CHAPTER 41LeviAureliaLevi
Levi
It had never taken Levi so long to recover from such a spectacularly reckless mistake.
Food poisoning now sat at the top of his growing list titled “Things I Will Never, Ever Do Again.”
Aurelia hadn’t complained once—hadn’t even said more than a single, perfectly timed, and absolutely deserved, “I told you so.” Instead, she had quietly spent the weekend caring for him, coaxing him to sip water and electrolyte drinks, brushing damp hair back from his clammy forehead, and staying close whenever he felt the worst of it coming on.
She did, however, continue to call him Porky. Forever cementing his decision as a term of endearment. He couldn’t even be mad about it.
Levi, on the other hand, had spent most of the weekend camping out in the bathroom like it was his new permanent address.
At one point, he had even dragged in a pillow and blankets, turning the cold tile floor into his sad little fortress of misery.
Either he was kneeling before the toilet or praying for death on it…
sometimes with barely a moment’s warning.
To make matters worse, Aurelia had texted Ivy to let her know he wouldn’t be coming in on Monday. Naturally, Ivy found this hilarious—and she had zero intention of keeping that information to herself.
Which meant one thing: Owen.
The man was a menace, a one-man torment machine who lived for this kind of humiliation. Sure enough, Owen showed up completely uninvited on Sunday, grinning ear-to-ear under the flimsy guise of “checking in on his best buddy, Porky.”
Levi—still pale, weak, and barely able to stand—had managed to throw him out by sheer force of will. His wife barely stifled a laugh at Owen’s use of his new nickname.
Of course, that wasn’t the end of it.
For the next several days, as Levi slowly recovered, his phone exploded with jokes, GIFs, and memes about his condition and about pork. Owen had found every bathroom-related meme in existence and sent them at regular intervals…because why suffer in silence when you can suffer publicly?
Levi vowed that, once fully recovered, he would throttle him.
Still, somewhere between surviving the ordeal and enduring Owen’s torment, he managed to pull himself together enough to arrange the surprise he had been planning for Aurelia. With Ivy’s help, of course.
He had given her a very clear vision of the dress he wanted for his wife—something that would leave the entire ballroom breathless. Ivy’s delighted squeal over the phone had told him he was onto something good. She had immediately taken charge, assuring him she would handle every last detail.
Now, after another long week spent helping his team unravel the lingering mess Harris Wilkerson left behind, while still recovering from his ill-fated fondue dinner, the night of the Harvest Charity Ball had finally arrived.
Aurelia had been up since dawn, fretting over final details, too busy to remember she hadn’t even seen her dress yet.
Ivy and Grace were scheduled to come over later that evening to help her get ready with an entire pre-ball ritual that Levi found secretly endearing.
Of all his friends, only Owen would be attending tonight.
Isaac was still pulling late nights at the office, and Grace didn’t want to go without him.
And if Grace wasn’t going, then Ivy wouldn’t go.
Levi, for his part, decided not to go into the office today. He wanted to be close if Aurelia needed him…and, if he was being honest, he needed to see the look on her face when she saw the dress for the first time.
So, he cleared his calendar and was now en route to pick it up himself.
He couldn’t stop smiling as he parked on a side street, stepped out of his car, and made his way toward the most exclusive designer boutique in Joia City.
Tonight, his wife was going to own that ballroom, and Levi couldn’t wait to see her in the dress that would start it all.
Aurelia
The Harvest Charity Ball was tonight, and Aurelia was freaking out.
Sleep had been impossible. She had tossed and turned half the night, plagued by another nightmare that had her waking in a panicked sweat, heart racing, the phantom grip of terror still curling its icy fingers around her throat.
Will these nightmares ever stop?
By dawn, she had given up entirely, the sheets tangled hopelessly around her legs. There was no point trying to rest when her mind refused to quiet. Instead, she threw herself into motion, channeling every shred of that anxious energy into something— anything —productive.
She made herself eat a toasted English muffin and forced down a cup of coffee, though it felt like her nerves had already consumed her from the inside out. Right as she grabbed her bag and tried to dart out the door, Levi caught her around the waist and pulled her back against his chest.
For a moment, everything stilled.
Wrapped safely in his arms, her body instinctively relaxed, soaking in his warmth, his steady presence. He held her tight, one large hand tracing slow, reassuring circles along her back.
With his chin resting against the top of her head, his deep voice rumbled softly, “You’ve done an incredible job, Auri. I haven’t even seen the final result yet, but I’m already impressed. I know you’re nervous…but you have absolutely nothing to be nervous about.”
Then he tipped her chin up, his lips brushing against hers in a kiss so slow and devastatingly tender it left her breathless and a little dazed. She stood there, staring at his mouth even after he pulled back, her mind blank except for the lingering warmth of his kiss.
Grinning, he pressed one more kiss to her forehead and murmured, “Now go show everyone who’s really in charge.”
It was exactly what she needed to hear.
While it still felt foreign to have someone so supportive in her life—someone who believed in her without question—it also made her painfully aware of everything she had been missing. Of how low she had set the bar before this.
The smile Levi put on her face didn’t fade once, even after she stepped into Starhaven Manor and slipped seamlessly back into her professional role.
By the time she crossed the grand threshold, the nerves were buried under her measured calmness. She lived and breathed by the precise event checklist she had crafted to keep everything running smoothly.
The ballroom was nearly finished with the tables arranged in perfect symmetry, the temporary stage set, and all audio-visual equipment tested the day before.
Outside, the transformation had already begun earlier in the week. Guests attending tonight would be greeted by a wonderland of twinkling string lights woven through faux vines and branches arching over the driveway, immersing them in the enchanting forest theme from the moment they arrive.
That same magic continued throughout the estate. Lavish arrangements of rich autumnal flowers accented every space. The final touches were being applied even now to the ballroom, as the catering company busied itself in the kitchen, having taken over preparations for tonight’s menu days ago.
There was only one thing she hadn’t micromanaged.
Her dress.
Levi had insisted on handling that himself, with Ivy’s help. It had been a relief at first…but now she was terrified. What if it didn’t fit? What if she hated it? How would she possibly tell Levi without hurting his feelings?
At least Ivy had seen it firsthand, and that gave her some comfort. But still, her stomach churned with uncertainty.
Grace and Ivy were coming over later to help her get ready. From what she had gathered, they had a magical talent for hair and makeup. Neither of them ever needed a professional for big events, and tonight, they were bestowing that gift on her.
Aurelia had been added to a separate group chat with them immediately after they had all met.
It had been filled with raunchy memes, courtesy of Ivy, book recommendations from Grace, girls’ night invitations, and anything else that popped into their minds.
It was another safe space where she could be herself.
While their friendships were still growing, for the first time in a very long time, Aurelia felt…accepted. Like she was part of something bigger. Like she belonged.
She wasn’t sure she had the words to describe how much that meant.
And while she had spent the last few weeks building new friendships, she had also finally sat down with Selene.
They’d met after work earlier this week while Levi was still recovering. The conversation had been strange—tentative and careful, but friendly.
And, in many ways, long overdue.
Aurelia stepped into the cozy, familiar atmosphere of Coffee Beans ‘n’ Things , the warm smell of roasted espresso and vanilla chai curling through the air.
Her gaze immediately found Selene already seated at a corner table, hands wrapped tightly around a ceramic mug.
She was staring into it like it held the answers to all of life’s hardest questions.
A second mug sat on the table, steam curling delicately above it. It was Aurelia’s favorite, a vanilla chai latte.
The small gesture softened something tight in Aurelia’s chest as she made her way over.
Selene looked up the moment Aurelia sat down, offering a tentative, rueful smile. “Thanks for meeting me,” she murmured, her voice quieter than usual.
Aurelia’s expression gentled. “Of course, I would meet you. We can’t throw away years of friendship over one fight. I…I think we owe it to each other to talk this through. It’s been stressful for both of us.”