Chapter 55

Aurora kept staring at him while he was smiling sinisterly. "You look beautiful in red…"

She tried to recall what precisely happened last night. The images were blurry but as she pressured her mind she recalled some of the things, like making a bet with Emily and then one after another all the memories hit her mind.

She finally relaxed now that she knew that nothing happened between them physically. But then her cheeks tinged in embarrassment over the way she behaved with him last night.

Liam sharpened his eyes and grabbed her waist softly pulling her closer to himself. He tipped his chin up and made her look at him.

"Why are you punishing both of us, baby girl? I am getting tired of this game you are playing. Till when will you deny this attraction between us?" He asked in his smooth seductive voice which made Aurora's toes curl in excitement.

She gulped and searched his eyes, trying to see a glimpse of his true emotion and she didn't like what she witnessed in them. Triumph!

She could see the mocking victory in them. She didn't like it, not wanting to hurt herself she stepped away from him a little. "I am not denying or accepting anything."

His wild side wanted to jerk some sense into her but he forced a smile to his lips. "It seems that I have to put more effort to coax you, Sweetheart," his silky voice made her stomach flip in shyness.

She gulped, crossing her hands to her chest she raised her chin and asked. "If there is nothing urgent you want to talk about then I would like to leave and continue my work, Liam."

Liam rested his hand on her shoulder and pulled her closer. He was about to say something but his phone started ringing. Aurora took advantage of it and stepped back from his hold. Her heart was in a turmoil of its own.

At this moment she didn't know what to do. "I am going to my cabin, Liam." She said and walked out of his office with a question she had no answer for and the question was, 'What does she want?'

Liam on the other hand didn't stop her because the call was from Ralph, not waiting for a single second more he accepted the call.

"Ralph..."

"The meeting with Italians is fixed. This Monday, the head of Italians will meet you in Dallas," Ralph informed him.

Liam nodded. "Ralph, any news about the cartel boss. What's Ethan doing?"

"No news, it's a close-knit strategy and only Thomas knows about it."

"Dammit to hell!" He raked his hands to his hair and exhaled deeply in frustration. "I know you don't need to hear this but Your time is running short, brother. Work your magic fast on your girl or things will get bloody soon."

Liam gritted his jaw, "dig further on that masked man and try to find out about Ethan's plan on Juan. I want the details and I want them fast," saying that he ended the call.

"What else do you want, Aurora...what more do you want?" He whispered under his breath in annoyance.

On the other hand, Aurora was sitting on her chair with a silly smile on her face. It's been hours and she still couldn't get Liam's voice out of her head. The way he questioned her about punishing both of them. She put her hand on her heart and found it beating in a fast rhythm.

"What are you feeling, Aurora? You planned to make him feel the same way you felt when he lied to you. You planned to punish him for the way he treated you on that island then why are you behaving like a lovesick puppy."

The thought scared her to the core. She stood up abruptly and walked towards the window of her cabin.

"I am feeling alone, once again, Mom," she whispered, touching her necklace and looking at the sky. "I miss you in moments like these…"

At that time she heard a knock on the door and turned around. Susan was standing there with a pizza carton in her hand. "May I come in, Mrs Knight?"

Aurora shook her head. "I didn't tell you this to mock me and since when you started asking, Susie."

Susan entered and closed the door. "I bought your favourite," she settled on the chair. Aurora joined Susan and opened the carton box, the sight of her favourite mushroom Pizza greeted her eyes and without waiting she pulled a piece of it.

"You look sad…" Susan commented while pulling a piece of pizza herself.

Aurora raised her gaze, "I am not sad…"

"Don't lie to me, I know you…"

"...since we were in kindergarten, I know that, Susan," Aurora shook her head lightly and added. "How can you always see behind my smile?"

Susan chuckled, putting the pizza slice back and patting her hand she said, "because I love you. Now, spill the beans. Why is your mood off?"

"I am confused about stuff."

Susan raised her brows at the statement. "What stuff are you talking about because as far as I can feel it has nothing to do with work or is it?"

"You are right, it's not about work but…" Aurora closed her eyes for a second to courage before admitting it to her best friend.

"It's about Liam. I don't know what I feel for him, Susan. I mean I am confused about him," suddenly everything she has bottled inside her burst out from her in front of Susan.

"How can I feel good with him? That man is nothing but an overconfident owl. He thinks the sun rises out of his as*. If he says it's the day it's a day even if it is a bloody night…"

Susan sat straight, crossed her hands to her chest to assess her friend's emotions.

"I mean how can I feel good when he calls me Mrs Knight which once used to irritate me to the soul. I used to hate him, right? Then how come I like him now? I want to get angry when he calls me in his office to discuss designs when he knows that they are not ready yet and imagine what we do in his office?"

Susan brows perked up in interest. "What?" She asked.

Aurora shook his head. "We do anything but discuss that bloody design for which he called me. He always tries to pursue me to be his girlfriend, no. Not a girlfriend, he wants me to marry him! I mean I sometimes think that he is forcing himself to charm me because if it had been up to him he would have married me at gunpoint till now."

Aurora inhaled sharply and glanced at Susan who had an amusing look on her face. "Why the hell are you smiling?"

She shrugged, "oh nothing, just after such a long time you clobbered like your old self so I was kind of enjoying it."

Aurora frowned. "Here, I am sharing my problems with you and you are enjoying it."

Susan rested her hand on Aurora's softly, "yes, because I don't see any problem here, Aurora. All I see is you are falling for Liam and that man is trying damn hard to make you fall for him. Damn! He sounds like a very persistent man."

Susan tipped Aurora's chin to make her lookup. "What I don't understand is why are you stopping yourself from taking the next step. Why? You like him, Aurora and if you want to know him more personally nothing is stopping you from having a relationship with him. Just go and tell him that you accepted his proposal and want to date him too."

Aurora stood up abruptly and once again went to the window. Tears pooled in her eyes, "have you forgotten about Gabe? How could I start a new relationship with Liam when Gabe is…"

"Oh, for God sake, will you stop singing that Gabriel song again? It's been one and a half months and he still has not called you right? And if I am not wrong you don't want him anymore in your life, you took off his ring a month ago, Aurora. You have moved on from him, a long time back and I don't understand why you are even thinking about him. You have ended the relationship with him…"

Aurora turned. "Because I feel guilty! I feel guilty about breaking it off with him. A relationship is about two people Susan, it was not only me in that relationship we started it together then how come I can end it alone. If anything he deserves to know that I broke it off with him. Yes, I took the ring off my finger and at that time it felt as if I had my freedom back but then this guilt started engulfing me. I tried hard not to think about him but every time this little voice in me reminds me of him. I feel as if I am cheating on him with Liam."

Susan was stunned hearing why Aurora was thinking. "Aurora," she gulped down her emotions before speaking. "I know but was it two people in your relationship? I don't think so, because it was always about Gabriel. What Gabriel likes, what he doesn't like. He asked you to stop wearing short clothes, you stopped wearing them. You even ate what he wanted you to eat. It was his choice every time. You were nowhere Aurora. Nowhere! And once again you are not taking a step further in your future because of him. Because you feel guilty of not telling him that you love him anymore."

Aurora closed her eyes, a few tears rolled down her cheek. "I don't want to be tagged as a cheater by anyone, Susan. I don't want him to think of me as a cheater."

"Will you stop being so harsh on yourself for once Aurora? Do you even know what cheating means? No, I don't think you do, let me tell you what cheating means. Cheating is when a pregnant wife catches her husband fucking his secretary on the office table. And that man doesn't give a damn that his wife saw him doing that. That pregnant wife ran out of the office in horror and pain and while running she lost her balance and fell down the stairs. That's what cheating is? That woman loved that man madly but that man didn't care about her love. He was a bloody sex addict who felt gross with his wife's fat body amd he cheated on her…"

"Isn't it the same thing! I don't want to be in your father's shoes, Susan. I don't want someone to hate me the same way you hate your father. Yes, I want to move on from Gabe, I really do but...but not before telling him the truth of my feelings. I can't move on before he knows that I broke our engagement."

"Then tell him. What's stopping you?"

Aurora closed her eyes. "My guilt is stopping me, Susan. I don't have the guts to tell him how I started to feel for him but more than that I fear telling him about Liam," I admitted.

"Don't do this to yourself Aurora. Please don't do this. Move on, please. He will find someone else…"

Aurora shook he read lightly, tears rolling down her cheeks. She recalled the moments she shared with Liam on the island. How his touch used to excite her, how he called her Mrs Knight all the time and she let him do it and even now she let him do it. At that time she was in a relationship with Gabriel, still, she was getting attracted to Liam, it didn't matter whether she did it consciously or subconsciously.

Her mind accused her of being a cheater and she couldn't stop this feeling.

Susan went near Aurora and hugged her from the side and Aurora leaned into her arms, her shoulders shaking lightly. Today she took off the burden of her thoughts out in the air.

She admitted what she was feeling for a long time in her heart but was not ready to accept it.

"I know you don't want to hurt him but he is not worth your tears. Why do you think I always hated him? Money was never the question behind my hatred but he was forcing his life on you Aurora and you accepted everything he threw at you like a bestowed fool," Susan kissed the crown of Aurora's hair.

"Aurora, you loved him unconditionally but he didn't and I understand what you are feeling but trust me you are not cheating on him. You know what, just tell him what you feel. Meet him and then embrace Liam wholeheartedly, please."

Aurora raised her eyes to meet her friend's. "You like Liam?"

Susan shrugged. " I don't dislike him but yeah! He seems more genuine than Gabe. He didn't put restrictions on you, he is possessive of you but not in a bad way or so I think. But I truly want you to try Liam."

Aurora chuckled. "Try, Liam. You know that he is not a dress or a cup of cake I would be trying. He is Liam Knight, a man who is larger than life."

"And that's the kind of man you deserve. A man who is larger than life."

Aurora nodded. "I will call Gabe tonight and ask to meet him."

"Call?" Susan gulped recalling how she sabotaged the settings on her cell phone. She even made sure he would not be able to contact her in any way.

Aurora nodded once again. She never liked when Susan tried to interfere in her life, there have been many occasions, she and Susan had fights over this issue. She loves Susan but she wants to make her own decisions. She told her the same and Susan respected it. Tonight she decided to be with Susan while she made the phone call to meet Gabe.