Chapter 6
As she began walking home, Aurora took out her phone. "I should call Larry. He's probably going to freak out when I tell him I quit," she thought. She dialed his number, and after a few rings, Larry answered.
"Good timing, Aurora. Jeremy's out sick, so I'm going to need you to cover for him today," Larry said.
"Really, Larry? Not even a hello?" Aurora replied.
"Greetings don't run businesses, and they certainly don't get you paid. So, are you coming, or will I have to find someone else who needs the money?" Larry asked.
"Yeah, about that-I don't think I'll be showing up to work anymore," Aurora said.
"You won't? Why's that? Are you sick or something?" Larry asked.
"No, I mean I quit," Aurora stated firmly.
Larry burst out laughing. "Girl, I don't have time for jokes. Your desperation practically advertised your poverty when you first asked for this job, so don't give me that crap," Larry said.
"Look, I don't have anything else to say to you but thank you for giving me the job when you did. I really appreciate it," Aurora said, trying to remain calm.
"You can't honestly think you'll get another job as easily as you did with me. Don't come crawling back when life gets tough," Larry replied in an intense tone.
"I hope I won't have to," Aurora said just as Larry abruptly hung up.
"Like you said, Mom, I wasn't rude to the guy, but I so wanted to give him a piece of my mind," Aurora muttered to herself as she walked.
"Anyway, now that that's out of the way, let's see what I need to do next." She paused for a moment, contemplating. "Oh, what kind of general would I be if I went to war without gathering intel on my enemies?"
Aurora took out her phone and started scrolling through her contacts.
She tapped on Alexander's number, and the phone began ringing. After a short ring, he answered, "Hello, Aurora."
"Hey, Mr. Alex, how are you doing today?" said Aurora.
"I'm doing well, thanks. And yourself?" replied Alexander.
"I'm good too. I hope I didn't call at a bad time," said Aurora.
"No, not at all. What do you need?" asked Alexander.
"I don't know if this will sound out of pocket, but since I'm meeting the family tomorrow, I was thinking I should, you know, get to know them a bit before I meet them," said Aurora.
"Oh, I get what you mean. I figured you'd want something like that, so I'll email you the digital files," said Alexander.
"I'd appreciate that a lot," said Aurora.
"Anything else?" asked Alexander.
"No, that'll be all for now," said Aurora.
"Very well then. Have a good day," said Alexander.
"You too," replied Aurora as the call ended.
"The guy catches on quickly. I didn't even need to be all that specific. It's kinda convenient that he just happened to have the data I needed ready," thought Aurora as her phone suddenly buzzed. "Oh, that was quick," she said, tapping on the email containing the file attachments.
"How did he get my email, though?" Aurora wondered as she scrolled through the files. "Damn, everything I need to know is right here. Well, not everything, just enough not to embarrass myself tomorrow."
She continued to browse through the documents. "Oh, he even sent the details for tomorrow's meeting for the will reading. Nice. I must say, it's like having a butler. I feel rich already," Aurora thought with a smile as she continued walking.
[Alexander's Penthouse]
Alexander was sitting on his couch, enjoying a great view of the city from a high floor. He had just finished sending Aurora the files and details for tomorrow's meeting. With a glass of wine in hand, he walked towards the window, leaving his jacket draped over a chair and his shirt unbuttoned. Stepping onto the balcony, he took a moment to savor the breathtaking view.
He leaned against the railing with his back facing the city buildings behind him. "Honestly, old man Kenneth is insane for initiating this, especially with his own children," Alexander muttered. He sighed. "Now I wonder if all of this is going to turn out like he planned, or if chaos will break everything and his family in the process. With Aurora involved, there's no turning back. Tomorrow, all the players will be present. Hmph, in fact, they're already sizing each other up. I'm sure moves are being made behind the scenes."
He took a sip of his wine. "Honestly, I'd rather not be caught in the crossfire, but I owe the old man a lot, so I can't back out. I have to see it through in his honor."
"What's your part in all of this?" asked a feminine voice. A woman wearing a silky nightgown stepped onto the balcony.
"The old man knew how to give just enough information but still leave out enough to make you figure things out for yourself. So, I don't know yet - but I'll probably figure it out soon. One thing's for certain: Aurora is my role in all of this," Alexander replied.
"Hmph, so you're a babysitter now?" said the woman.
"Well, if I'm getting paid for it, who'd complain?" Alexander responded with a smirk.
"I don't like it. How long have you worked your ass off for that family, and what do you have to show for it? You should have something tangible for it, you know," said the woman.
"Tomorrow will tell us that, now won't it?" Alexander said.
"Oh, the will's being read tomorrow, right?" asked the woman.
"Yeah, it is," Alexander confirmed. "It's getting cold; let's go inside," he added.
"The bed is warmer," she said, dragging his hand as they went back inside.
[Aurora's Apartment]
Aurora arrived at her apartment, unlocked the door, and slipped on her house shoes after locking it behind her. She put her backpack down and went to the sofa, where she transferred the files from the email to her personal computer. After a short wait, the files were successfully transferred.
"Alright, what do we have here?" Aurora said as she moved her mouse to click on the files containing the details about the Grayson family. "Looks like this'll take a while," she noted, standing up to turn on the kettle that already had water inside.
She made herself a cup of coffee and returned to her desk to go through the files. She spent the whole night reading those files and familiarizing herself with their information.