Love in two worlds

AURELIA’S POV Beth, my secretary, squeals in delight as I walk back into the office. “I can’t believe this is happening! You did it!” She says excitedly as she pulls me in for a hug. “We did it!” I hug her back, beaming. I just escorted out the representative of L’orve fashion magazine after signing a contract. L’orve is one of the biggest photography and fashion magazines in New York, and Fleur Fashion, my startup and my baby, is going to design an entire line for all the models in their next show. This is the biggest deal we have ever gotten, and it is going to give us the biggest exposure, including funds that we need to get a bigger and more functional space. “When do we start?” Beth asks. “Everything is in place so we can start reaching out to suppliers on Monday," I reply. “Today, we are going to celebrate.” As soon as I get back into my office, I twirl around in joy, the soft fabric of my skirt dancing around me. I grab my phone off the table and dial Kate’s number. We met in our first year in NYC, and even though we were in totally different departments and social status, we hit it off right away, and we have been best friends and roommates ever since. She is investing in my business, and she should have been here today, but she had a court case to attend to. Her father is the CEO of a five star hotel in the middle of New York. The call goes through on the fifth ring. “Hey, what’s up?” Her voice sounds through the speaker. “Guess what?” I don’t wait for her to respond. “We got the contract! I squeal. “What?” She sounds confused for a second before it clicks. “Oh my God, that’s great.” “See, I told you it was only a matter of time.” “We have to celebrate! Let’s go to Enzo’s tonight.” “Yeah…” She trails off. “Are you okay?” I ask, concerned. “You sound breathless.” “Yeah, I’m kind of in the middle of something. Give me a minute.” I hear the sound of something moving before she speaks again. “Aurie, I’m sorry, I won’t be able to make it in time, still have a lot of work to do.” “Ohh,” I say. “You should go with Beth, and we can go clubbing tomorrow night.” She adds. “Alright,” I say. “ But you are good, right?” She laughs. “You know me, definitely. See you at home later!” “Bye!” The call goes off immediately. I shake my head, the smile not leaving my face. Kate’s father is the CEO of a five-star hotel, and she is supposed to take over from him, but she puts in all her effort into working as a lawyer; in fact, she enjoys it. That’s one of the many things I love about her. I grab my bag and car keys and walk out of the office. “Beth,” I call out, and she comes out of the designing room. “Yes, ma’am.” “I’m going to have to call a raincheck today. Let’s all grab dinner tomorrow evening. Is that fine?” She beams. “Definitely. Congratulations.” She calls out to me as I head towards the door. “Thanks, Beth.” I dial Theo’s number as soon as I get into my car, but it goes straight to voicemail. That’s strange. I dump my bag in the passenger seat, humming to myself as I pull out of the garage. I stop at the mall to get a celebratory wine and pizza and head uptown to Theo’s house. Theo and I have been together for three years now, and he finally proposed last month. I can say that I am at a point in my life where a lot of good things are happening to me. On a normal day, I would start to get nervous, waiting for something to go wrong, but now I have allowed myself to bask in the joy. I have Kate and Theo, who are currently the most important people in my life. My startup is doing wonderfully well. What more can I ask for? I pull up into my fiancé’s fancy driveway, and I don’t think I can ever get used to being in the middle of so much luxury. He lives in one of the exclusive estates in the city, amongst A-list actors and popular celebrities. I rummage through my bag for the keys as I walk towards the door. “s**t, I forgot it.” I move the packages in my hand, sighing dramatically as I ring the doorbell. I wait for a few seconds, No response. “Come on, Theo,” I mutter under my breath, moving from one foot to the other as I ring the doorbell again. It takes three other rings before the door opens, and Theo peeks out looking as handsome as ever. My eyes immediately go to his naked chest, glistening with sweat, and I stare unabashedly with heated eyes, my lips pulling up in a smirk. Maybe we can have a different kind of celebration. I manage to drag my gaze to meet his eyes. He looks surprised to see me. Not surprised, more like shocked. “Au…Aurelia.” He stammers. “You’re here.” He sounds breathless. I beam completely oblivious, waggling the bottle of champagne in front of him. “I got the contract!” He smiles, his hair falling on his face, that sweet smile that had swept me off my feet on the first date. “Th..that’s great.” He stammers again. My eyebrows scrunch in confusion when he walks out of the house, trying to close the door behind him. He stands in front of me, in his boxers. “Babe, is there a problem?” “What? No, not at all. You should have told me you were coming. Why didn't you call my phone?” He asks question after question, his eyes darting backwards occasionally. My eyes follow his. “What’s wrong?” I ask, my concern growing. “Is someone inside?” “What?” He answers too fast. “No, there’s no one there.” “Theo!” A familiar female voice calls out from inside the house. My breathing stops. I look towards the house, dread growing in my chest. My eyes move to his half-naked body, and then to the door. I see a flash of regret in his eyes.