Chapter 30

It was already night, and the neighborhood square was simply magnificent. Illuminated by the colorful lights of the twinkling bulbs, the benches were personalized with red ribbons, and tables with red tablecloths and chairs were arranged for the neighbors to settle in. In one corner, an even larger table was filled with food and drinks. The place was filled with joy and camaraderie.

Amidst all the excitement, Klaus and Lucca hid in a bush, looking at the people around with the help of binoculars.

"Did you find Alex?" Lucca asked without looking at his friend.

"Not yet... but I found something else," Klaus said, smirking mischievously as he used the magnified view to observe a woman not far from the bush.

Lucca looked in the same direction Klaus was looking and then pulled the binoculars away from his face, flicking his friend's forehead.

"Focus on the mission!"

Meanwhile, Aurora walked back and forth, greeting all her neighbors with great joy, even those she didn't particularly like. They responded to the charming woman's smile and wave.

She wore a flared red knee-length dress with a modest neckline and black high-heeled shoes. Her makeup was simple, but her slightly reddish lips were striking and luxurious.

Observing her surroundings, Aurora saw so many beautiful and magical moments among family members that she felt the urge to take countless photos. She tried to do it with her phone but wasn't quite satisfied with the results. Determined not to let that bother her, she set out to find her friends.

"Where did they go?" she asked herself, stopping in the middle of the square.

She took her phone again, about to call Klaus when she spotted him behind a bush with Lucca.

"What on earth are they doing there?" she wondered silently, chuckling softly as she noticed they were arguing.

Aurora went over to both of them, and they immediately stopped their dispute. She saw the binoculars in their hands and quickly understood what was going on.

"Are you still following Alex?"

"I said we wouldn't stop until we find out the truth," Klaus said, getting up along with Lucca.

"And you've been doing this all day?"

"Unfortunately," Lucca said, brushing off the bush leaves that were stuck to his coat. "We saw him enter his house; he must be getting ready for the party."

"How long ago was that?"

"Half an hour," Lucca sighed, receiving a disapproving look from Klaus.

"Men also take time to get ready! It takes me about three hours to wash my hair."

"Three hours?!" Lucca said, incredulous.

"Of course! I have to wash, condition, blow-dry, use hair serum... I'm a model. I have to take care of myself," the short aggressive guy seemed to be in his own world, not understanding anything about that conversation.

Aurora's phone started ringing. She picked up the device and gave a half-smile when she saw who was calling.

She walked quickly toward an empty bench, a little away from where most people were, and sat down to finally answer the call. "Hi, Tristan."

"I want you to come to my house," he said simply, causing the girl's smile to disappear.

It was as if an eraser had passed over her brain and soul, erasing much of her joy and replacing it with millions of curses she wanted to say to the man who wanted to take away that special moment from her.

"Not in a million years, Mr. Arrogant!" she grumbled irritably. "Did you forget that today is Christmas Eve?"

"So what?" he asked casually.

"And so, this is the opportunity for everyone to come together, to be with the people they care about to celebrate. I know it violates the terms of our agreement, but..."

"Special occasions are not exceptions in our agreement," he interrupted, making that very clear. The young woman sighed, regretting not thinking properly when they were discussing the conditions.

"Can't you go without sex just for today? There's a thing called masturbation..." She stopped herself when she saw a couple with three children passing by, giving her a dirty look. She smiled awkwardly and quickly lowered her head, blushing.

"What were you saying?" he asked with a hint of irony, guessing what had happened.

"Please," she pleaded, using the nickname she only used during their sexual encounters. "I wouldn't be asking if it wasn't important."

He remained silent for a while, and she only knew the call hadn't ended because she could still hear his calm breathing.

"Fine... alright," he sighed, surrendering to the girl's charms.

"Thank you, Mr. Arrogant!" she said with a happy tone in her voice. "I hope you enjoy Christmas with your family!" she said, ending the call.

The young woman got up and headed toward the busier part of the square. To her surprise, she saw her three friends sitting together at a table: Alex, Klaus, and Lucca. She smiled, making a gesture to go there, but her wrist was pulled, causing her to turn and see the brown-haired girl with swollen eyes from crying.

"Why are you crying?" she asked, concerned.

"Alex broke up with me."

***

Tristan left his phone on the coffee table and sat in an armchair in the corner of the living room. "Family?" he thought about the word Aurora had mentioned.

He had relatives, but he didn't care to see them, and even if he wanted to, he wouldn't be welcome because he was considered the black sheep. So, he would spend Christmas Eve night in his mansion, accompanied by a bottle of whiskey.

He drank without haste, not even finishing half of the bottle. He was sober, with his usual cold and unwavering expression. His eyes were fixed on some distant point, oblivious to what was happening around him, lost in his thoughts that kept returning to that girl, the same one who called him Mr. Arrogant.

Suddenly, he became restless. Why couldn't he get her out of his head? Why did he want her by his side?

Tristan told himself he was fine alone, that he didn't need anyone, but that night he felt empty, and his heart dared to call out only one name. But why? Why did he insist on wanting to see her?

He stood up, agitated by those unanswered questions. Walking through the mansion's corridors, Tristan entered his room and went to the nightstand. He opened the top drawer and took out the photograph, sitting on the bed to admire the image in his hands, reminiscing about that night.

It was the first time he took Aurora to the club. She ended up drinking too much, and he had to take care of her. After leaving her peacefully asleep in her bed, he took the photographic camera from her bag. Out of curiosity, he took a picture of the sleeping girl. Soon after seeing the result, Tristan didn't want to delete the photo. He couldn't leave it saved for Aurora to see the next day and delete it. So he went to his upstairs office and developed that photograph.

It was hard to admit, but he was alone, felt alone, and perhaps the only person he wanted by his side was Aurora. He would never admit it, but she was his favorite company.

***

Sitting at a table away from where the boys were, Aurora looked at Rose in front of her, who drank another glass of alcohol. Then she left it empty on the table along with other glasses she had already drunk.

"Are you satisfied now?" Aurora said, resting her elbow on the table and her chin in her hand.

"I feel better," Rose said, wiping the few tears with her shirt sleeve.

"So..." seeing that she was sensitive, Aurora tried to be cautious with what she was going to say. "What happened between you two?"

"A week ago, Alex and I met at a diner. I thought it was just another date, but I realized I was wrong when he said he didn't want to continue our relationship," Rose let more tears fall.

It was a strange situation for Aurora, who had feelings for Alex for a long time. Not that she was happy about their breakup, she had already moved on and now saw Alex as a friend. She didn't have much affinity with Rose, but she knew that if they talked more, they could be great friends.

"What happened next?" Aurora asked.

"I gave him some time. I thought he didn't really want to break up, I thought he was going through a difficult time... or I just didn't want to believe that was the end," she lowered her gaze. "Today we met again, I had hope that he had given up on this idea, but no. He remained firm with his decision." A silence settled between them. Aurora wanted to say something that could console her, but she wasn't the best person to give advice. "I want more drinks."

"No, you don't. You've already had too much, and it won't solve anything."

"Look who's talking," Rose said, ignoring the warning from the young woman. The brunette got up and immediately felt dizzy, having to lean on the table to avoid falling.

"Calm down, drunk girl!" Aurora stood up, helping the brunette to stand upright. "Come on, I'll take you to my house."

Aurora was exhausted as she carried her brunette friend, Rose, to her apartment building. She had never imagined that task would be so difficult, and the situation worsened due to her friend's drunken state. Rose, who had always been so proper, was now succumbing to a devastating drinking spree due to a broken heart. Aurora didn't judge her; she understood her suffering perfectly.

Upon entering the apartment, Rose shouted vehemently, "He's a scoundrel!"

With her ears hurting from her friend's high-pitched screams, Aurora calmly replied, "I know, I know..."

Rose then poured out her disappointment, "Alex only has a handsome face, but deep down, he's a heartless rogue." Aurora helped Rose to sit on the living room couch.

Concerned about her friend's state, Aurora squatted in front of her and suggested, "You need a cold shower!" Aurora didn't want to abandon Rose, but she also didn't want to spend Christmas taking care of a drunk person.

With a pout on her face, Rose refused, "I don't want to! I want more drinks... and I want Alex."

"For God's sake," Aurora expressed her impatience, massaging her temples. But before she could react, she was surprised by the brunette's hands, which pulled her shoulders, forcing her to look into Rose's eyes.

"Do you know the worst part of it all?" Rose spoke sincerely, "I can't stop liking Alex. He's so perfect. What did I do wrong?"

"Stop it," Aurora tried to pull away, uncomfortable with their close proximity, but it was in vain. "Don't invent imperfections in yourself. You're not to blame for the breakup, neither is he. It just wasn't meant to be."

Rose agreed, sighing, not diverting her gaze from Aurora's eyes. "You're right. I have to let go of him... his eyes, his nose, his mouth, his smile..."

Aurora noticed that the brunette was looking at her in a strange way and thought that the drunk's incoherent imagination made her see Alex in front of her instead of Aurora.

Before she could avoid it, Rose unexpectedly kissed her. Aurora, startled, quickly pushed her away, causing Rose to fall back onto the couch. The young woman was stunned, trying to process what had just happened when the sound of the creaking door caught her attention. Looking to the side, she saw Alex, surprised and open-mouthed at the scene he witnessed.

Meanwhile, in the square, Klaus walked alongside Lucca, chatting about random subjects while they waited to meet their other friends. However, their eyes were drawn to a luxurious black car that stopped in front of a building. It wasn't just them; practically everyone in the square stopped to see who got out of the car.

Lucca exclaimed in surprise, "My God! It's Tristan Callahan..."

Klaus, indifferent, asked, "So what?"

Lucca, with his hand on his heart, replied, "It's not normal to see such an important man like him walking the streets of our neighborhood."

"He must have come after Aurora," Klaus casually suggested, but the comment shocked Lucca.

"Why would he do that?" Lucca asked incredulously.

"Because..." Klaus stopped, remembering his promise to keep silent. "I can't say."

Lucca didn't believe him. "Aurora knows that Tristan is like an idol to me, and I admire him a lot. She would tell me if she knew him."

While the two chatted in the square, Tristan was in the elevator, anxious to reach Aurora's apartment floor. He wasn't thinking clearly, nor did he exactly know what he was doing, but he felt an inexplicable restlessness that compelled him to see her, even if from afar.

The doors opened automatically, and the first thing Tristan saw was a flower vase being hurled from one of the apartments, hitting the door of the neighbor across the hall. The object shattered, and the shards scattered across the corridor.

Hearing a girl's voice shouting, "Get out of here, you scoundrel!" at first, Tristan didn't pay much attention, thinking it was just another couple's quarrel. However, his interest heightened when he realized that the commotion was happening in Aurora's apartment.

He quickened his pace, approaching the open door, and saw more shards of glass scattered in the living room. In the corner, a brunette girl was red with anger, while Aurora confronted a man.

Aurora, desperate to contain the commotion, pleaded, "Please, leave. She's not in the best state of mind."

Agreeing with the young woman, Alex acknowledged that Rose was drunk and hot-headed, which wasn't the appropriate time for a serious conversation. With that, he turned to leave but stopped abruptly when he came face-to-face with Tristan standing at the door.

And when Aurora thought the situation couldn't get any worse, there it was happening. Alex and Tristan, face to face, staring at each other with clenched jaws. She stood still, not knowing what to say or how to act, feeling that she shouldn't interrupt that exchange of glances.

Tristan broke the silence: "Long time no see, Alex."

Alex responded with calculated coldness: "Same here, cousin."