FROM HATING GAME TO LOVE'S PARADISE

Chapter one Aurora POV “How could you hand over my position and task to Chris blackwell, after all the effort I’ve put into this company!!!!!” I said in a fierce tone trying to control the anger that built up in me “Due to the rivalry between hale and hearts and our competing firm we decided to let him take a lead on” the company executive chairman said “I’ve worked hard, you can’t just do this just like that” I said but the chairman remained cool and expressionless. “Why is no one saying anything!!” I said asiu tried hard not to sob, looking over to the board members but they seemed to have already agreed this in private. “It what best for the company” they said as I sank back into my chair reflecting on my previous years My father Robert hale trained me and from his perspective I couldn’t fail, I have always been the best and tried the best I could, but this , this was the worst. “How would they give my contract to Chris Blackwell,even with the fact that he wasn’t in the meeting !! is it cause of his affluence or what ???” I thought to myself as he was someone who knew how to exploit other people vulnerabilities. “The meeting is over, see you some other time” the chairman said as I made way for the exit As I walked briskly toward my office, distracted by the files in my hand and the weight of the morning, I didn’t see him coming. BAM! We collided hard—his shoulder crashing into mine—and just like that, the hot coffee in his hand spilled all over me. “Aaagh s**t!” I cried out, instinctively stepping back, my eyes stinging from the heat and suddenness. I looked down my white blouse soaked below , brown liquid all over painting me like a clumsy canvas. A few drops dripped down my skirt, and I could feel the warmth crawl into the fabric. And then I looked up. My heart sank. There he was. Chris. Standing right there, towering slightly over me, looking down with that infuriatingly blank expression as if I had spilled the damn coffee on him. I gasped. “Are you serious right now?! Can’t you see what you’ve done to me?” But instead of apologizing or even flinching he calmly looked down at the barely visible stain on his brown coat and then pointed at it like that was the issue. “You’re kidding me,” I scoffed, shaking my head in disbelief. “I’m wearing white, you’re in brown. Look at me! My whole shirt is ruined and you’re pointing at that little dot?” He just shrugged, and without a word, pulled out a thick bundle of cash from his pocket like that was supposed to fix anything. I stepped forward, closing the space between us with a glare so sharp I knew he could feel it. “I don’t need your money you self centered swine!” He clenched his jaw slightly, trying to mask the anger bubbling under his calm exterior. I could see the twitch in his temple, the tight pull of his lips. “Why are you really this angry?” he asked, his voice lower now. “Are you sure this isn’t about more than just coffee?” I scoffed again, folding my arms, still dripping. “Don’t flatter yourself, Chris. Not everything is about you. You’re not that important.” He stood there, jaw tight, his hand still holding the cash. That same annoying calm on his face. Without waiting for another word, I turned and stormed toward my office. My heels clicked hard against the tiled floor, each step echoing my rage. When I reached my door, I didn’t just close it I slammed it shut behind me, loud and final. After what felt like the longest day I’d had in a while, I finally pulled into the driveway, the soft hum of my Mercedes dying down as I cut the engine. My heels slipped off the pedals, and for a moment, I just sat there hands still on the wheel, head tilted back against the leather seat, eyes staring up at the car ceiling like it could give me answers. I stepped out, closing the car door with a soft thud, my heels clicking lightly on the marble floor of the entrance. The night air felt cool against my skin, but it didn’t do much to soothe the heaviness pressing on my chest. “Welcome ma,” the maid said softly as she opened the door. I managed a tired smile. “Thanks… How is Dad?” I asked, setting my bag down gently on the side table by the entrance. She folded her hands politely in front of her apron. “He’s asleep, ma. Took his medicine after dinner.” I nodded slowly, relieved yet burdened. “Okay… can you make me some fries? Something salty. I need it tonight.” “Yes ma, right away.” Without another word, I climbed the staircase quietly, dragging my fingertips along the railing like muscle memory, familiar and grounding. My room greeted me with soft lighting and a faint scent of jasmine comforting, but not enough. I peeled off my jacket and tossed it lazily onto the armchair. The silence was loud. In less than ten minutes, the knock came. “Your fries, ma.” “Come in,” I said gently, turning as she set the tray on the nightstand. A small smile crossed my lips. “Thank you.” “You’re welcome, ma.” She left quietly, closing the door behind her. I sat cross-legged on the bed, picking at the fries without much enthusiasm. The salty crunch gave a small sense of comfort, but my mind was elsewhere spinning. The events of earlier kept replaying like a loop I couldn’t shut off. I stared out the window for a moment. “What the hell am I doing?” I muttered aloud, fingers brushing my temple. The confusion inside me felt like a storm cloud. Every decision I made lately seemed to lead to more questions, more blurred lines. I set the tray aside and walked toward the minibar. I didn’t even hesitate. I poured myself a glass of something strong rum, I think. I didn’t check. Didn’t care. The first sip burned down my throat, and I welcomed it. “I need to get out,” I whispered to myself, voice barely above a breath. And just like that, I moved. Almost instinctively. I peeled off the clothes I had on and headed for the bathroom. The hot water steamed up the glass instantly, washing away some of the tension in my shoulders. I stood there longer than usual, letting the heat press against my skin, grounding me. When I stepped out, towel wrapped around me, I walked to the closet. I wasn’t looking for something comfortable I was looking for armor. My hands landed on the black dress. Sleek, backless, and daring. I slipped it on. The fabric hugged my body like it knew how to. I dabbed a little powder across my cheeks just enough to hide the exhaustion. Then I reached for the red gloss, dragging it slowly over my lips. That red always made me feel like I was in control… even when I wasn’t. The last piece the stilettos. I slipped them on one foot at a time, standing taller as I did. I looked at myself in the mirror for a long second. Bold. Composed. Dressed to kill But behind the red lips and lined lashes was a woman who was tired “I need some fresh air “ I said to the maid before driving out , i could hear loud music from afar as I drove to a halt at a club named “oasis” I stepped down from the cab and into the low lit entrance of the club. The moment the doors swung open, BOOMthe music hit me like a wave. Heavy bass thumped through the floor, vibrating up my legs, while strobe lights painted the room in flashes of red and violet. It smelled like perfume, sweat, and too many choices. I needed this. I needed loud. I needed chaos. I needed to feel anything other than the frustration still burning in my chest. I walked straight to the bar, ignoring the hungry eyes already tracking my hips as I moved. “s*x on the Beach, please!” I called out over the music. The bartender gave me a flirty grin. “Rough day?” “You have no idea,” I muttered. He slid the glass over with a wink, and I took it like a lifeline. The first sip was a tease. The second—liquid comfort. Sweet, sharp, and rebellious. With each gulp, the edge of my anger started to melt into something else. Something wilder. Within minutes, my head floated a little lighter. I slipped off my jacket, let the music slide under my skin, and began to move—slowly at first, my hips swaying in lazy rhythm, eyes half-closed. The beat pulsed through my body, guiding every roll of my waist, every subtle turn of my shoulder. For once, I didn’t care who was watching. But then “Hey, mamacita...” a voice slithered close, and the stench of cheap cologne hit me before his hand tried to do the same. I turned sharply to see a scruffy-looking man with beer breath grinning like he owned the place. His hand moved too close to my waist. SMACK! I slapped him so hard that heads turned. “Get away from me!” I snapped, eyes blazing, He chuckled, unfazed. “C’mon, don’t be like that” “I said don’t touch me!” My voice cut sharp and clear through the music, but he leaned in again.“She said no.”
 A firm, commanding voice sliced through the noise,I froze,That voice,No. I turned around slowly, and there he was Chris!. Chapter two Aurora POV “What are you doing here!” I said out to him after he shunned the other guy away. “What do you mean by that” he scoffed at me as I glared at him from head to toe. “Oh no can’t this guy just let me be” I said to myself. Slow tempo filled the air as we both said nothing but instead sipping our drinks off the glass cup. My body continued moving to the rhythm as he leaned closer to me “May I have this dance with you” he said as I could smell his masculine fragrance, too my eyes up as my eyes met with his rosy lips, I could almost feel the heat between us “How could this same man who pissed me off so much make me feel this way?” I thought to myself “Leave me alone”, I said as I moved to the other corner of the club. I kept on getting more drinks till I felt lightheaded “Hey baby” a particular man said but I shooed him away , another came same way and I was almost tired of shooing them “Yunno, you might keep continue doing that all night long” and there he was again Chris “I can’t let this men roughhandle you just like that” he said as he gently pushed me to himself leaving little to no inches space between us I tried pushing him away, but it was like my body had developed a mind of its own. My palms met his chest, firm and warm beneath the fabric of his shirt, but I didn’t push hard enough. Something inside me hesitated. Faltered. And in that moment, I hated how natural it felt being in his arms. “No,” I told myself, “this is just the drink. I’m dizzy” That’s all. But deep down, I knew I was lying. Because it wasn’t the alcohol making my heartbeat skip like this. It wasn’t the lights or the music or even the heat of the club. It was him. The way he was looking at me like I was the only one who existed in the room. Like I hadn’t just spent weeks pretending I didn’t care. “Just release yourself for me, love,” he murmured, his voice a velvet whisper against the shell of my ear. His words sent a strange ripple through me part warning, part temptation. My breath hitched. “I shouldn’t,” I whispered back, but I didn’t move. I didn’t pull away. Chris leaned in closer, his lips brushing the edge of my cheek. “Finish your glass,” he said, low and smooth. “Just one more sip.” And like a girl obeying her teacher, I lifted the glass and drained it, not breaking eye contact. It felt like a sweet command, like something in me needed to prove I could still follow his lead even if my heart was screaming otherwise. “Good girl,” he said under his breath, his smile wicked but soft. The music shifted again. Slower. Heavier. A sultry rhythm that invited bodies to lean into each other without thinking. And that’s exactly what we did. We moved. Effortlessly. My arms slid around his neck, his hands firm at my waist, guiding me gently. Our hips swayed together, perfectly in sync, the world fading into background noise.I was barely aware of anything but the steady beat and the heat between us. Then I felt it his lips, brushing softly against mine. A feather light touch that made my breath catch. I froze,my eyes flew open in shock “No, no way, was I… kissing Chris?”The same man who made my blood boil just hours ago? The same man who knew exactly how to get under my skin and acted like nothing ever hurt him? That Chris? I didn’t kiss back. I just stood there, completely still, brain screaming a million things at once. I should stop this. I had to stop this. This was a terrible idea. But his lips didn’t move aggressively. He wasn’t trying to take anything. It was like he was waiting. Just waiting for me to decide. And that’s when it hit me. “God… this feels good.” Familiar. Wrong, but still good. That was the part that scared me because this wasn’t supposed to happen. I wasn’t supposed to want this. I wasn’t supposed to feel anything at all.