017
1361 Words
AURELIA
I pulled the helmet off, handing it over to Tony. “Thank you for bringing me back home.”
“My pleasure, heiress,” his lips curved slightly. “If anything goes wrong, make sure to give me a call. I’ll leave whatever I'm doing and come running to you.”
A snicker left my lips. “Well, I guess.”
“Have a nice night,” he waved before riding off.
As I turned to enter the house, I felt a presence behind me. I knew it from his cologne. Theron.
I sighed, turning to face him. “Don’t dream of entering this house tonight. If you want to meet Mireya, let her come down to you. Your era of being family friends or whatever is over.”
“We were never family friends, to begin with,” he said flatly.
I scoffed. Was he drawing lines already? Good. Having no attachments would simply make it easier to squash him in the future.
“Right. Since we are lower than the Draix. Even in class, there is class, you know. And in your definition of class, we are probably at the bottom.”
“I don’t see you that way—”
“Or maybe you don’t even see me at all,” the words left my lips before I could control them. The words of a wretched, stupid, bent-almost broken in love woman. Me.
Theron stared at me, his hands fisted by his side.
“I didn’t sleep with Mireya. I just wanted you to know that,” he said and turned to leave.
“You expect me to believe that?” I asked. “When I was in love with you, Theron, I knew the thoughts I had. And no matter how hard I tried to stop them, they still seeped in sometimes. Because that’s what romance is. So if you think I would believe that bullshit, think again.”
“This is precisely why I'm telling you, because I don't want you to get the wrong idea. Nothing happened between her and me.”
“No, everything happened,” I marched towards, closing the gap between us. “You dated Mireya and pretended to love me because she asked you to—”
“That was a mistake,” he said.
“You did everything she said. Buying flowers, taking me on dates, was I that insignificant to you, Theron?’
“That was not because Mireya said—”
“I don’t want to hear it,” I raised my hand. “I don’t just want to see you again. You never come home during weekdays, don’t start it now.” I walked towards the door.
“I don’t intend to stop,” Theron said behind me. “You have chased me for seventeen years, Aurelia.”
I didn’t turn. “And so?”
“Just stay right there.”
I froze.
“No, move further. Push me away all you want. I’ll be the one chasing you now.”
The sound of the gates moving told me he had already left. My hands rolled into tight fists.
“How strange…you never know how important something is until you lose it.”
I gulped, pushing the door open just to see everyone staring at me from the living room. Mom, Dad, Mireya…Madam Camila is standing at the dining threshold. Amongst the four of them, only two worried about their faces. Mireya and Madam Camila. The former was a chronic liar and pretender.
I closed the door behind me, stepping in fully.
“Did you see the ruckus you caused today?” My father asked.
No, how are you doing? Were you injured? No. He was bothered more about the ruckus I caused.
“How is that my fault? The elevator had an issue. I almost lost my life,” I muttered.
“But you didn’t, and now everyone is saying someone is trying to murder you in Hales Food,” he shot.
“So it would have been better if I were dead?” I raised my brows. My father cleared his throat, looking away.
“Dad!” I shot, walking to his front. “Tell me right now, would it have been better if I had died in that elevator instead of being rescued?”
“Your father is just saying that there were disadvantages and advantages at the same time,” my mother said calmly. “People are saying you were almost murdered—”
‘Isn’t that true?” I smirked, turning to stare at Mireya. “Thousands of dollars were spent fixing those elevators, yet on the second day I resumed, one of them got spoiled. If I were good parents, I would think it was a murder plot too.”
“You are overreacting. Things happen.”
“Yes, things that might lead to death,” I said sharply, before walking past them to the staircase.
“At least Theron came in time to help you,” my father said.
“I didn’t ask him to,” I gritted my teeth.
“The nation is recognizing you. The sudden second daughter from the Hales group who won the heart of Theron Draix. They are wondering if you are dating. I was thinking we should release a tabloid that confirms—”
“You would do no such thing,” I turned immediately. “This is my life, dating Theron or not, is my business,s not yours. No tabloid should be released concerning this.”
I took a step forward, “However, I would like to correct the other tabloids. Not the second daughter but the first daughter. I was here before Mireya, wasn’t I?”
Shock spread through mom’s face. “Aure. Aurelia, how dare you—”
I banged my door shut, blocking their voices away.
Without taking off my clothes, I threw my shoes into a corner and walked into the bathroom, turning the shower on. The water hit my skin like raindrops, and the air around felt suffocating. I couldn’t breathe…I just couldn’t breathe.
My fingers tightened around my clothes as I tried to rip them off, to no avail.
‘I just hope we can still be sisters till the end. With no reason to fight. Cause I truly love you, Aure… and I don't want to hurt you.’
Mireya’s voice rang in my head. She doesn’t want to hurt me, and yet she did. She threw a knife as soon as she had the chance. How could I be so sure she wouldn’t try to kill me in this house? There was no place I was truly free from her…none.
I pressed the shower button, and the water stopped. Drops fell from my hair, hitting the ground.
To fight, my life had to be safe first.
I grabbed my travelling box and walked into my wardrobe, throwing my clothes into it.
“Miss, what on earth are you doing?” Madam Camila shot behind me as she stepped in.
“Help me pack up, Madam Camila. There’s no place for me here,” I muttered.
“Your parents are just annoyed. They didn’t really mean that, you know how they react when anything affects the company, don’t you?”
“I know for a fact that they meant it. Until I truly lose my life before they regret it,” I whispered. It happened in the past; it could repeat itself.
“All you have to do is show them that you are capable of winning their trust,” she said.
“I will win it. From afar. My capability will be sighted miles away, not in this home.”
“If you are so choked tonight, maybe you should just sleep in Sir Theron’s house?” she suggested.
His words played in my head. ‘Push me away all you want. I’ll be the one chasing you now.’
Fine. Chase me all you want. But I would move further away, until you get to the ends of the earth.
“No, Madam Camila. I’m leaving tonight. And Theron must not find out about this.”
- Writer
