Love on Fire with a Billionaire

"I'm sorry, but we don't have any vacancies for you at the moment, but please leave your number, and we'll get in touch if anything comes up," Aurora forced a friendly smile at the woman, but deep down, she wanted to beg for a job for that unknown woman. However, her pride was stronger.

She stood up and left the clothing store, walking towards the train station. It was the seventh "no" she had received that day. She had spent the Saturday afternoon looking for a job but wasn't accepted anywhere. They all said they might contact her, but they never did. Luck was definitely not on her side.

She had given up on searching for well-paying jobs. Not that she lacked the skills, considering she had numerous courses on her resume and could fluently speak three languages. But in her current situation, anything would be a blessing. She would even accept a job as a street sweeper.

As she entered the train, she hurried towards the seats and managed to claim one. "At least I accomplished that," she thought. But that victory lasted for a short time. An elderly lady leaning on a cane stood in front of her, looking at the young woman, waiting for the moment when she would be kind enough to offer her seat. Aurora hesitated, which made the old woman give her a deadly look. The young woman sighed and, with all her manners and patience, stood up and gave her seat to the elderly woman.

***

The girl dragged her feet due to exhaustion. She had walked so much that day, and all she wanted was a relaxing bath and her bed.

The young woman's eyes fixed on the scenery in front of her. She looked at the square in the center of her neighborhood, specifically at the huge tree in the middle of the square, shedding dry leaves onto the sidewalk and the street. To make the sunset even more beautiful, it was at a perfect angle.

Quickly, she took her worn single-strap bag and retrieved her camera. She took numerous photos from various angles. She also didn't miss the chance to capture the scene of the neighborhood children playing around the tree.

Aurora had a great passion for photography. She never missed an opportunity to capture a beautiful image. To her, a photograph is poetry for the eyes.

Despite not having a good financial condition, she managed to buy her desired camera from a famous brand through effort. It was the only branded item she owned.

Still looking through the lens of her camera, she zoomed in and focused on the face of the dark-haired guy who was smiling beautifully at the children in the street. She took a photo of her platonic crush, Alexander Blackwood, or as everyone in the neighborhood called him, Alex.

Aurora put her camera back in her bag and watched Alex enter the gate of his humble house, which was three houses away from the building where she lived.

Besides living close to each other, they attended the same college but different courses. Aurora studied journalism, while Alex studied music. Both buildings were side by side, so sometimes the young woman would run into the guy when they left or went to the cafeteria.

Even though destiny made them cross paths many times, they were not friends, just acquaintances. Aurora could be an outgoing girl, but when she was near him, she only opened her mouth to say nonsense.

It was almost impossible not to fall in love with Alex. He was affectionate towards people of all ages, had a wonderful smile, was gentle, and his voice sent shivers down one's spine, both when speaking and singing.

Aurora shook her head from side to side, realizing she was standing on the sidewalk, staring into space like a crazy person. She then entered her building and wished the fifty-year-old lady behind the counter a good night.

In a low tone, the girl cursed several times because the elevator wasn't working, forcing her to climb the stairs up to the fourth floor.

Aurora entered her house and found her older sister, Adelaide, sitting on the sofa, looking at a pile of overdue bills.

"How was the job interview?" she asked without looking at Aurora.

"Terrible!" the girl slammed the door shut, threw her bag onto the coffee table, and sat down next to Adelaide.

"You need a job, and fast!" this time, she looked at her sister. "It's getting hard to pay the bills with just the salary I earn at the restaurant. The owners are already pressuring us."

"I'll have to put my last plan into action." She sighed, and Adelaide looked at her angrily, remembering what the young woman had said a few days ago.

"Aurora, I've already told you that you're not going to become a stripper!" the younger one burst into laughter. Adelaide was an overprotective and responsible sister, and Aurora always enjoyed getting her angry.

"Then why don't you do it? I heard it pays a lot of money."

"I'd rather stick with my job at the catering company, thank you!" she dropped the papers on the coffee table, wanting to forget her problems for a moment. "How's college going? Does Alexander still not know you exist?"

"Hey! He does know I exist."

"Oh, yes, of course. I forgot that, to him, you're the crazy girl who threw Violet Delgado into the rattlesnake area during the zoo excursion."

"I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I was just taking her back to her natural habitat."

Violet Delgado was in the same course as Aurora. Ever since their first year of college, they hadn't gotten along. Violet was a spoiled girl who thought she was superior to others, and since Aurora wasn't someone who stayed quiet when injustice happened right in front of her, she confronted Violet many times, leading to their current rivalry.

"It's always good to remember the excursion incident. You know that most companies didn't hire you because they heard about that accident and thought you were crazy. Violet could have died."

"It's not that big of a deal, and that was a long time ago! Don't they believe that people change over time?"

"But you haven't changed at all. If you had the chance, you'd throw her again, am I not right?"

"I wouldn't throw her into the rattlesnake area, I'd leave her in the cobra area!" she replied, and Adelaide laughed.

"Do you think Alex will like a crazy person like you?"

"Adelaide, you're not the most normal person in the world. I know plenty of your dirty secrets. Do you think Nicholas will like knowing all of them?"

Adelaide became serious. Nicholas worked at the same restaurant as her. Once, when she was drunk, she confessed to Aurora that she had a crush on her coworker, but now she denies it every time that topic is brought up.

"I'm not even going to respond to that! I'm going to my job, which is the best thing I do." The redhead girl stood up, grabbed her bag from the coffee table next to Aurora's bag.

"Send a kiss to Nicholas for me!" she said as soon as Adelaide opened the door.

"No!" In response, her sister slammed the door shut, making the young woman laugh.

Aurora got up, took her camera from her bag, and headed towards the darkroom, which was basically a small room where she developed all the pictures she took. She spent minutes there, developing the photos she had taken earlier in the day. She bathed the last photograph in the fixer solution and then hung it on a drying rack. It was a picture of Alex smiling.

Not that she was obsessed with that man, but she felt like a foolishly in love person, always gazing at him as if he were a work of art.

***

It was already night, and Aurora was sitting on the couch, eating a tub of ice cream and watching a variety show on TV. Only the noise from the television filled the room, as everything would be in complete silence if it were turned off. That's why Aurora was startled when Adelaide rushed into the apartment.

"I have news that will make you very happy!" she opened a huge smile and jumped with excitement.

Aurora set aside the ice cream, stood up, and faced her sister. She pondered for a few seconds about what news could make her jump for joy.

"You prevented something bad from happening to a member of Little Mix, and as a thank you, she gave you two tickets to their next concert next month, and even a backstage pass!" Aurora said ironically, and Adelaide rolled her eyes.

"You need to stop watching reality shows."

"I already know! Are you and Nicholas going out tomorrow night?" she asked, and Adelaide's look made it clear that they weren't.

"I give up on trying to guess," Aurora replied.

"Pay attention, one of the girls who serves at the catering company got sick, and I managed to get you to replace her at the next catering event next week, along with me!" Adelaide smiled again, but Aurora had the opposite reaction.

"Oh no!" the girl sat back on the couch and returned her attention to the tub of ice cream.

"Why not? We'll have money to pay the rent this month." Adelaide sat down next to her.

"And will there be money to pay for my beauty salon? Because the last time I served at a catering event, I ended up with my face in Iron Man's cake!"

"Don't worry, it won't be a children's party. It's the celebration of Callahan's accounting company anniversary!"

"Callahan." The name sounded familiar. Aurora had heard of that family because they had one of the best accounting firms in New York, so it would be a high-class party, full of luxury. Aurora didn't see any harm in accepting that temporary job.

***

The following week, at the catering event...

Tristan entered his father's mansion office and saw the scene he was expecting. His date, Genevieve, who was also his future secretary, was kissing some random guy.

"Tristan!" the brunette stepped away from the unknown man and went after Tristan, grabbing his arm before he left the office. "I can explain..."

"Whatever, do whatever you want. I don't care," Tristan coldly spoke as he walked out, giving the couple more privacy.

That was true; Tristan didn't care about Genevieve, in fact, he didn't care about anyone. She was just another amusement. He took her to the company's anniversary party because she was beautiful, he could parade around the hall with her by his side as if she were a trophy, but only that, an object he used and then discarded.

Tristan returned to the hall where many people were gathered, women wearing expensive dresses and men in suits. Journalists and photographers were scattered in the corners. Tristan could already imagine the next day's photos of the party on the front pages of newspapers and magazines, becoming one of the most talked-about topics on social media.

Tristan walked through the hall, some people looked at him and smiled, especially the women because it was almost impossible not to try to charm such a man. He didn't need to smile to be so attractive.

He caught sight of a catering girl holding a tray of champagne flutes passing by his side. He grabbed her wrist, startling her with the sudden gesture.

"Do you want something?" Aurora asked, trying not to appear nervous. Besides the fact that this man was still holding her wrist, she was impressed by his beauty. His gaze showed no emotions, it was cold and yet charming.

"A glass," he said, taking one of the glasses from the tray and taking a sip.

Aurora turned around and quickly walked towards the bar, where Adelaide was serving some guests behind the counter.

Tristan watched as the girl walked away. She had an angelic face, and her red hair stood out. She seemed like an insecure girl, but he had no idea that she was far from defenseless.

"Who is he?" Aurora sat on one of the bar stools.

"Who?" Adelaide questioned, and Aurora nodded her head towards Tristan, who was on the other side of the hall. "Are you talking about Mr. Callahan's son?"

"Son? So, this party is for his father's company anniversary celebration?"

"Sort of. I heard that Mr. Callahan let his youngest son take over his position recently, which means that man is the new president," Adelaide replied, grabbing a cloth and wiping the counter.

"Handsome, very handsome," Aurora said absentmindedly, admiring Tristan's incredible beauty. She took a champagne flute from her tray and took a sip.

"Don't drink it!" Adelaide lightly slapped her sister's hand, and Aurora placed the glass on the counter.

Genevieve entered the grand hall, looking around for Tristan. She knew he didn't feel anything for her, that he only wanted sex, but Genevieve was starting to develop feelings for him, and she wasn't going to throw away the chance she had to have sexual relations with him, even if it was just for fun, that was enough for her.

After spotting Tristan, she ran towards him and stood in front of him. He looked at her, as always, with a cold gaze.

"Let me explain what happened in that office," Genevieve pleaded.

Tristan simply walked past her as if she wasn't there. He had already used her that night, and she had become disposable at that moment.

"Tristan Callahan! You have to listen to me!" she shouted, drawing the attention of everyone in the hall. Tristan stopped walking and sighed, trying to be patient.

"Sister, I think things are about to heat up here," Aurora whispered to Adelaide, who stopped what she was doing and paid attention to the argument.

"Stop ignoring me, please!" Genevieve said.

"Is the show over?" Tristan turned around and signaled for the security guards to take the girl away. Two of them held Genevieve's arms, and she immediately started struggling.

"Let me go! Tristan, tell them to let me go!" the brunette shouted, and photographers took photos of that moment.

"Take her away; her presence is irritating me," said the brown-haired man in a suit, turning away and taking another sip of his champagne, listening to Genevieve calling out to him as she was dragged out of the mansion.

"How rude," Aurora commented, shocked by Tristan's attitude. When she first saw him, she realized he was a cold and calculating man, but she didn't think he was so harsh, with a heart of stone.

"Isn't beauty the most important thing to you?" Adelaide said sarcastically.

"Good-looking men attract me for a few minutes, but character and substance matter more in the end," she sighed, thinking of Alexander. She took the champagne glass from before and finished the remaining liquid.

"Then you wouldn't be even slightly interested to know that he's looking at you right at this moment?"

"What?!" Aurora widened her eyes.

"You shouldn't be drinking that," Tristan sat next to the girl, who was paralyzed upon hearing that voice again. "We're paying for the drinks and buffet for our guests."

"And I'm paying for it too," Aurora retorted.

"How?"

"With my services! It's unfair to serve all the guests and not be able to take a break for a drink."

He was surprised by the young woman's response, but he didn't show it. Tristan had thought she was one of those girls who always played by the rules, who didn't talk back to people, but her innocent young face had deceived him.

Aurora respected her superiors, but after seeing the way he treated that woman, she formed a terrible impression of the guy.

"Who was that girl?" Aurora referred to Genevieve, she was curious, and that was one of her biggest flaws, and she didn't mind being indiscreet. "Why were you fighting? I mean, it wasn't a fight, but it was an argument."

"Aurora! Stop it," Adelaide scolded her sister and then apologized to Tristan. "I'm sorry for my sister's rudeness, sir."

"That girl was just someone I knew who was about to have sex with some random guy in my father's office," he answered Aurora's question. In the girl's mind, that was his way of saying he had been betrayed.

"So she cheated on you?" Adelaide was astonished.

"Aurora!" Adelaide said.

"I don't owe you an explanation of my life," Tristan replied, and Aurora raised an eyebrow. She thought Genevieve was some girlfriend who had betrayed him, and this man's pride prevented him from confessing it.

"I apologize again, sir," Adelaide said once more. "Aurora, take this tray and go serve the guests." She handed her the tray with more champagne flutes. Aurora simply took the tray and started walking around the hall.

Tristan continued sitting on the bar stool, watching Aurora move around, serving the guests with a smile on her face.

"Do you want anything, sir?" Adelaide asked Tristan.

"The name of that girl," he replied.

"N-Name?" The girl became nervous; she thought Tristan was going to do something to her sister, but she had to say it. That night he was her boss, but if he insisted on messing with Aurora, she would get back at him. "Her name is Aurora Navarro."

Aurora had still drunk a few glasses of champagne hidden that night. By the end of the party, when only the staff and the mansion owners remained to clean up, the young woman was in a deplorable state; she was very drunk.

She changed her clothes and now wore a simple dress, with her worn-out purse on her shoulder. She approached Adelaide, who was collecting some dirty glasses from the counter.

"I'm heading out now," Aurora said with a smile. It was the effect of the alcohol, but she tried her best not to show it to Adelaide. She wanted to leave the mansion instead of waiting for her sister and having to help her clean up.

"Are you sure you can make it home alone?" Adelaide was a little taken aback by her sister's condition. "I think it's better if you wait for me to finish up so we can leave together."

"No need!" Aurora stumbled over her words. "I can manage on my own." She took a few steps away from Adelaide and ended up tripping over her own feet. She would have fallen flat on the ground if someone hadn't caught her. That someone was Nicholas.

"You should be more careful," he smiled, releasing the girl, who only smiled lopsidedly.

"I will be," Aurora assured him and then waved to her sister. "See you later, sister!"

She left the mansion and walked along the sidewalk towards her home. At times, she stumbled over her own feet, as if she had come from a party with lots of alcohol and drugs like teenagers have.

Aurora started walking in the middle of the street, being the only one in that area. At that hour, most people were sleeping in their homes.

Aurora saw a light ahead, like a light in a dark tunnel. It caught the attention of the drunk girl, who stopped walking and stared fixedly at the light, which was getting closer to her every second.

She was so disoriented that she didn't realize it was a car.

The vehicle narrowly passed by the girl; the impact made her fall to the ground with force as the car braked abruptly. Aurora felt pain in her knees and the region of her hip that had touched the moving vehicle.

The car door opened, and the driver rushed towards the girl lying on the ground, kneeling beside her.

"Are you okay?" that low voice sent shivers down the girl's spine.

"Of course, in perfect condition, can't you see?!" Aurora sarcastically replied. The driver's hand was on her waist, which was a little painful.

She lifted her gaze and widened her eyes, seeing Tristan staring at her. Her heart raced at seeing the guy so close to her face, his cold brown eyes revealing nothing but indifference, his brown hair falling to the side, his warm breath against the cold night air, and behind him, the starry sky. Aurora felt the urge to take a picture of that man, wanting to capture the image so she would never forget that moment when she had found a man with such a divinely perfect appearance for the first time.

"The arrogant son of Mr. Callahan!" Aurora said, as the effect of the alcohol overpowered her sound judgment.

Tristan rolled his eyes at that nickname. After that, he wanted to go back to his car and leave the girl right there. But now that he was the new president of the company and would already have a terrible image because of the Genevieve scandal, he didn't want to make things worse, knowing that Aurora would sue him. He had already realized that she didn't stay quiet about anything.

He carried her in his arms and took her to his car, placing her in the back seat. He then walked around the vehicle and got into the driver's seat, stepping on the accelerator towards the hospital where his older brother works.

The girl was so drunk that she didn't have much awareness of what was happening. She kept screaming about the pain in her knees and hips, causing a scene worse than what Genevieve had done at the party. Tristan was starting to get annoyed and wished the girl would shut up for a minute.

Just as his wish was conceived, he quickly looked back, confused and concerned about the girl, thinking she had passed out. But no, she was just distracted, looking out the window.

Tristan took out his phone and dialed his brother's number. Within seconds, his brother answered the call.

"Are you at the hospital?" Tristan asked.

"Yes. I told you I had an emergency here, that's why I left the company party early," Griffin explained again. "Now I'm taking the opportunity to attend to some other patients."

"Cancel all your plans. I'm in the middle of an emergency!"

"Emergency? What happened? Are you injured?" his brother asked, worried.

"It's not for me, it's for... an acquaintance."

"Who?"

"That's none of your business," Tristan replied curtly. He didn't like to give explanations to people.

"Don't tell me you hurt one of your prostitutes?!"

"This idiot called me a prostitute?!" Aurora exclaimed, offended.

Tristan furrowed his brow, turning to look at the girl in the back seat. Had she been listening to the conversation all this time? he thought.

He moved the phone away from his ear and only then realized that the call was on speaker. He turned off that function and resumed talking to his brother.

"She called me what?!" Griffin questioned.

"Forget about it. I'm almost at the hospital," Tristan ended the call without waiting for a response.

The sexy brunette accelerated the car. Within a few minutes, they arrived at the hospital. He parked his car haphazardly in a spot, got out of the vehicle, and opened the back door, picking up the girl in his arms. He was startled to see that she was almost unconscious, her eyes almost closed. He hurriedly entered the hospital and saw Griffin leaning against the reception counter, waiting for him.

Upon seeing Tristan carrying the girl, Griffin nodded to two nurses and Tristan, indicating they should follow him. They all went to a room at the end of the hallway.

"Place her on the stretcher," Griffin ordered, and Tristan complied. The nurses were connecting the machines next to the stretcher. "What happened?"

"It was the arrogant guy's fault!" she said, and everyone was startled, thinking she had passed out. "He ran me over!"

"He ran over this defenseless girl?" Griffin crossed his arms, looking at his brother as if he were irresponsible. Tristan limited himself to a grumble.

Defenseless girl? Now I understand when they say appearances can be deceiving, the brunette thought.

"Give her all the necessary care; I'll pay for everything," Tristan informed, and Griffin approached the girl to assess her condition.

"You're the hottest doctor I've ever seen," Aurora spoke with slurred speech. Griffin let out a shy smile, and his cheeks turned pink. "Do you provide services at home?"

"That's all I needed," Tristan rolled his eyes. "Also, give her something to sleep and shut up!"

***

Griffin was jotting down the procedure of Aurora's case on his clipboard, while Tristan sat in a armchair near the bed where the girl lay sleeping due to the medication she had taken. He stared at her angelic face, peacefully asleep, not resembling the scandalous and alcoholic girl she had shown herself to be hours before.

For Tristan, it was difficult to define Aurora. She was determined enough to speak her mind and look people in the eye, yet immature enough to drink during work hours and wander the streets drunk late at night.

"Of course I can enter, I'm the victim's sister!" Adelaide argued with one of the nurses outside and then entered the room without ceremony, grabbing the attention of the two brothers.

When she saw her younger sister sleeping on the gurney with an IV connected to her vein, she panicked, but at the same time, her blood boiled with anger toward the man who had hit her. After their parents' death, Adelaide felt responsible for Aurora. She promised herself she would take care of her and protect her from everything.

"I'm sorry, doctor, but this girl arrived at the hospital causing a scene," the nurse standing at the door said.

"I understand. You can leave," Griffin said, and the nurse left, closing the door.

"Did you run over my sister?!" Adelaide asked, puzzled by Tristan's presence in the room. At that moment, he wasn't her boss.

"She was the one walking in the middle of the street," Tristan replied.

"So now you're blaming my sister for the accident you caused?!" The girl crossed her arms, becoming agitated with the man.

"This isn't the time for fights," Griffin said, interrupting, which made Adelaide pay more attention to the doctor. Only now did she realize how handsome he was in her eyes.

"I'll cover the cost of all the care Aurora is receiving," Tristan stood up, regaining Adelaide's attention. She liked his gesture of paying for the hospital expenses.

"She's waking up," Griffin informed, and everyone now looked at the girl on the gurney, struggling to open her eyes.

"What happened?" Aurora questioned.

"Don't you remember anything?" Griffin approached the girl, fearing that the accident had affected her memory.

Aurora thought for a brief moment, and her cheeks immediately turned red as she remembered everything.

Tristan paid attention to her at that moment, puzzled by her embarrassment since she had shown confidence and pride ever since they met. He had taken some interest in the young woman who had a unique charisma and way of speaking, especially when engaged in an argument, but deep down, there was a shy girl who had never loved nor been loved by a man.

"Aurora, be polite and thank Mr. Callahan for what he's doing," Adelaide said.

"What? He runs me over, and I'm supposed to thank him? What if I had died? Would you thank him for killing me?" Aurora furrowed her brow.

"Aurora!" the older sister scolded, and the girl had to swallow her pride and say, "Thank you." The younger one hated giving Tristan the satisfaction; he didn't even care about it. But she enjoyed seeing the proud girl without her air of superiority. "Thank you for paying for all my care, Mr. Arrogant... I mean, Mr. Callahan," she smiled sarcastically.

Tristan said nothing, he simply turned and left the room. He had already paid for everything and didn't need to endure the girl for another minute.

Mr. Arrogant... This girl is crazy! ― Tristan thought.

He didn't want to get involved with such proud girls. He preferred the gentle ones who easily surrendered to him because he only used women for his own satisfaction; it had always been that way. It wouldn't make sense to insist on someone who didn't even want to have a pleasurable night by his side. However, Aurora had the gift of being a girl difficult to forget because, at times, she seemed like a timid girl, but other times she appeared as a woman full of attitude.

And her gift was the beginning of everything because suddenly, Tristan couldn't stop thinking about that girl.

After a week, the doctor whom Aurora and her sister found very attractive, Griffin, said that the girl could be discharged from the hospital.

"You need to rest completely for a while," Griffin warned when Aurora got out of bed and stretched.

"Alright, doctor!" the girl replied.

Griffin said a few more things to Adelaide, who was paying close attention. In the past few days, Aurora had noticed that there was a strange tension between them. She also noticed that Griffin was very dedicated to his work. The girl's hunch was that he was more focused on his career than his love life, just like her sister.

"They're interested in each other, I'm sure of it, but they don't know how to act," Aurora thought.

As they talked, they would occasionally smile awkwardly at each other, while Adelaide's younger sister watched everything.

"They're not even going to exchange phone numbers?!! Seriously, do I have to play matchmaker?" the girl thought.

Aurora took the pen that was in Griffin's lab coat pocket, then took the doctor's hand and wrote down Adelaide's cell phone number. Both of them looked surprised at the girl and then lowered their heads, blushing.

"Don't be shy, call Adelaide. She works during the week but is available on Fridays after noon and all day on Saturdays and Sundays," Aurora said, putting the pen back in the doctor's lab coat pocket.

"We should be going! Goodbye, Dr. Callahan," Adelaide pulled her sister's arm and waved politely to the doctor.

"You can call me Griffin," he smiled kindly.

"Oh... Before I forget. If you could tell Mr. Arrogant that I sincerely wish for him to go to hell, I would be grateful," the girl smiled, and Adelaide immediately scolded her with her eyes, while Griffin burst into laughter.

"Tell Mr. Tristan Callahan that she thanked him for everything he did," Adelaide replied.

"What?!" Aurora said indignantly, as it was enough the last time she saw Tristan and was forced to thank him, even though she was proud, especially since he already knew that about her. Therefore, Aurora didn't want to give him the satisfaction of victory again. "Don't tell him that!" she said to Griffin.

"Don't worry, and I think if I told him that... he wouldn't believe it," the doctor shrugged.

***

"What do you think you did?" Adelaide crossed her arms when they arrived home.

"I helped you find a boyfriend!" Aurora retorted, lying on her bed and scrolling through her phone. "Honestly, I don't think you would've gotten anywhere with Nicholas. It was clear that you liked him, but he didn't reciprocate your feelings. Now, let's show him that you'll bounce back!"

The younger sister looked up from her phone to see Adelaide still standing with her arms crossed. She remained silent, unable to deny that she felt something for the doctor, but she was too proud to even admit it.

Adelaide's phone made a sound indicating a new message. She picked up the device and a nervous expression formed on her face.

"Is it Griffin?" Aurora jumped off the bed and went to her sister, who immediately hid the phone.

"H-He invited me on a date!" Adelaide replied, and her sister joyfully celebrated.

"Finally, you've found a man, and..." Aurora quickly undoes her smile after thinking it through. "Wait... if you become Griffin's girlfriend, I'll have to put up with Mr. Arrogant for the rest of my life!"

Adelaide smiled as if it were amusing. Her phone started ringing, and when she saw who was calling, her smile grew even bigger. It's Griffin!

"Don't answer that call!" Aurora ordered.

"Hello? H-Hi, Griffin!" Adelaide answered, and a slight expression of anger appeared on Aurora's face. However, it was exactly what Adelaide's younger sister wanted. The girl wanted to bring her sister together with the doctor. "Of course, I'd love to go out with you... Okay, let's meet on Friday. Bye." She ended the call. "There you go! We're going to meet on Friday and..." She interrupted herself, realizing that her sister now had a huge smile on her face. "You manipulated me, didn't you?"

It was true that Aurora didn't like the idea of having Tristan as part of her family, but she wanted her sister to be happy with a nice guy like Griffin, based on what she had learned during her time at the hospital.

"How could you let yourself be manipulated by your younger sister, Adelaide?" Aurora said sarcastically, making her sister roll her eyes and turn away to leave the room.

***

In a few days, Aurora was back to her routine. In the morning, Adelaide went to the restaurant, and Aurora went to have coffee at Starbucks since she wasn't very skilled in the kitchen.

When the young girl entered the establishment, the attendant saw her and immediately turned to make an American cappuccino, as it was her usual order. Aurora was already considered a regular customer at the café.

The red-haired girl sat at a table by the window and started reading a newspaper. Aurora was a girl who, despite knowing that many people no longer read newspapers, always kept herself updated with the internet. She needed to pay attention to job listings that offered a good profit.

A waitress delivered a cappuccino to the girl, who promptly thanked her. Aurora grabbed her cell phone and earphones and tuned in to the radio where Alexander works. He makes some really good remixes, and sometimes they get released. He has a great future in the music industry.

The redhead continued looking at the listings until she found a very interesting advertisement. They were looking for a photographer in a fashion company called "Emotion."

The girl quickly jotted down the number in a notebook. She would call later to schedule a job interview. Aurora continued noting down other numbers and setting up more interviews. She spent a few minutes there, and when she finally finished, she got up from the table, leaving the money for the coffee on it, and adjusted her bag on her shoulder, leaving the establishment. But something made her stop.

She saw a black, luxurious car parked across the street.

How strange... I've seen that car before. ― Thought Aurora.

Nevertheless, she shrugged it off and resumed walking toward her home.

***

Aurora got out of the taxi and paid the driver who had taken her on the journey. The girl turned around and started walking along the stone path of the small park surrounded by trees.

At the end of the path, Aurora saw the four buildings of the college. She headed towards hers and as soon as she entered, she realized she was running a little late because all the students from her course were heading to their respective classrooms. So, she didn't act differently and hurried to the classroom, not wanting to miss the beginning of the class. The professor observed her attentively, as Aurora had been late several times before, but being a good university professor, he didn't mind.

The redhead sat in the front row and took her notebook out of her bag, placing it on the desk. Meanwhile, she heard an unpleasant female voice near her. Unfortunately, Aurora had to listen to it most mornings.

The young girl lifted her gaze slightly, seeing that snake entering the room, Violet Delgado. Aurora had many reasons not to like this girl, but the main ones were that she was a hypocritical narcissist who thought she had all the guys wrapped around her finger, including Alexander, which made Aurora even more furious.

Alex liked cute and delicate girls, two things the red-haired girl was not, but when she was near him, she seemed like a wingless angel who didn't speak dirty words.

The professor, who had already entered the room, mentioned the festival that would take place on Saturday night for all the college students. It was just an event to entertain the students and teachers, with games, raffles, and most importantly, food. The money raised would be donated to a charity organization that partnered with the college.

Aurora didn't feel like going; she preferred to stay at home, specifically on the couch, watching TV and eating pizza. But the professor would give points to the students who attended, and furthermore, the next assignment he would have the class do would be about this event, so Aurora was obligated to go.

***

The week passed, and soon Saturday night, when the college festival would take place, arrived. Aurora was already at the venue, seeing many booths set up, students accompanied by their relatives, and lively music playing. The redhead intended to stay there for just a few minutes so that her professor would notice her presence.

Aurora took some photos of people and the scenery, capturing familiar scenes. She ended up running into her professor and didn't hesitate to approach him and greet him. He smiled at her and noted her presence on his clipboard.

"Can you believe I had some students show up here just to mark their presence and then leave in a hurry?" he asked, and the redhead forced a smile.

"Well, the youth is lost!" Aurora said, and the professor nodded in agreement.

The girl moved away from him, using the excuse that she was going to buy a hot dog, which was true, but then she would go home. She tried to leave without being seen by the professor; otherwise, he would deduct points for knowing she was among the group of people who only came to mark their presence.

Aurora handed the money to the hot dog vendor, and he handed her the bun with various toppings. She smiled openly, as the redhead was starving. And just as Aurora was about to bring the food to her mouth and take a bite, the person behind her in the line pushed her, causing the hot dog to fall to the ground and stain her shirt.

"Oops, my bad!" the girl said sarcastically.

Aurora turned around, seeing Violet Delgado, the girl she considered a snake. The young redhead clenched her fists, feeling her blood boil with anger. Aurora desired to teach that girl a lesson, but she hated stooping so low. However, she was going to get even.

"Excuse me, sir," Aurora stopped a passing student, taking the hot dog from his hand. He was about to complain, but he shut his mouth when the redhead gave him money to buy another one.

Without thinking twice, Aurora threw the bun onto Violet, hitting her face and hair, with the food landing on her collarbone.

"Oops, my bad!" Aurora taunted, and Violet screamed, stomping her feet on the ground.

"I went to the beauty salon today!" Violet said.

"Oh, really? Fuck off," Aurora replied, and Violet glared at her. "The fact that you spent money on your hair doesn't affect me, so suffer in silence. I'm not obliged to put up with your complaints."

The redhead turned her back on Violet, who screamed in anger. As she walked away, Aurora couldn't help but let out a low laugh, which quickly subsided when her heart started beating faster upon seeing Alex with his friends. He watched the whole scene in astonishment, perhaps due to Aurora's rudeness.

Alex always liked fragile and sweet girls, and Aurora wasn't like that. If someone humiliated her, she wouldn't lower her head, waiting for someone to come to her aid.

Why did my heart start beating faster just because of him?! ― Aurora thought.