Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 78026 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78026 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
“I am.”
“Levi doesn’t hate you, you know,” Astrid blurts. “He’s merely curious about you.”
“As for Aiden…” Elsa trails off. “When he was younger, he was taken by my parents as a ‘fuck you’ to Jonathan, and when he returned, his mother was dead. He was wounded deeply by that, and seeing you brings that wound to the surface. Give him time and I promise he’ll get used to you.”
Aiden was taken by Ethan and his wife? That must be why Alicia called me and told me her son was missing.
Hold on. Is this why Jonathan can’t stand Ethan? Because he kidnapped Aiden?
Instead of voicing those questions out loud, potentially making me look like a creep, I plaster on a smile. “Time is all I have.”
“Thank you.” Elsa relaxes in her seat. “I knew you’d understand.”
“So different from Jonathan,” Astrid mutters.
“Word.” Elsa exchanges a look with her sister-in-law and they both shake their heads.
“He gives you trouble?” I ask.
“Did you hear him earlier?” Astrid winces. “He hates me because Mum caused the accident that killed James King, Jonathan’s brother. He doesn’t care that the accident also took her life.”
“I’m sorry.”
A sad smile grazes her lips as she stares at the inside of her forearm where there’s a sun, moon, and start tattoo, the star coloured in black. “I’m better now, I think. But Jonathan still sees me as the reason his brother died. He never stops reminding Levi of how my mum killed his father.”
“Or Aiden of the fact that Alicia died because of my dad.” Elsa lowers her eyes.
“Wait. Go back. Jonathan thinks my sister died because of Ethan?”
“Well, remember when I told you that Aiden was taken by my parents? Alicia died in a car accident on her way to go find him.”
Oh.
I didn’t know that.
This, however, explains the aggressiveness Jonathan doesn’t hesitate to display whenever Ethan is around, despite his generally emotionless façade.
“Can I ask you something, Aurora?” Astrid’s voice is low, hesitant.
“Sure.”
“Why…why are you with him?”
“Yes.” Elsa leans over. “He’s scary in a dictator kind of way.”
“And he doesn’t know how to feel,” Astrid adds.
“He dislikes everything that’s not his work.”
“And his legacy.”
“I get the chills every time he’s in the room.”
“I told Levi the other day that I age ten years every time we have a family dinner with him.”
“Oh my God. Me, too!”
My lips part at their exchange. Jonathan is sure as shit winning the most feared person of the year award.
Their attention falls back on me, eyes expectant, waiting for me to answer their question. They must’ve wondered this for some time now.
I could choose not to answer them, but I like them. Jonathan is an idiot to not appreciate having them to tame his offspring. So I go with the truth. “I don’t really have a choice but to be with him.”
“How do you cope?” Astrid asks.
“I’m not scared of him, I guess.”
“You’re not?” Elsa nearly yells.
“No, not really.” I mean, he does frighten me sometimes, but it’s not enough to erase everything else about him. Perhaps it’s the intimacy factor, or that I just know there’s more to Jonathan than he projects to the world.
His page isn’t half-written or blank. It’s simply encrypted, and no one has dared to crack the code due to the wires surrounding it.
“You’re the first person I’ve ever met who’s said that.” Astrid’s eyes fill with awe. “Well, Levi isn’t scared of him either, but he’s a King. He doesn’t count.”
“Aiden doesn’t count either,” Elsa agrees. “They have their own exclusive code of communication that no one else is privy to.”
My heart warms at the way Astrid and Elsa talk about their husbands. I can feel their love for them, and despite the other two’s aggressiveness — or passive-aggressiveness — towards me, I could sense how much they care about their wives’ wellbeing.
As Jonathan said, they didn’t really care about his opinion when they decided to pursue these women.
I’m glad they didn’t. It must’ve taken a lot to go against a harsh man as Jonathan but their efforts are so worth it.
Elsa, Astrid, and I talk about art since Astrid is studying drawing and Elsa is into architecture. Considering I’m a designer, too, I give them pointers about some useful classes I took back at uni.
They’re fun to talk to, and soon enough, none of us are cautious or awkward around each other.
I don’t know how long we spend in my room. But it’s long enough that Levi and Aiden come searching for them.
I make plans to meet Elsa and Astrid for lunch next week, and soon after, they all leave.
I change into my pyjamas and slide under the covers. After checking my emails and texting Layla for a bit, I’m ready to sleep.
Today exhausted the hell out of me. First, work. Then, Alicia’s message. Ending the day with dinner.