Chapter 2 (The shock)

Time seemed to stand still. The only thing I was seeing was that green eyes, those green eyes that always held so much emotion for me now looked cold and detached.

He has always been handsome, but now, he looks more handsome. Nothing much has changed, just the way his skin now glows and glints in richness. His chiseled features seemed to have sharpened with time. The angular lines of his jaw were now more defined, framing his face in a way that accentuated his piercing gaze. His pointed nose and full pink lips added to his perfection, making him almost breathtakingly handsome.

A hard lump appeared in my throat as I tried to swallow the shock. My heart drummed harder, causing my breathing to come out in pants.

Jaxson... my eyes were yet to believe it. He was a mere poor orphan who worked in a courtyard years ago, so how could he be a CEO? Not just any CEO, but of Pierce's Group, a company run by the grandson of Leonard Pierce. Did this mean Jax was his grandson? My mind was reeling with thoughts, and I felt like I had been splashed with a cold bucket of water. Goosebumps covered my skin, and everything seemed like a nightmare.

Did he lie to me years ago?

Because how.... how, I mean how come he's the CEO?

I wanted to turn and run away, but my legs were glued to the ground. I wanted the ground to open and swallow me up, but nothing was happening, just my trembling body. Those green eyes trailed from my head to toe and then to the file on his desk. He gave the file a glance and spoke up again, his voice deep and authoritative.

"So, Miss... Ahmed, Aurora Avery..."

Really?

My brows furrowed in a frown. Didn't he remember me? The name alone was supposed to strike a chord. Or was he pretending? My heart twitched at the thought.

Or maybe because of the surname? I had to change to my mother's family name after the incident.

"Don't you know your surname?" He snapped. His eyes locked onto mine again, piercing and intense, as if sizing me up. I felt a shiver run down my spine as I began to speak, trying to compose myself in the face of his unnerving gaze.

"B...Brooks. Aurora Avery Brooks," I replied, biting my bottom lip to stop the tears and pain from tearing me apart. He scowled. "I hate working with shrimps. Ugly, unfit, unlearned people. They prickle my skin." He cursed in a low tone, loud enough for me to hear. Liam swallowed and shifted uncomfortably, giving me a weary glance.

My heart was still racing. I wasn't expecting him to run into my arms or feel excited upon seeing me again, not after what happened five years ago. I had messed up, and I knew it but it wasn't internally my fault. I did what I had to do, I was left with no option.

Although somehow my heart wishes he did. He gave me another look, and I knew I looked worse than when we were dating, he doesn't need to say it out loud. I had lost a lot of weight, and I looked... broke.

Worst, someone that life seems to be dealing so hard with. Well, it's actually dealing with me.

"I'm sure you saw how professional and clean other employees look," he said, his nose scrunched up as if my appearance disgusted him. I nodded, fighting my anxiety.

"Good. Pierce Group is not meant for low-class migrants. This is a big company." He stopped and sat on his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. Those cold gazes were now fully on me, and my toes curled up, shaking.

"...you don't fit in here, Miss Aurora," he said, sizing me up again, his face cold and frightening. "You don't fit in here, but all thanks to your CV. But don't wear these rags here again. This is not a thrift store bazaar. We dress professionally here. Next time, make sure you're dressed accordingly."

His words stung, and I felt a flush rise to my cheeks as I glanced down at my outfit. It wasn't that bad, though nothing close to luxury.

I didn't know if he was intentionally hurting me, but it hurt deeply. I should have turned and run away, but I needed this job more than anything. I needed to save my mother, pay off Dex and take good care of Aria, our daughter who he has no idea about. So, I swallowed down the humiliation and nodded.

But that wasn't satisfactory to him. "Stop nodding like a toad and speak. We don't run a disabled factory here!"

"T...Okay, Jax."

"Jax?" He cocked those perfectly curved brows.

"I mean, Mr. Gray," I corrected myself instantly, recalling how Liam had addressed him earlier.

Jax hissed, looking displeased. He shifted his attention to Liam. "Direct her to her space. Work starts immediately." His icy stare bored into me again, and my breathing hitched. "Educate her on the norms and rules of this company because people like her have no single shame or care in the world."

Liam looked confused but nodded anyway. I was numb. He sounded like he still remembered.

"Any little mistake, and it will get minus from your salary. Now get out!" He latched out, and I instinctively flinched at the harshness. Liam pointed at the door. Without giving him a second glance, I scrambled out, eager to leave his presence.

I felt suffocated and hurt, and tears pricked at the corners of my eyes, and I couldn't shake off the feeling of pain, humiliation, and anxiety that clung to me like a bad omen. I didn't dare look back, fearing to stare into that face that once held so much love for me but now looked murderous. That a single glance from it cut deeper.

As I turned a corner, my feet flew out from under me, and I crashed into a solid wall of chest. The impact knocked the wind out of me, and I stumbled backward, gasping. A pair of soft hands grasped my arms, steadying me.

"Aurora?"

The familiar voice was like a jolt of electricity, snapping me back to reality. I immediately raised my head, and my gaze collided with a face I knew all too well. Helena's piercing blue eyes sparkled with shock as our gaze locked. Seeing that it was her, anger and resentment surged through me like a toxic wave, making my skin crawl at the sight of my step sister.

I noticed as her perfectly shaped eyebrows arched, and her grip on my arms tightened. "Rora, when did you get back to the city?"

My jaw clenched, and I instantly shook her hands off me.

"And how is that your business?" I snapped, my tone sharp as a knife.