clothing never wavered. With a final effort, she freed herself from the confining garment and felt relief. Her mind foggy and unfocused, she failed to register her surroundings or note whose room she had wandered into. A complex web of emotions filled her mind and thoughts that left her unable to concentrate on anything else.

　　She staggered and tried to remove her limited-edition high heels. As she tried removing the second heel, Heart racing, she stood frozen for a second as a cold male voice pierced through the silence. "Didn't I tell you to get out? Why are you still here?" The agent sent shivers down her spine. "Go back and tell whoever sent you I will hunt them down hereafter." The words hung in the air like a threat, leaving her wondering what danger she had stumbled into. His voice was strained and filled with anguish, but above all, it was seething with wrath. She couldn't help but wonder who he was referring to, considering she was never present during the events he described.

　　Aurelia did not have the luxury of dwelling on that thought as another wave of discomfort hit her. The drug was too potent, and the impact of it was too much for her to bear. As she turned around, she was shocked. The voice belonged to the same man she had bumped into earlier. She said, “Please help me, no-one send me to you. I saw the door open and came in to hide. I couldn't let that awful adulterous couple catch me.”

　　Nate saw her face clearly when she turned around. He fancied her, but he didn't want to lose his self-control and take her, not like this. She deserves better. He studied her face as he pondered on what she had said. She had a pretty face, her features exquisite, and her lips were a cherry blossom shade. Her stunning bright blue eyes seemed to hold an entire galaxy. Her face was flushing unusually. She looked cute and highly alluring. Her bra barely covered anything he could see through her milky skin. She had a tiny waist, a curvy body, and long, slender legs. She was the epitome of beauty.

　　 Nate started thinking of a way to send her out without endangering her, but before he could speak, she was already in front of him. With arms around his neck, she tried to kiss him but failed, and he was a head taller than her. He figured she was drugged, too, but her embrace made his mind go wild. Her fragrance was enticing. He felt the urge to possess her grow more robust. If not for his remarkable control, he might have taken her.

　　“Woman, are you trying to test my patience? How am I supposed to control myself when you are throwing yourself at me with nothing but your lace panties?” In front of her naked body, Nate was losing control fast. “Please put on your clothes and leave this room right now,” he said in a rigid voice, but she ignored him and started using her hand to roam all over his naked chest. She looked at him with those wide, soulful eyes and said, “Help me this once today. I will marry you instead of that traitor tomorrow since it's my wedding day. If you help me now, I will be yours. I am pretty; even though I might be adopted, I won't let you lose out.”

　　She sounded sorrowful, making his heart hurt for her. What had she gone through? She was good earlier on. Even though his mind was clouded, he still told her to wait and went to the adjourned room. After 3 minutes, he came back with a document. He said, “Sign here before we do anything.” Nate had heard her when she said she was supposed to marry someone else, so he wanted to claim her as his own before she changed her mind. That's why he made her sign the document. He handed it to her with a pen while saying, “I printed this as proof you will be only mine from now on, and I am yours. Think this through because once I have decided on you, I can never have another woman nor let you be with another man. I don't share what's mine, Babe. If you disagree, then we can both suffer tonight.”

Aurelia didn't register anything he had said. She only knew she wanted the discomfort to end. So she jumped on him and managed to kiss him this time. Her actions caught Nate off guard, and he loved the sweetness of her lips, but the rational part of him made him pull away. With clenched teeth, he said, “Sign first.” Frustrated, Aurelia took the document and sighed, then bounced on him again. This time, he didn't push her away and gave in to his desires. The kiss was messy, making it obvious it was her first. The thought excited him.

　　He carried her to the bed and laid her down. Sparks flew through her body like waves the moment their lips connected. She felt like her whole body exploded. In Nate’s case, he felt all his self-control fly away as her soft body touched his, and she wrapped her tiny arms around his broad shoulders. Her jasmine scent hit him, making his body heated. He couldn't help but deepen the kiss. Her plump, soft lips were addicting, making him urgently move his. He sucked on her lips as his hands moved to unclasp Aurelia’s bra.

　　After a while, Aurelia also started moving her lips in sync with his. She kissed him back with equal passion. She gasped as his hand slipped into her panties. He moved his lips on her and started leaving butterfly kisses from her neck downwards. She let out soft moans whenever Nate bit on her skin at the same time his other hand was playing with her soft, sensitive breast. She let out a whimper when he suddenly stopped. “Do you want me to stop?” He asked in his deep Husky voice. She groaned with frustration before pulling him down for another kiss. They played around in bed till dawn, and they finally slept

　　When Aurelia woke up, she was alone on the vast bed, and she felt exhausted. She reached for the nightstand for her phone out of habit, only to be startled. The sleepiness from earlier on vanished, making her sit up abruptly. She ached all over, and she noticed she wasn't in her bedroom. The room she was in was messy. On the floor, there was her dress and a towel. She glimpsed at her body and froze, and that's when it hit her: yesterday’s events. Tears streamed down her dull face as she remembered everything. The pain in her heart was agonizing.

　　Sitting on the comfy bed in a daze, Aurelia felt her heart going cold. Her eyes turned red with anger and frustration. How did her life turn out like this? Was she adopted? Did her aunt kill her mother? Did she get backstabbed by her cousin and the man she loved for two years? But what did she do wrong? Did she deserve all these misfortunes? To top it all, her most precious innocence, which she had kept even from Jordan, was now gone, and she had given it to a man she didn't know even his name.

　　What was she to do now? Aurelia knew she couldn't stay here, and those people wouldn't hesitate to kill her to keep her mouth shut. She had to run; she knew it was cowardice, but that was her only chance at survival. Aurelia gathered her strength, got off the bed and struggled to move to her dress. She ignored the excruciating pain and discomfort she felt. After putting on her clothes, Aurelia noticed a written note on the stand. She took it, and it read, [I'm genuinely sorry I had an emergency, but I will take full responsibility. Please wait for me to be back. N.K.]

　　She felt her heart stir, and she knew he meant it. Yesterday, she saw the amount of passion and care he had for her. He treated her like a treasure, but she wasn't good enough for him or anyone else. She didn't want to burden him and vowed to leave and forget their night of passion and the man altogether. She took the note and wrote, [Yesterday was a mistake. Please forget about it and move on. Don’t look for me, and I hope we never meet again.] She felt a pang in her heart, but she ignored it. Leaving is for the best, she said, trying to convince herself.

　　She couldn't find her phone so she just left the hotel with a sad look. She ensured no one saw her and hailed a cab, giving an address. It was to an old friend of hers. She asked the cab driver if she could use his phone to contact someone, and he reluctantly gave it to her. She dialed a number. She had to admit that having a photographic memory paid off at times like these.

　　 The phone rang once without being answered. The second dial Ram received at the third ring, the voice coming through was an annoyed male saying, “Who has the nerve to call me this early? If the call didn't go through the first time, don't you know you should stop calling? Do you have manners? You better have a good reason for disturbing my precious sleep or trust me. I will beat you up to a pulp and bury you six feet under.” Ram kept whining randomly.

　　Although the person on the other end kept cursing her nonstop, she wasn't irked by this because she knew the lad was lazy and would rather spend more time sleeping than doing anything other than being with friends. To put it bluntly, he had no friends. Aurelia only replied after he had finished his ramping, “It looks like you have forgotten who your ancestor is. I haven't taught you a lesson in a long while; your tail has grown.”

　　There was a momentary pause on the other side before the man's goosebumps started rising on his back. He was terrified, and he thought he was the one going six feet under now. He cursed himself for his short temper. He quickly composed himself and prepared to butter her up. He stuttered, “G-Gem, so-sorry. I was kidding, hahaha. How can I get annoyed by you?” Aurelia ignored him and said, “I need help, and I’m coming over; come out with some cash and wait for me outside.” Upon hearing her gentle voice, Ramon heaved a sigh of relief. Better she isn't offended because this seemingly peaceful girl is too scary when she's mad, he thought.

　　Once upon a time, he had tried to steal from her, thinking she was just a wealthy young woman, but he was beaten up so badly by her. When their leader found out, he immediately wanted to meet her. The rest of the gang looked down on her at first, thinking she was a meek and weak young heiress to have wandered to this part of town, which no one in their right mind would come, but they soon found out they were overestimating themselves. She wasn't weak, and she was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. From then on, Aurelia became one of them, giving them gifts and money for survival so they could stop committing crimes. She taught them a lot of things. When their godfather visited, he had taken a liking to her and offered to take her as his apprentice. She had refused then because she still had to act as the Mayers family heiress. It was indeed a bunch of bittersweet memories.

　　Ramon couldn't help but shiver when he thought of how he nearly offended her. He thanked the heavens for his near-death escape. After two hours, they met, and she explained her predicament to him. Together, they quickly get a hold of the documents with different identities. With a disguise on, they left Ranford City.