14
1357 Words
A soft knock interrupted her thoughts.
“Come in.”
The door opened slightly before a young woman peeked inside.
She wore a company ID around her neck and carried a stack of neatly arranged folders.
“Good afternoon, Miss Winters.”
Aurora turned and smiled politely.
“Good afternoon.”
“I’m Emily.”
“I work in the Architecture Department.”
“I was asked to bring these to you.”
She placed the folders neatly on Aurora’s desk.
Aurora glanced at them.
Each one contained information relating to the Skyline Project.
“Thank you.”
Emily smiled.
“If you need anything, my office is just down the hall.”
“I appreciate it.”
Just as Emily reached the door, she hesitated.
“If you don’t mind me saying…”
Aurora looked up.
“Welcome to Vaughn Corporation.”
Aurora smiled warmly.
“Thank you.”
Emily left, quietly closing the door behind her.
Aurora sat down and opened the first folder.
The amount of detail was incredible.
Project timelines.
Structural reports.
Material selections.
Client requirements.
She found herself completely immersed in the documents.
Time slipped by unnoticed.
A gentle knock sounded once again.
This time it was Damien.
“Still working?”
Aurora looked up at the clock on the wall.
It was almost six in the evening.
“I didn’t even realize it was this late.”
Damien smiled knowingly.
“I figured.”
“The first day usually feels that way.”
He glanced at the folders spread across her desk.
“I see you’ve already started.”
Aurora laughed softly.
“I couldn’t help myself.”
“The project looks fascinating.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
He leaned lightly against the doorframe.
“I just came to let you know everyone’s heading home.”
Aurora nodded before carefully organizing the documents into neat piles.
“I should probably do the same.”
She slipped the Skyline Project folder into her handbag before standing.
Together, they walked out of the office.
Employees were already saying their goodbyes as they made their way toward the elevators.
Several greeted Damien respectfully.
Others smiled politely at Aurora.
“The gossip has already died down,” Damien said as they entered the elevator.
Aurora raised an eyebrow.
“Already?”
“It’ll be replaced by something else tomorrow.”
She laughed.
“I suppose that’s office life.”
“It is.”
The elevator descended smoothly toward the lobby.
When the doors opened, the building was noticeably quieter than it had been that morning.
The receptionist smiled the moment she saw Aurora.
“I hope your first day went well, Miss Winters.”
Aurora returned the smile.
“It certainly wasn’t boring.”
The receptionist laughed.
“I’ll bet.”
Damien walked with Aurora toward the revolving doors.
When they stepped outside, the cool evening breeze greeted them.
Damien checked his watch.
“Well…”
“That concludes your official first day.”
Aurora extended her hand.
“Thank you for showing me around.”
He shook it with a smile.
“My pleasure.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
“I’ll be here.”
Damien nodded before heading toward the company parking lot.
Aurora watched him leave before taking out her phone.
A message from Lucas had arrived nearly twenty minutes earlier.
Lucas: Come over when you’re done.
A small smile appeared on her face.
She hadn’t seen him in over a week.
After the day she’d had…
Seeing her best friend sounded like the perfect way to unwind.
She quickly replied.
Aurora: I’m on my way.
A few seconds later…
Her phone buzzed.
Lucas: Good.
That was all.
Aurora laughed to herself.
“Still a man of few words.”
She slipped her phone back into her handbag and headed toward her car.
“Miss Winters.”
She turned.
One of the security guards hurried toward her.
“Mr. Vaughn asked me to give you this before you left.”
Aurora looked surprised.
“For me?”
The guard handed her a small access card.
“It’s your executive access pass.”
“It grants you access to the executive floor and the Skyline Project offices.”
She accepted it.
“Thank you.”
The guard gave a polite nod before returning to his post.
Aurora looked down at the sleek black card in her hand.
She hadn’t expected Cassian to think of something as small as this.
For someone who seemed so cold…
He was surprisingly thorough.
Slipping the card into her handbag, she ordered an uber.
After 5 minutes of wait the driver pulled up and she entered, after entering she used her seat belt then the driver drove to her destination.
The car rolled to a stop in front of the familiar mansion.
Aurora thanked the driver before stepping out.
She smiled faintly as she walked toward the entrance.
After everything that had happened today, spending the evening with Lucas sounded exactly like what she needed.
She pressed the doorbell.
A few moments later, the door opened.
“Good evening, Miss Aurora.”
The housekeeper smiled warmly.
“Good evening, Martha.”
“Master Lucas is in the living room.”
“Thank you.”
Aurora stepped inside.
The house felt as welcoming as always.
She slipped off her heels near the entrance before making her way toward the living room.
“Lucas?”
No answer.
She rounded the corner
and stopped.
Her brows knitted together.
Sitting comfortably on the sofa, a cup of coffee in one hand, was Cassian.
He slowly looked up.
Their eyes met.
Silence settled between them.
Aurora was the first to speak.
“…Mr. Vaughn?”
Cassian’s expression remained unreadable.
“I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”
Aurora let out a small breath.
“I could say the same.”
His gaze lingered on her for a moment.
“What brings you here?”
“I came to see”
Before she could finish
A pair of familiar arms wrapped around her waist from behind.
Aurora smiled without thinking.
Lucas rested his chin lightly against her shoulder.
“I’m glad you came.”
She let out a soft laugh.
“I told you I would.”
“I know.”
His voice was calm, almost lazy.
“I just hadn’t properly introduced you two.”
He slowly released her before standing beside her, one hand slipping into his pocket.
He nodded toward Cassian.
“Cassian.”
“This is Aurora.”
“My best friend.”
Then he looked at Aurora.
“And Aurora…”
“My cousin.”
Aurora turned to look at Lucas.
“…Your cousin?”
Lucas nodded once.
“Mm.”
“You told me you accepted the offer at Vaughn Corporation.”
“I forgot to mention he owns it.”
Aurora stared at him in disbelief before laughing.
“You forgot your cousin is my boss?”
“I forgot.”
“You make forgetting sound so easy.”
“It usually is.”
Aurora shook her head, unable to hide her smile.
“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with you.”
Lucas shrugged carelessly.
“You’ll figure something out.”
Across the room, Cassian remained silent.
His eyes moved from Aurora…
To Lucas.
Then to the place where Lucas had wrapped his arms around her only moments ago.
She hadn’t flinched.
She hadn’t looked uncomfortable.
Instead…
She had smiled.
It was effortless.
Natural.
As if it was something that happened often.
His grip on the coffee cup tightened almost imperceptibly.
The warmth in his expression disappeared.
His face settled into its usual cold indifference.
Lucas, completely oblivious to the subtle change in his cousin’s demeanor, glanced toward the dining room.
“Dinner should be ready.”
He looked back at Aurora.
“Come on.”
Aurora nodded before taking a step forward.
As she walked past Cassian, she could feel his gaze follow her.
She resisted the urge to look back.
For some reason…
The room suddenly felt much smaller than it had a few moments ago.
- Writer
