Chapter 42

Aurora shouted through the intercom, "Don't let him come up!"

The lecherous old lady at the reception asked, "Are you sure about that, young lady?"

Aurora promptly replied, "Of course I am! I don't want to see that snitch even if he were covered in gold!"

After the warning, she went to the kitchen to try and prepare a snack, as Adelaide wasn't home and hadn't left anything prepared for lunch. She searched the pantry for something edible and easy to make, opting for pasta, and then went in search of a suitable pot.

"And never reject my entry again!" Aurora startled at Kai's deep voice, who had just entered the kitchen.

"I think everyone thinks this is a free-for-all and that they can come in whenever they please!!!" Aurora replied, irritated. "I don't want to talk to you!" the redhead affirmed.

"Are you cooking?" Kai changed the subject, looking at the pot she was holding. "What miracle is this?"

"Don't try to change the subject! Get out of here right now! Shoo!" Aurora retorted.

"I'm not a little dog to take orders from you!" he approached and took the pot from her hand. "What were you going to do?"

"Pasta," Aurora answered.

"Let me do it," Kai said. She opened her mouth to retort, but hunger overpowered her pride. She leaned against the counter, watching Kai fill the pot with water and place it on the stove. "Are you mad at me?"

"Why would I be? Because you didn't consider talking to me before going after Adelaide?"

"I acted on impulse. I was tired of seeing you lying to Adelaide while she was tearing her hair out with worry," explained Kai, calmly, which somehow made her even more irritated.

"You didn't even give me a chance to explain myself! Didn't you think that maybe I wanted to be the one to tell her everything?"

"I know I messed up. Like I said, it was an impulsive act."

"Yeah, but now it's done!" Irritated, she left the kitchen and went to the living room, sat on the couch, and turned on the TV to a random channel to calm down.

Minutes passed, and she was feeling calmer when Kai sat down beside her and placed a plate of pasta on the coffee table. She was a bit surprised; he had prepared the snack even after their argument, and was even more taken aback by his next words.

"I'm sorry," Kai said.

"What?! Are you apologizing to me?"

"It's kinda hard for me to do, so don't make it difficult."

He hated admitting he was wrong as much as he hated showing that he had developed an affection for the sisters, even though he was a very stubbornly proud person. They liked him a lot.

"I accept your apology. And thank you very much for this," Aurora replied, referring to the pasta.

"I couldn't let you set the apartment on fire, so..." he shrugged, and she playfully tapped his arm. "And to make it up to you, I'll help you make amends with Adelaide."

She couldn't help but smile and hugged him in gratitude, knowing that Kai isn't very familiar with such affectionate gestures.

Making amends with Adelaide is proving to be difficult, as she's still deeply hurt by being deceived for so long. Trust isn't something easily gained. It can be compared to a tall building; it takes time to build, and if it collapses, it's very difficult to rebuild.

***

Adelaide exclaimed and turned away, returning to chopping vegetables on the wooden cutting board.

"You have to give her a vote of confidence!" Kai insisted.

"Kai, now is not a good time to discuss this! We're at work!" she was embarrassed by the stares of her coworkers, but the man didn't care.

"What do you plan to do? Ignore her for the rest of your life?" he questioned.

She huffed and turned around, locking eyes with Kai's dark gaze.

"I don't know what I'm going to do! I'm still very hurt by what she did to me!"

"And she's hurt by what you're doing!" Kai retorted.

"Why don't you stop judging me for a minute and try to put yourself in my shoes?!"

"And why don't you try to put yourself in hers?" the girl fell silent. "I understand your reasons for acting this way, but don't forget that you're not the only one hurt in this story! Aurora fell in love, lied, and is suffering the consequences of her own actions, but you, as her only family, should try to understand her and stand by her side!"

Adelaide sighed thoughtfully, and for the first time, she thought about her actions and tried to put herself in her sister's shoes, understand her feelings, her thoughts, and her motivations for doing everything she did.

"And so?" Kai was hopeful.

"A vote of confidence... yes... let's try it!"

***

Aurora was studying on her bed, focused as she chewed on the pen cap. She looked at the door after hearing soft knocks.

"Can I come in?"

She was stunned for a moment, almost not believing that Adelaide was actually speaking to her and looking at her normally.

"Yes."

She entered and crossed her arms, looking at the magazines and cutouts scattered on the mattress.

"What's all this?"

"A college assignment."

"I'm sorry for interrupting, but what I came to say is quick," Adelaide said, sitting on the edge of the bed, serious. "Griffin invited me to have dinner at Mr. Callahan's house tomorrow, and... I wanted you to come with me."

Aurora looked at Adelaide with a mix of surprise and happiness. Was this a vote of confidence? Whether it was or not, she wouldn't waste that opportunity.

"I'll go!" she smiled softly.

"Dinner will be at eight," Adelaide informed, getting up. "I'll let you study now. Good night."

"Good night." the sister left the room, leaving behind a very happy young woman.

***

In the office, Tristan was seated in his leather chair with his usual mood. It was a beautiful morning, and he was working, avoiding spending too much time at home because it was filled with memories he wanted to forget. It wasn't an exaggeration; there was a specific memory of Aurora in every room.

"Maybe having sex in every room wasn't such a great idea!" he thought.

He wanted to forget that girl appeared in his life, because he couldn't have her, and his body still desired her. Due to this desire, he wasn't satisfying himself with other women. He lost his appetite. What was this? Why was he acting so strangely?

Time. That's what he needed. As some say, "time is the best medicine."

"Excuse me, Mr. Tristan," Genevieve entered the office, pulling the man from his reverie.

"Yes?"

"Everyone is waiting for you in the conference room."

"Right. I'm coming." Genevieve was about to leave, but stopped when she was called. "Genevieve... I need you to buy a bouquet of flowers."

"A bouquet of flowers?" confused by the request, but didn't question it. "Sure. I'll arrange that right away!"

***

The afternoon was sunny, the wind rustled the trees, dropping the green leaves that scattered on the ground and the tombstones of that almost deserted cemetery, if not for the young man dressed in black who held a beautiful bouquet of white flowers.

The day was very beautiful, unlike Tristan's interior, dark, cold, and empty. Not even a glimmer of light was found within him, as if living an endless tragedy.

He crouched down, brushing aside leaf by leaf from the tombstone, then placed the bouquet of flowers on the grave and stood up, hands in the pockets of his heavy coat, silently gazing at the name and date engraved on the stone. The day Tristan was born and also the day of his mother's passing.

He never had the opportunity to know her. He only knew stories that the servants told him when he was a child. Nevertheless, he felt a sadness in knowing that, for him to come into the world, an incredible woman had to depart.

***

"We're here!" Griffin parked the car in front of the mansion where he lived and grew up.

The three got out of the car and walked along the stone path that led to the double front door. Griffin pressed the doorbell.

"What's Mr. Callahan like?"

"It's kind of hard to find words to describe him," Griffin said, thoughtful.

Aurora didn't understand what he meant and didn't ask again. She preferred to wait and draw her own conclusions. She pictured a short, chubby, bald man.

The doors opened, revealing a smiling figure dressed in a black blazer.

Her eyes widened when she saw the male figure. Mr. Callahan was nothing like she imagined. He wasn't short; his height was average with broad shoulders. He wasn't chubby; he was slim and muscular. He wasn't bald; he had long, platinum-dyed hair. He was the kind of man who made mothers sigh.

"Good evening. Please, come in!" he made way, and everyone entered, with Aurora not taking her eyes off him for a second.

"Dad, this is my girlfriend, Adelaide."

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Mr. Callahan," the girl smiled sweetly.

"Likewise, miss," he smiled at her and then turned to the other young woman. "And what about you?"

"She is my sister, Aurora."

"It's a pleasure to meet you!" Aurora forced a polite smile.

After the introductions, Mr. Callahan led them to the dining room. It was a spacious place with a large table and comfortable chairs. They settled in and began to savor the food prepared by the staff. The dinner lasted an hour, which was summarized in numerous conversations, laughter, and interactions.

It was inevitable not to think about Tristan, who had also lived there. She imagined how he looked as a child and then noticed a small table in the corner with some picture frames. There were children in some photos, but none of them resembled Mr. Arrogant.

The two lovebirds excused themselves, and Griffin wanted to show his beloved the beautiful flower garden and the greenhouse they had behind the house, while Aurora remained with Mr. Callahan.

"Who is she?" Aurora asked without thinking as her eyes landed on a portrait of a woman.

"My late wife."

"Oh... my condolences," the redhead felt embarrassed for touching on such a delicate subject. "She was very beautiful."

"Yes, she was," he sighed. "Unfortunately, she died when giving birth to my youngest son."

She was paralyzed, staring at Mr. Callahan's face, which had no expression. The atmosphere, which had been so pleasant before, was now tense.

"Tristan..."

The man clenched his jaw, angry just at hearing his son's name.

"Since he was born, this kid has been causing me problems!"

"He is not troublesome!" the girl ended up getting agitated.

"Of course he is! He never listens to me!"

"How do you expect respect from him when all his life you've only blamed him for something he's not at fault for?"

"Are you insinuating that it's my fault that Tristan is like this?!"

"I'm not insinuating anything, I'm asserting it! The blame is yours for not giving love to your son when he needed it most! He grew up with these accusations and without affection, he lived without love... that's why he's like this today!"

"How dare you come to my house and speak to me in this tone?!" he shouted.

"What's happening here?!" the couple returned to the scene, alarmed by the raised voices that could be heard from outside.

"She's saying that I'm to blame for Tristan being an incompetent!" Mr. Callahan said, pointing at her.

"So incompetent that he's now the owner of your company, isn't he?" Aurora smiled ironically, which was the last straw for Mr. Callahan.

"That's enough! Get out of my house right now, you brat!"

"Brat?!" the redhead stood up, offended and ready to retort, but Adelaide was quicker and said:

"Please, do as he instructed."

Aurora stared at her. Only then did she realize what she had done. She had ruined the dinner, spoiled the chance of reconciling with her sister. She lowered her gaze, feeling guilty for what she had done.

"Alright, I'm leaving... but before that, let me show you who the brat is!" She grabbed the wine glass and threw the entire contents in Mr. Callahan's face, causing him to close his eyes. Then, she stormed out with strong strides, the sound of her heels echoing. If she was to feel guilty, let it be for throwing wine at that despicable man!

On the subway, she was so lost in her thoughts that she nearly missed her stop. Upon arriving home, she sank into the depths of her bed and, alone in a peaceful silence, could reflect a bit.

Mr. Callahan loved his wife very much, but as soon as Tristan was born, bringing about her death, the man lost his sanity. He felt life lose its colors and, as a result, he harbored a deep hatred for Tristan. Despite sharing the same blood, he couldn't see him as a son. Every time he looked at him, he was reminded of the scene of his wife's last breath.

Years of accusations had turned him into a cold being who doesn't know what love is, but understands hate and sorrow.

"I feel sad for what happened to him, and I'm even more saddened by the person he has become." She thought.