Chapter 57 • The Devil Notices His Favourite Sin
{NEXT MORNING}
The front door opened at half past eight.
Aurora walked like the house should consider itself lucky she returned.
She would've gone to college directly, but she had to get some books for today. Her class starts by nine.
Nanny Mira appeared. "Everyone is at the table. Come."
The dining room was bright with morning light.
Gemma sat at her usual seat, dressed already, hair neat, a cup of tea in front of her.
She looked composed. Warm even, the way she always tried to be at breakfast.
Melvin sat at the head of the table, phone face down beside his plate, cutting into his food with quiet precision.
Elara was staring at her orange juice like it had personally offended her.
Xander was eating. Aggressively. Like the food had done something to him and he was making it pay.
Aurora pulled out her chair and sat down.
"Morning," she said to nobody in particular.
"Morning baby," Gemma said smoothly.
"How was Oma's?"
"Fine."
Nanny Mira set a plate in front of her.
Eggs, toast, sliced fruit. Aurora picked up her fork without looking at it.
Melvin glanced up briefly. "Slept well?"
"Enough," Aurora said.
Xander stabbed a piece of sausage with slightly more force than necessary.
Aurora looked at him. Then away. Then back.
He was chewing like he had an agenda.
Her eyes moved to Elara.
Elara was still staring at her juice. She'd barely touched her food. Her hair was slightly messy, she had faint shadows under her eyes.
Aurora chewed slowly, watching her.
Gemma was saying something about the weather. Melvin responded in two words.
Nanny Mira refilled the juice quietly.
Aurora put her fork down. "Elara."
Elara looked up too fast.
"What's your problem?"
Not softly. Not with concern. Just flat and direct, the way Aurora said most things, like she was simply identifying a fact that needed addressing.
Elara blinked. "What? Nothing. I'm fine."
"You look terrible."
"Aurora," Gemma said mildly.
"I'm just asking," Aurora said, eyes still on Elara. "You're staring at your juice like it owes you money. What's wrong with you?"
Elara laughed. It came out slightly too high.
"I just didn't sleep well," she said. "Bad dream. I'm fine, Rora, seriously."
Aurora studied her for exactly three seconds.
Then she picked her fork back up.
"Okay," she said simply. And went back to eating.
Xander reached for the bread without a word.
Gemma steered the conversation somewhere safer, something about a function next week, something about calling Elara and Xander's mother later.
Melvin nodded along, phone still face down, eyes moving briefly to Aurora once.
Then back to his plate.
Twenty minutes later, Aurora was coming down the stairs. Xander also had a nine o clock class but for some reason, he refused to go with her. Elara's class was by eleven.
The door closed behind her.
The car pulled out of the gate.
Melvin watched from the window until it disappeared.
Then he picked up his phone.
It rang twice before someone answered. "Sir."
"Tighten the detail," Melvin said quietly. "I want eyes on Aurora from the moment she steps onto that campus until she's back in this house."
"Understood. And sir—" A brief pause.
"There's something you should know."
Melvin waited.
"The young man. The one that's always around her."
"What about him?"
"He's aware of us, sir. He hasn't said anything. Hasn't confronted anyone. But he knows they're there. He's been clocking them since the second week."
Melvin was quiet for a moment.
"And Aurora?"
"Oblivious, sir. Either she hasn't noticed or—"
"She doesn't care," Melvin finished quietly. A beat.
"Keep them close," he said. "And tell your man to stop worrying about Leonard Grande." He paused. "If he's clocking our people, it means he's already watching out for her himself."
He hung up.
Stood at the window a moment longer.
Then he turned and walked back into the house.
Aurora's Tesla parked softly, and before she came out, she could already see the girls together.
How they always meet each other at once in the morning is something she'll never understand.
She came out and took off her shades, grabbed her bag and started heading towards them.
She could already see they were having a heated discussion before she reached them and she knew who it's about already.
"I still wanna hear Kiara's side of the story. I mean, she's just a girl and she's allowed to have a crush right? Besides, it's Leonard we're talking about here.” Ivy adjusted her pink jacket.
Oma already told them last night over a group video call.
" Having a crush isn't the thing here. It's how she acted like shit towards Auri. That's the deal here. She broke our girl code.” Oma said angrily.
“Yo." Aurora muttered.
“You did not just greet us." Roseanne blinked.
“It's all I can give this morning. Take it." Aurora replied nonchalantly.
" Anyways,” Ivy started. " Are you sure you don't wanna talk things out with Kia...”
“I am not having any conversation with that child." Aurora cut her off.
“But come on. We've known her since first semester." Ivy pleaded.
“I am not stopping you from being friends with her. Talk to her. Cheer her up. Give her what she wants, or who she wants. You're her friends right?" Aurora said, deadpanned.
“You're our friend too and we're not expected to choose. We'll solve this. I'm not letting a jerk like Leo break this sisterhood." Roseanne replied.
“Always wanted to be in a cult." Aurora pouted sarcastically. “Not this kind." She gave a smile that carried sarcasm and anger, and walked off, leaving them behind.
“Ughh!!!" Oma groaned.
While going inside, Aurora saw Leonard with Ricky, they're standing by his car, the one he was sitting on last night during Kiara's drama.
He saw her too. He probably saw her first as the devil he is.
He DEFINITELY saw her first. Cuz the look of approval on his face while he scanned her from head to toe was enough to tell her he would come for her later.
Of course, again, she felt he could see through her baggy.
Memories of last night rammed through her brain. She looked away and kept walking.
She has Mr Thorne's class this morning. He's teaching this course on behalf of the absent lecturer.
Great.
She cursed inwardly.
Oma and the girls followed afterwards, still talking about the issue at hand.
Ivy and Roseanne threw glares at Leonard which he returned with a more cutting glare.
Leonard received a text on his phone from a private number.
“It's ready, boss."
He smiled cunningly.
TBC…