The Secret

Aurora's hand instinctively rose to cradle her stinging cheek, her ears ringing from the sudden impact.

Stella's slap had been vicious, aimed to sear her palm print into Aurora's skin.

"Did the cat get your tongue?!" Stella interrogated, her eyes flashing with anger. "You stayed out all night, who were you with?"

Stella seethed, fuelled by the failed plot against Aurora, reported to her that morning. The Playboy's memory loss – blackout in the women's restroom was the final blow. Now, Stella's anger was targeted at Aurora, the one person who had slipped through her fingers.

Aurora scoffed as her hand slowly dropped to her side. "Since when do I need to report my whereabouts and who I was with, to you?" 

"From today," Olivia said, joining her mother. "You shamelessly threw yourself at Xander Scott at my party. I wouldn't be surprised if you ended up in his bed last night."

Aurora actually wanted to applaud Olivia's brilliance over her correct guesses, but now was not the time. She had to escape her stepmother's prying eyes first. She can't let her find out about their relationship ever.

"Someone spiked my champagne last night and sent a man after me," she revealed without missing the fleeting emotions that floated in the eyes of the mother and daughter pair. "Luckily, I escaped before he could harm me."

"Where is your evidence?" Stella asked confidently. "You are just here spewing lies to get away."

Aurora didn't fret, instead, she said confidently, "I still remember what that man looked like. I will find him and bring him before you."

As soon as she left, Olivia turned to her mother with a tinge of fear in her tone. "Mum, what if she discovers we are behind everything when she finds him?"

"Not when I silence him before then." Stella ground her teeth.

Unknown to them, Aurora would never be able to recognize the playboy even if he was standing in front of her right now. The hallucinogenic drug they spiked her champagne with had already kicked in before they met. 

Aurora had lied to distract them.

---

Aurora stared at her red face in the mirror and was relieved not to see any palm prints or scratches on her delicate cheek.

As she washed her body in the tub, she relived Xander's warm large hands stroking every inch of her body. Even though he was gentle with her, she could still feel the impact of their love-making in between her legs, plus his marriage proposal still ringing in her ears.

Aurora got out of the tub and changed into a casual two-piece clothing before stepping back into her bedroom.

She remembered seeing a lot of missed calls from Abigail on her way back home and decided to leave her a text.

"Abby, you were right about Owen all along, but I refused to listen until he hurt me so badly. I have so much going on in my head at the moment. I will give you a call soon. When are you rounding up with filming?"

Aurora dropped her phone after sending out the text and laid back on the bed. Owen's betrayal was too much for her to tell the tale through a phone call. It required a one-on-one conversation.

If only she'd listened to her best friend's reservations about Owen sooner. But now, her whirlwind encounter with Owen's uncle, Xander, and his irresistible proposal had shifted her focus. The passionate nights had left her drained, yet strangely, her desire for food had vanished.

Aurora ended up taking a forty-minute nap only to wake up to her stomach growling and the faint voices from a heated argument.

With furrowed brows and a scrunched-up nose, she got off the bed and walked to the door. The moment she opened it, she heard her father's familiar voice.

"What's this nonsense about Olivia and Owen?" Adam's roar echoed through the house. He had gotten off his flight about an hour ago only to receive a call from one of his business partners, congratulating him on the engagement of his second daughter with Owen Scott. 

He had been confused and told the person he made a mistake. But when two more calls came in with the same congratulatory message, he knew it had to be the truth.

In the living room, Stella and Olivia cowered at his outburst and didn't dare say a word or try to get close to him. He had started wrecking havoc the moment he stepped through the entrance doors, not giving them the time to prepare themselves.

Adam was fifty-nine years old, yet looked like he had aged a few decades more overnight. 

"Aurora was dating Owen. How did it switch to Olivia?!" He questioned, his gaze moving from the older woman to the younger one.

"Aurora and Owen broke up long ago," Stella replied, trying to sound casual to undermine the gravity of the situation.

Adam pointed a finger at her. "How come I didn't know about it? And even if they did break up, how could Olivia attach herself to a man her sister used to date? Where is the sense in all of this?!"

"Dad, I don't think your worries matter much with our generation moving quickly with new trends," Olivia said in her tiny voice.

"What did you say?!" Adam flared up. He took two steps forward and Olivia ran to hide behind her mother.

"Adam, you just came back from a business trip, you need to freshen up and get some rest first," Stella suggested, in a bid to distract him and also protect Olivia from his wrath, but she only ended up worsening the situation.

Adam's face reddened. "You knew quite well I was away on a business trip, still you went ahead to organize an engagement party. Do you two think you can make decisions without me?!"

Stella attempted to placate him, but he roared, "Don't you dare say another word or touch me!"

Aurora quickly slipped back into her room, totally forgetting the food her body needed. She just wanted to avoid the chaos outside and satisfied with the heat the mother and daughter were receiving for actually snatching a scum from her even though it caused her heart to break.

Aurora's phone buzzed, and a name flashed on the screen. She swiped her finger across the screen to take the call.

"Aurora," Xander's deep and relaxed tone reached her ears.

"Xander," Aurora called, suddenly realizing they were on the first name basis now. She had no recollection of when it started.

"I just wanted to make sure you got home safe and have had breakfast," he said. "Also, why didn't you mention that last night was your first time?"

Aurora paused, biting her lower lip. And at that moment she was still thinking of the response to give him, Olivia and Stella barged into her bedroom. Reflectively, her finger tapped on the red button on her phone screen.

"Who's that?" Stella demanded, snatching the phone to take a look at the screen.

Aurora's heart skipped a beat.

But Xander's cautious move of saving his contact with 'Pizza Delivery' saved her.

Stella's face twisted. "Are you trying to make your father more furious than he already is by ordering pizza from outside?" she spat.

Aurora shrugged, relieved when her phone was thrown back to her.

Stella's eyes narrowed. "Go tell Adam you and Owen broke up a long time ago, and that you don't mind your sister dating him."

"Are you serious right now?" Aurora asked with a look of disbelief spread across her face.

"Do I look like I'm joking with you?" Stella retorted.

Aurora scoffed and shifted into her bed. "I will never do that." The nerve of that woman to demand a request of that sort from her.

"Do you think you have any right to refuse my mum?" Olivia's face contorted. "Your mother stole Dad from mine. You don't belong here!"

Aurora balled her fists, her gaze, darkening. 

At the same time, Stella's eyes flashed in panic. "Enough!" She ordered, but Olivia carried on. 

She revealed with contempt as the feeling of satisfaction washed over her, finally getting the secret off her chest. "You're not even Dad's real daughter!"