A Long-Forgotten Memory

~DANTE GROUP~

President Office.

Xander stared blankly ahead as he drummed his fingers on his desk restlessly. He hadn't heard anything from Aurora since their unfinished phone conversation that morning.

He cocked his head to the side, his brows furrowing slightly. He was worried. Unable to sit back and wait, he grabbed his phone and texted her.

"I hope I didn't get you in trouble earlier?"

As he put his phone down, Liam knocked and let himself in. "Sir, we have found the target!" He announced with much urgency in his tone.

"Location?" Xander inquired, his gaze narrowing.

"Italy. Venice to be precise," Liam reported.

Xander leaned out of his seat, his gaze hardening. The next moment, he laid out a set of instructions.

"Get our team and the jet ready. We are leaving for Venice on Thursday."

"Yes, Sir," Liam replied and excused himself.

Xander exhaled deeply, relief washing over him as weeks of tireless pursuit finally paid off. He couldn't wait to close the case.

Just then, a chime from his phone alerted his attention. Instantly, a smile tugged at the corner of his lips. Aurora had texted back.

Aurora: "No, you didn't. It was a genius idea to save your contact with 'Pizza Delivery' on my phone. It seems like you already know what my family is like."

Xander: "The party was enough proof. About last night, you should have mentioned it was your first time.

Aurora: "It doesn't matter now."

Xander: "Have you given my offer some thought?"

Aurora: "I am your nephew's ex-girlfriend."

Xander: "I don't mind. I only await your response."

Aurora: "I will sleep over it."

Xander puffed a sigh and put his phone down. He hoped that Aurora would give him a response sooner.

---

Having decided her stand, Aurora phoned the house agent and requested a two-bedroom apartment.

"I have three good options for you based on your demands. When do you want to see them?" The house agent inquired.

"Tomorrow is a good day," Aurora replied.

Aurora climbed out of her car as soon as she secured the appointment. But the butler approached her the second she stepped inside the house.

"Mr. Swift requests your presence in the second sitting area."

Aurora stilled for a moment before resuming her steps.

Olivia and Stella were already receiving an earful from Adam in the living room when she closed in.

"What. Is. This?" Slamming the tablet on the table, Adam pointed a finger at Olivia and Stella. "You and your mother should tell me what our family is doing on a gossip blog post!"

Olivia and Stella exchanged nervous glances. They had already seen the blog post and prayed he wouldn't come across it. Unfortunately, news reached him before they could do something about it.

"Explain this!" Adam's voice boomed, echoing through the room.

Olivia shrunk into the couch, her voice trembling. "Dad, I—"

"No, you'll tell me nothing!" Adam cut her off, his eyes blazing. "This...scandal is all over the internet. Our family's reputation is in shambles!"

Stella stood up, attempting to deflect. "Adam, calm down. It's just gossip—"

"It's just gossip?" Adam's laughter was laced with venom. "You think this is just gossip?"

Immediately, his gaze found Olivia. "Cancel your engagement with Owen right now!" He demanded, his gaze blazing with fury.

"No! She can't do that!" Stella frowned. "News of their engagement has already circled through town. Breaking up will only make things worse."

"Are you suggesting that Olivia marries her sister's ex-boyfriend?" Adam shouted. "Does that make any sense to you?"

Stella jerked as she shut her eyes for a moment. "Aurora and Owen broke up long ago. Can't you stop seeing things from that angle?"

"The media is hinting at something different!" Adam said and immediately turned his attention to Aurora who just arrived.

"When did you end things with Owen Scott?"

Olivia stilled. Stella gnashed her teeth, trying to signal Aurora with her eyes, threatening her not to say the wrong thing.

Aurora felt the heated gazes from the mother-daughter pair and scoffed inwardly. She knew they were dying inside of them, hoping that her response wouldn't bury them alive.

She shifted her gaze back to her father and said, "It's not important, and I don't care."

As soon as Olivia and Stella heard her statement, they released a deep sigh of relief, almost rejoicing. Unfortunately, their joy was short-lived.

"Olivia and Owen have been dating for a long time, and I would like to be kept out of this matter. Excuse me," Aurora added and turned to leave.

'That bitch!' Stella cursed.

Olivia balled her fists, her eyes shooting glaciers at Aurora's back.

Aurora's vague response hinted at the possibility of Olivia dating Owen behind her back, and how could Adam not understand it?

Immediately, he shifted his attention to Olivia with a vein throbbing in his temple. "Were you seeing Owen while he was still dating your sister?"

"No! I-I- would never do anything like that!" Olivia quickly denied it.

Adam put his hands on his waist and asked, "Then how long did you date Owen before getting engaged to him?"

"Two– Three–." Olivia stuttered. Her head was blank with the random question and her father's inquisitive gaze.

"You don't know how long you have been seeing the man you got engaged to last night? Come here!" Adam marched towards her angrily.

Stella tried to stop him and Olivia sprang up from her seat screaming.

"Dad, wait! Let me explain! Ah!"

---

Following a refreshing bath, Aurora climbed into her bed, grateful for dining out which had saved her from a would-have-been stifling tension at the dinner table.

Sighing to herself, she turned off the light. As she drifted into slumber, a faint image materialized.

Aurora stood in a dimly lit hallway, her small feet pattering against the cold floor. A man's receding figure vanished into the distance. She couldn't see his face, only the broad shoulders and fading footsteps.

Her gaze shifted to her mother's pale face, seeking comfort.

"Mummy, when next is Daddy coming to see us?" Little Aurora's voice trembled.

Her mother's eyes welled up, a single tear escaping. "He is never coming back to us."

"No! I want my Daddy!" she wailed. And without hesitation, she took off after the disappearing figure. "Daddy!" her shrill cry echoed through the hallway.

"Aurora, come back!" her mother's panicked voice followed, footsteps pounding the floor as she chased after her.

---

Aurora jolted awake, her chest heaving. Sweat beaded on her forehead. She scanned the room frantically, only relaxing when she recognized it.

It was morning, and she had been sleeping.

"What kind of dream was that?" she murmured, confusion etched on her face.

But memories of Olivia's biting words from the previous day intruded, and her thoughts snagged on the painful revelation.

"It's all because of that damned girl!" Aurora's eyes narrowed, attributing the vivid dream to Olivia's claim that Adam wasn't her biological father.

She hadn't realized the depth of her subconscious turmoil until now. The dream had felt so real.

Yet, unbeknownst to her, the dream was more than just a reflection of her anxieties. It was a fragment of her erased past, a glimpse into a long-forgotten memory, now attempting to resurface.