Breakfast was usually an excruciating task for her, she had to sit through minutes of long talk and watching other eat the interesting food while she got the bland ones.

Aurora had never gotten the chance to eat sweets or any of those meals advertised on TV, from the moment she clocked ten when her mother decided that her only child was going to become a ballet prodigy, those privileges were taken away from her.


Her diet was watched strictly, she wasn't allowed to gain even an inch nor was she supposed to get thinner. Her mother's expectations was that she maintained that perfect weight or the supermodel weight as she called it.

Aurora thought everything was bullshit though but she'd never complained. She ate what she was given and rejected was she was not supposed to eat.

At least, that was how her life had gone until him.


She blinked at the small piece of steak sitting on her plate, it looked juicy and smelled even juicer. She was practically salivating by now and her stomach begged for her to have just a bite,

"Are you going to eat that eventually or..." The voice had her head snapping up, her eyes falling on the large man sitting at the head of the table.


He motioned to her untouched plate, "You look like you're deciding whether to swallow the whole plate or to throw it across the room."

Chandler Stone smiled, a dazzling gesture that was almost blinding even to her own eyes. When her mother told her that Aunt Christy was marrying a big shot, she hadn't expected it to be a multi-billionaire business mogul.

She hadn't expected him to be like this. When she envisioned the man, she thought he would be like those haughty, high and mighty wealthy man with a scathing tongue and with a little more hair. Instead, she was introduced to a man whose smile could put the sun to shame, he was nice without being intruding and had an aura that made you relax. His kind brown eyes reflected a lot about his personality and the way he stared at her aunt made her certain that he truly loved her.

Aurora coughed awkwardly, grabbing the cutleries from the table and cutting a small piece from the meat.

"Did you check in with your mom before having that slice?" Evan cut in before she could raise the fork to her mouth. Her eyes met his and he arched a brow, "I don't think she would approve of you having that bite."

The whole table went silent and her eyes wandered around. Aunty Christy had a grimace in her face, Elizabeth looked like she wanted nothing more than to get out of her and Chandler?

Well, he was looking at her very, very closely. Probably to see her reaction.

Her eyes fell on the small piece she'd sliced off and her throat seized. There was no way her mother would find out about this, except Evan told on her and she had no doubt that the jerkface would.

So, with a begrudging sigh, she dropped the fork back on the plate and pushed the China away from her. "I think I'm full, I'll just go for a walk now-"

"How old are you?" Chandler suddenly asked, cutting her off, "Aurora is your name, right?"

She nervously licked her lips, "Yes and I'm twenty-two, sir."

He nodded slowly, "Twenty-two, which means you can now make decisions for yourself."

"Honey," Aunt Christy cut in softly, placing a palm on his hand and shaking her head.

He smiled gently and blinked in a reassuring manner. When he turned back to her, Aurora felt like digging a hole in the ground and disappearing underneath,

"Why are you letting your mother choose what you should or should not eat? You should learn how to make decisions for yourself, Aurora," He sighed softly and dropped his fork, the small sound catching the attention of Elizabeth, "I can tell that you're unhappy, you want to eat steak yet you cannot because of the imposition on you by your parent which is wrong."

He paused and then turned to Evan, pinning him with a glare, "And you?" He shook his head disappointedly, "Is that how you treat family? By threatening them even when you know that they're helpless?"

"I don't..." Evan trailed off, suddenly looking embarrassed.

Aurora felt a warm touch on her hand and she raised her head, Chandler had a small encouraging smile on his mouth,

"Eat what you want to eat. Do what you want to do. After all, this life is just once, don't you want to live it doing the things that you want and love?"

For a brief moment, Ryan flashed in her head and a soft gasp escaped her mouth. She jumped to her feet, retracting her hand from his,

"I-I'm sorry," She muttered, throwing the napkin on her lap to the table and sprinting away from the dining room. She rushed into the nearest bathroom and locked the door behind her.

When she neared the sink, she turned the tap open and placed her hand under the rushing water. It felt cool to the touch and she splashed some on her face. She looked back at the mirror, blinking at her reflection.

Emerald eyes stared back at her and she sighed softly, her fiery hair was styled into a messy bun, some strands had escaped, curling in front of her face. She remembered how much she hated the colour of her hair when she was younger and how she always wanted to dye it into something darker. Being a ginger wasn't easy, her skin was extremely sensitive to the sun and she had to take extra care of her curls,

It went worse when Matt admitted that he couldn't ever date redheaded girls because he simply didn't like them. It made her detest her hair colour even more.

But then she met Ryan. Ryan who told her that her hair was the most beautiful thing that he had ever seen. Ryan who looked at her like she was a jewel that put other gems to shame. Ryan who brought different food for her just because he didn't know which one he would like.

She took a tendril between her fingers and rubbed it gently, it felt like silk in her hold and another sigh escaped her mouth.

Do what you want to do. Chandler's words echoed in her ears and she shut her eyes.

The truth was, ever since their encounter yesterday she couldn't stop thinking about it. Last night, it kept her tossing and turning on the bed, debating if she should go or not.

This wasn't part of their agreement, their relationship was simply sexual, nothing else. He was a stand-in until she managed to get Matt to notice her.

Yet, why did her heart flutter whenever she thought of him and why was he always appearing on her mind?

Do what you want to do. The statement re-echoed and her eyes flew open.

It was easy for him to say it, he wasn't in her shoes. There were too many risks involved, especially since Evan was around and snooping. She didn't want to give him even more avenue to taunt and threaten her.

But the bigger question was; what did she want to do?