Chapter 5: Restoring Her Face
1112 Words
At the Rose Hotel.
"What do you want to do!"
In the room, Aurora Hartwell crossed her arms over her chest, eyeing the man in front of her with a wary look.
"We had an agreement that you wouldn't touch me during our marriage!"
"Darius, I brought you here to heal your face," Darius explained, squatting down with a tone of gentle reassurance.
As he spoke, he reached out, attempting to lift Aurora's veil.
"Don't!" Aurora panicked, quickly standing up to dodge.
But she was too slow.
The veil fell, revealing her scarred face once again to Darius.
"Don't look! I'm ugly..."
Aurora hurriedly covered her face with her hands, wishing she could hide away in shame.
Although she always presented herself as a decisive CEO, what woman doesn't care about her appearance?
Her disfigured face was her most vulnerable spot, the source of countless nights of tears.
"You just want to laugh at me, right? Well, look, are you happy now?"
Aurora thought Darius was seizing the opportunity to humiliate and mock her in retaliation for the ridicule from her relatives.
Seeing her with tears streaming down her face yet trying to stay strong, Darius could no longer control his compassion.
He stepped forward abruptly and enveloped the trembling Aurora in his arms.
"Aurora, no matter how you look, in my eyes, you are always the most beautiful woman in the world. I, Darius, swear to treat you well for a lifetime. From now on, even if the sky falls, I will hold it up for you."
Feeling his warm chest, Aurora's body trembled, her mind in a daze.
Darius's strong assurances washed away all her doubts and fears.
If only she had met him sooner, perhaps everything would have been different...
Seeing Aurora calm down, Darius let her go and helped her lie down on the bed.
He then took out a specially prepared ointment from his pocket and carefully applied it to her face.
"What is this?" Aurora asked, her eyes tightly shut, her voice betraying her unease.
Darius wrapped her face with gauze.
"This is a secret ointment I've made. Trust me, Aurora, just two hours, and I promise your face will be healed."
Her last bit of anxiety vanished with his gentle voice.
Two hours later.
"Darius, can I take off the gauze now?"
Standing in front of the mirror, Aurora's voice trembled with nervousness.
For the past two hours, she had felt a burning sensation on her face, almost unbearable.
If it weren't for Darius's constant presence, soothing her fears with his words, she might not have been able to endure.
Most importantly, their hands had been clasped together the entire time.
"Yes, you can," Darius said softly, gently removing the gauze from Aurora's face.
The moment she opened her eyes, Aurora froze.
The woman in the mirror had a nearly perfect face: fair skin, rosy cheeks, and beautiful features, like a fairy descended to earth.
"Is this really my face?" Touching her face, Aurora still couldn't believe it.
After three years of living in ridicule and waking up from nightmares in tears, the nightmare that had accompanied her for so long was gone.
Overwhelmed with emotion, Aurora threw herself into Darius's arms, crying loudly.
"Aurora, you've suffered these three years," Darius held her tightly, promising solemnly, "But don't worry, I won't let you get hurt ever again."
"Really?"
Aurora looked up at Darius through tear-filled eyes.
"How can you guarantee that?" looking vulnerably charming, Aurora queried.
Darius simply smiled, pulled out a bullet from his pocket, and placed it in her hand.
"This bullet was left behind by a comrade who took a bullet for me. I've kept it with me all these years, treasuring it like nothing else. Now, I'm giving it to you."
"From now on, you're the most precious thing in my life!"
Hearing Darius's vow, Aurora's heart fluttered once more.
She pressed her lips together and carefully stored the bullet away.
"Darius, how come your medical skills are so remarkable?" Aurora inquired.
"All you need to know is that I'm a military medic. That's enough," Darius replied with a smile, opting not to elaborate further.
Once, Darius was Dravonia's supreme warrior, leading 3,000 of the IronVeil troops to victories.
During a mission, his close friend Ethan Fairfax took a bullet for him and ultimately died due to delayed medical treatment.
This event remained a perpetual ache in Darius's heart, driving him to study under the Needle King of Dravonia, mastering the art of medicine.
Now back in Silverpine City, besides repaying Aurora, Darius's other mission was to deliver Ethan's ashes back to his family.
Understanding Darius's reluctance to delve deeper, Aurora did not press further.
"Wait a moment!"
Suddenly, as if remembering something important, Aurora sat up straight in Darius's embrace.
"If you could heal my face, then Grandpa's improvement must also be your doing, right?" "That Chris must be a fraud!"
Realizing she had wrongly accused Darius, Aurora was anxious to expose Chris's true nature immediately.
Glancing at her phone, she suggested, "Darius, my parents asked me to go to The Golden Galleon. Come with me!"
Just as Darius was about to follow, his phone rang with an unknown number. "Hello, who is this?"
"Is this Mr. Blackwood?"
A female voice, soft and alluring, came through.
"Let me introduce myself. I'm Isabella Fairfax, CEO of BlueOcean Enterprises, and Ethan Fairfax's sister."
"I heard you have something of my brother to pass on to me. Can we meet?"
"Ethan's sister?" Darius's gaze sharpened. "Where should we meet?"
"The Golden Galleon, third floor, Velvet Twilight."
...
Soon, they arrived at The Golden Galleon.
Despite her restored beauty, Aurora instinctively wore her black veil, worried her transformation might be too shocking for her parents to accept immediately.
Entering the private dining room on the first floor with Darius, they found it already crowded.
Not only were Aurora's parents there, but Evelyn Hartwell and Christopher White were present as well.
Gregory Hartwell's initially cheerful expression darkened upon seeing Darius.
He scolded discontentedly, "Aurora, why did you bring him here? This is ridiculous!"
"Dad, it's just an extra pair of utensils, no big deal! Don't make it hard for Aurora," Christopher said, feigning concern.
"Probably someone heard about the delicious food at The Golden Galleon and insisted on coming along," he insinuated.
"No need to bother," Darius interjected upon seeing a waiter preparing extra utensils.
"I'm also here to have dinner with Isabella Fairfax, the CEO of BlueOcean Enterprises. I need to meet her at Velvet Twilight."
Upon his remark, the room burst into laughter, almost as if the ceiling would lift from the uproar.
- Writer
