The Secret Path

Aurora arrived in France late noon in Xander's private jet two hours later.

She checked into her hotel room, had lunch and immediately set out to explore the Champagne Region; asking questions, watching them make wine and taking notes.

The next day at noon, she returned to Venice. And to her surprise, Xander had a bandage on his left hand.

"Welcome home, Princess," Xander greeted her with a smile, a glass of scotch in his right hand and his arms spread apart.

"What happened to your hand?" Aurora dropped her bag on the sofa and walked towards him, eyes narrowed. She ignored the hug he was requesting and peered at his hand.

A deep sigh escaped his lips. "I slit my palm while trying to peel an apple."

She found his story absurd but had no choice but to believe him. Then her eyes went to the glass in his hand. Lines appeared on her forehead. "You are injured and you are drinking. Who taught you that?"

Without waiting for his response, she snatched it from him and set it aside.

"How was your trip?" He pulled her in for a hug and pressed a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Tiring but fulfilling," she replied, stepping out of his embrace. "I will be trying a few experiments later."

"That's great! I will be stepping out for a moment, but I will be back in time to join you for dinner," he informed, his eyes, glowing with pride.

---

Aurora started her experiment in the open kitchen with the champagne and fruits she brought back.

She topped a half-glass of champagne with sparkling water and stirred it before sipping it. Immediately, she stuck out her tongue. "Too bland."

Next, she ground her peach fruit and squeezed it out of the juice before repeating the experiment.

This time, she had 50% champagne, 30% peach juice and 20% sparkling water in a glass. She stirred everything in and brought the glass to her lips for a sip.

"I finally got it!" she laughed. "I think I should try this with other fruits and the wines," she mumbled to herself and then went on to use pomegranate and passion fruits with red and white wines.

When Xander returned late in the evening, he learnt that Aurora had been up on her feet for more than two hours in the kitchen. He quickly made his way over.

As soon as he arrived, she passed him a glass of her experiment and asked him to try it, looking expectantly.

"Wow!" Xander seemed satisfied with the end product as his gaze took in the messy kitchen with several fruits scattered on the counter. "This is great!"

Aurora beamed with a smile as she picked up her notepad. "I have a new product proposal to prepare," she informed and dashed for the stairs.

Xander watched tiredly until her back disappeared from his sight. It seemed like she had forgotten their dinner plans.

---

The next day Monday, Aurora and Xander flew back to Wing City.

"You pulled an all-nighter yesterday and barely slept a wink on the flight. You should get some sleep now," Xander suggested as soon as they stepped into their bedroom.

Aurora didn't think she should be taking a rest at the moment since she hadn't completed her slide presentation, but when she saw the dark circles under her eyes after he led her to the standing mirror in their walk-in closet, she thought he was right.

Xander handed her a cup of a hot pale-yellow liquid. "Drink it and go to bed." But she eyed the content and made no move to take it from him.

"You think it's poison?" A deep throaty laughter escaped Xander's lips. "I thought you trusted me. This is just chamomile tea to help you sleep better."

Aurora finally took the cup from him. "I still trust you," she confirmed and brought the rims of the cup to her lips. Soon, she fell asleep.

Xander took a shower and slipped on three-quarter shorts and a Boss polo before emerging from the dressing room. Immediately, his eyes fell on Aurora sleeping soundly on the bed, her nest of long hair, scattered above her head.

He quietly walked over to her side and adjusted the duvet before sitting next to her. Catching the yellow diamond wedding ring on her left hand, the corner of his eyes curved into a crescent moon. She was finally his.

After watching her for a while, his gaze found her phone sitting on the nightstand and immediately reached for it. He pressed her left thumb on the back of her phone to unlock it having seen her do it a few times before leaving the room with it.

"You've got fifteen minutes to slip the chip in and return it," he said to Liam as he handed Aurora's phone over.

Liam left with the phone and returned at exactly fifteen minutes, having accomplished the mission. Then Xander took the phone back to the master bedroom and placed it in the same spot he had picked it up from.

When Aurora woke up later, she found Xander lying next to her with a big smile on his lips.

"Watching me sleep, is creepy," she joked, feeling energized as she slowly sat up on the bed and patted down her hair.

"Watching my wife sleep isn't creepy," he mused, sitting up as well. "We are going to pick up our marriage certificates after work tomorrow. I will come pick you up."

Aurora raised a curious brow. "Are you not afraid of being seen together?"

"I will pierce the eyes of anyone who looks where they aren't supposed to," he chuckled softly.

She shook her head and inquired about the form from the marriage registry since they would collect their marriage certificates the next day.

"It's on my laptop which happens to be in my office," he replied. "I will go get it so we can fill it and sign."

"You are injured, I will help you get it," she said, getting off the bed.

Aurora got to Xander's study. She found his laptop on his desk and picked it up. But as she turned to leave, her gaze landed on the slanted sculpture. She walked past the door and went straight for it.

"I don't know about others, but a sculpture is meant to stand erect." Saying that, she slipped the laptop under her left armpit and grabbed the object. And in her attempt to reposition it with just one hand, the wall next to the gigantic bookshelf parted.

Aurora's gaze widened, her heart leaping in her chest as she stood there dumbstruck, staring at the secret passage that opened up in front of her.