Chapter 15- Interrupted Temptation
HENDERSON MANSION
Kimberly lay in Wayne's arms, tangled in the sheets. They were still in bed, exhausted after several heated rounds.
"Come with me today. To my place," Wayne said softly, brushing her hair back.
Kimberly turned to look at him, her eyes clouded with guilt.
"What? Wayne, this is wrong. We're siblings," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Wayne scoffed.
"And besides," she continued, pulling the sheet closer to her chest, "I just... I don't want to."
"You're coming," he said firmly, getting out of bed and starting to dress. "End of discussion."
This is a complete mess, Kimberly thought bitterly. How did it even come to this?
She could still remember the shame that swallowed her whole the first time it happened. They weren't drunk, weren't high-just fully aware and completely reckless.
Her thoughts drifted to Leonard. They'd only slept together twice, yet it left such a mark. He never did repeats. Ever. Not even with Nicole, the desperate one.
She used to think it was just a crush. But it wasn't. It was obsession, heartbreak, longing... all twisted together. She even tried replacing him with Ricky, hoping it would numb the ache. It didn't. Ricky just used her, and she let him.
She'd broken up with Perry-sweet, devoted Perry-just to chase Leonard, after cheating on him no less. And for what? To be tossed aside like trash. Leonard didn't even look back. She cried for days. Stopped eating. Barely slept. Lost weight. Lost herself.
"What are you thinking about?" Wayne's voice snapped her back. He was fully dressed now.
"Huh?"
"I called you twice."
"Oh... I didn't hear you," she murmured, sitting up.
"Wayne... This has been going on for months. Don't you think it's enough?" she asked quietly.
He leaned in, bracing his arms on either side of her.
"I can't get over you, darling. And I'm tired of hearing that sibling crap-it pisses me off," he said, kissing her slowly.
"I don't want to do this anymore," she whispered. "I can't even look at myself in the mirror."
"We'll stop when I say so." His voice was cold. "Keep doing this if you want more fancy cars. You don't want to lose your 'queen of cars' status at college, do you?"
"I'll ask Mom and Dad for cars," she replied, turning her face away.
Wayne grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. "They'll only give you what I tell them to. Be a good girl and get dressed. We've got a long night ahead."
He kissed her again and left the room.
Kimberly sank into the bed, her stomach twisting in shame. She hated herself.
---
THE GRANDES' RESIDENCE
"Isn't this fate?" Charlene beamed, holding Aurora's hands warmly. "You two were separated at two years old, and now you're in the same college-partners, even. It's still unbelievable."
They were seated on the plush sofa. Leonard stood behind his mother, arms crossed, watching.
"Your mom, Gemma, and I went to high school together. Our bond was instant-we became best friends, went to the same college, and even got married around the same time. I had Leonard when your mom was still pregnant with you. When you were born... oh, Leo adored you."
"She's always been my doll," Leonard cut in smoothly, and Aurora shot him a glare.
Charlene laughed lightly. "He thought you were so fragile, like you'd break under pressure. But I knew better. You were strong. Maybe not strong enough to remember your bond with him, but still..."
'I did,' Aurora thought. She felt something when she saw Leonard at the parking lot but she was distracted by her hatred for boys and Kimberly's jealousy.
Maybe that's why she rarely got triggered around Leonard. Maybe the familiarity in him calmed her.
"Aurora?" Charlene called gently. "You spaced out. Don't overthink it. You were just two. You won't remember much."
She brushed Aurora's hair back lovingly. "But you're here now. I found you. You came back to me." She kissed Aurora's forehead.
"To be honest... we almost had you two betrothed once," Charlene chuckled.
Aurora's heart skipped a beat. She turned sharply to Leonard-how was he so calm?
Charlene stood and joined their hands again.
"Please stop doing that. It's weird," Aurora said, trying to keep her tone polite.
"True. I'd rather hold something else," Leonard added with a sly look at her chest, frustrated by the baggy black t-shirt and oversized jeans hiding her figure.
"Auri..." Charlene began again, more seriously. "Give me your mom's number."
Aurora nodded, dazed, and handed over her phone.
She glanced at Leonard once more, the pieces of the past slowly falling into place.
So... he's her long-lost best friend. The one Nanny Mira told her about?
Everything was spinning.
Leonard pulled her upstairs until they reached the front of a room. Once again, he paused, standing silently for a moment before finally opening the door.
It looked different-definitely not how he had left it.
Aurora panicked, instinctively trying to pull her hand away from his.
"Can't we do this somewhere else? Not your room," she asked, avoiding eye contact with the space inside.
But Leonard stepped in, dragging her gently but firmly along. Aurora stiffened the moment she crossed the threshold, her body tense and uneasy-like she could throw up.
"Sit down. Let's just get this over with," he said flatly. There was no trace of his usual teasing. His mood had clearly shifted; whatever he saw in the room had already drained his energy.
The sound of the door shutting behind them made Aurora flinch. The air suddenly felt thick, almost suffocating. She tried to breathe, grounding herself with the thought of Charlene downstairs. Maybe it's fine... for now.
---
Meanwhile...
Rosanne and Jaxen were tangled under the sheets, their bodies glistening with sweat as if they had just run a marathon.
"Baby, I missed you so much," Rosanne whined, clinging to him tightly.
"You've said that like ten times," Jaxen chuckled, pressing a kiss to her curly hair.
"That wedding took forever," she groaned.
"You know my brother loves everything over-the-top. Plus, it was a destination wedding, and that crazy wife of his somehow convinced my parents to stay longer. Who throws two after-parties?" he said, making Rosanne giggle.
"Well, at least you're back now," she purred, nibbling on his chest. He responded by gently biting her nose.
"Mr. Roland-" she began.
"Oh my God, please no," Jaxen groaned, making her burst into laughter.
"He gave us a project. It's due Monday," she said.
"Who's my partner this time?" he muttered, already dreading the answer.
"Nicole."
"What?!" he snapped, visibly annoyed.
Rosanne laughed even harder.
He cursed under his breath. "I'll ask for a different one. No way I'm working with her."
He cursed again. "Dang, you just killed my vibe."
Rosanne leaned in, a mischievous glint in her eye. "Well, how about I cheer you up?" she whispered, straddling him before he could answer.
Jaxen smirked, and seconds later, his groans of pleasure filled the room.
---
THE GRANDE RESIDENCE
Charlene gathered all her courage and finally dialed the number. Her heart thudded as the phone rang.
She inhaled and exhaled slowly. Then-click-the line connected.
Gemma didn't say anything at first.
"Gemma..." Charlene whispered, eyes already welling up.
"Who is this?"
"Of course you don't recognize me. Best friend," Charlene said with a small, pained smile.
There was silence.
"Char-Charlene?" Gemma's voice cracked.
"Oh my God, Gemma. Finally," Charlene breathed, fanning her eyes to hold back tears.
"Charlene?!" Gemma's voice rose.
"Char!"
"Yes, it's me! It's me, Gem!" Charlene replied, covering her mouth, overwhelmed.
"How did you-Where have you been, Char?!"
"I should be the one asking that, you witch. I missed you so much."
"How did you get my number? This feels unreal!"
"Auri gave it to me," Charlene said simply.
"What? But she's at college with her friends..."
"My baby girl's all grown up now-and beautiful," Charlene said, her words only confusing Gemma further.
"My daughter's at college. What are you talking about?"
"She's working with Leo on a project. Can you believe it? Fate brought us back together through our kids. My Auri literally found her way back to me."
"What?! Auri never mentioned working with anyone."
"Leo brought her here so they could work on it together. They're upstairs right now."
"Leo... He must be so handsome now. But I still have so many questions. How Auri got there... everything. We really need to talk."
"What matters is-we found each other again," Charlene said warmly.
"Then how about a reunion? Just your family and mine," Gemma suggested.
"My husband's in town till next week. How about next Saturday?"
"Perfect. But you and I-we'll meet tomorrow. I'll come to your house in the morning. I can't wait to see you."
"It's a done deal," Charlene grinned.
"See you tomorrow."
"Bye, best friend."
Charlene hung up with the widest smile on her face, overwhelmed by the way things were unfolding.
---
Meanwhile, Gemma was smiling too-until her thoughts turned to Aurora.
How did she even end up there? If it wasn't Leo, would she have still gone with him?
What exactly is going on with her daughter?
---
Back upstairs...
Aurora and Leonard sat on the balcony, the cool wind tousling their hair. They had already been working for a while now, their minds completely locked into the project.
Leonard's hair was a mess, his fingers having raked through it multiple times in frustration.
"I didn't bring my laptop. I'll need to use yours," Aurora said.
Without a word, Leonard got up, went inside, and returned with his laptop, handing it to her without the usual smirk or flirtatious remark.
In fact, he hadn't touched her or even looked at her with that usual gleam in his eyes. All he'd said so far had been about the project-nothing else. His seriousness felt... off.
It was strange.
Shouldn't she be happy? This is exactly the kind of interaction she preferred. Right?
She opened the laptop and powered it on.
"Password," she asked.
Leonard leaned in to type it himself. His closeness, the faint smell of his cologne-it all hit her at once. She hadn't noticed it before.
His face was too close, and she instinctively leaned back in her chair to give herself some space.
Leonard sat back down wordlessly and went back to his work.
Charlene had sent a maid with snacks, but they both rejected them.
HOURS LATER -
"This is the result so far," Aurora said, straining her neck slightly as she turned the laptop around.
"Go on," Leonard replied, his voice blank and unreadable.
Without hesitation, she stood and began presenting. There was no doubt-Aurora was outspoken.
"Not sorry, but I'm definitely going to lose my temper doing this on Monday. I hate it when people stare at me," she muttered.
"Then just look at Oma and your other friends. Focus on them," Leonard said, still emotionless.
She sighed and sat back down, continuing to type on his laptop. Leonard leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.
Immediately, he was thrown into the past-
"You're not even going to defend yourself?"
"Why should I? You already caught me. I'm tired anyway."
"Bianca-"
"Leo, stop, okay? Just stop. It was nice knowing you."
The rumble of thunder dragged him back to the present. He opened his eyes to see Aurora standing by the rail, staring out at the darkening sky.
He hadn't paid her much attention since. He didn't want to do anything reckless. But still, he wanted her. He wanted to prove she was just like the rest.
No matter what, he would get what he wanted. He'd break her ego-not by force. No, she'd choose him. She had to.
He rose and walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her from behind.
"What the-?" she gasped.
He buried his face in her neck.
"Leonard, stop." She quickly peeled his arms off and turned to face him. "Here I was, thinking you wouldn't act like a slut."
She moved to walk away, but he stepped in front of her, trapping her between his arms against the wall.
"Leonard."
He took her hand, intertwining their fingers, and brought the back of her hand to his lips. His cold kiss sent a shiver through her.
Did she just react?
"Let's start with that," he whispered, then leaned in and kissed her cheek.
"That too."
Then her forehead.
She didn't flinch. She didn't even blink. Just stood there, still. Unmoved. Not triggered-at least, not visibly.
Leonard noticed.
Didn't Oma say she was traumatized?
Then why was she letting him touch her?
Was it because he was taking it slow? Gently?
He kissed the tip of her nose, giving it a soft bite.
Aurora's eyes were open, watching him like she was frozen.
His hands found her waist, making her gasp. He pulled her closer, her body now pressed against his.
"Leonard. No." She pushed slightly, but not enough.
He traced the curve of her waist with his fingers. She was so small, so delicate.
He leaned closer, their chests touching, eyes locked.
Is this what it means to seduce someone? Aurora thought.
His lips brushed her neck, and the instant she felt them, she flinched and shoved him back.
But he came again.
"What's gotten into you?" she asked, breathless.
His gaze dropped to her lips. He leaned in, brushing his thumb slowly across the corner of her mouth.
"These lips..." he whispered, hypnotized, leaning even closer.
Aurora's breathing quickened. Her hand rose to his chest-she could push him away, but it just rested there.
He was inches from her, his breath fanning over her lips...
And then-
Someone walked in.
To be continued...
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