A GOLDEN EMPIRE

CHAPTER NINETEEN

IT IS NOW FRIDAY AND AURORA IS JUST OVER IT. Why? Alyssa has texted her five times to ask if she and the Empire are going to her party. She's ignoring her phone right now for one specific reason. The reason being: she just woke up. Ain't no way she's trying to look at anything. She drags her sleepy self out of her gold silk-covered king-sized bed and into the bathroom.

Someone loudly knocks on her door. There's only one person in this damn house who'd do something that dumb. What the hell does she want?

Aurora groans loudly, and walks back into the room, snatching the door open. "What do you want, Odette? I'm not trying to deal with your shit right now."

"What crawled up your ass and died?"

The elder rolls her eyes. "I just woke up. Obviously, I'm fucking incoherent. What the hell are you here for?"

"You should let me borrow your car today."

Aurora stops walking and turns around to blankly stare at her younger sister. Did she hear that right? "What? I know you didn't just say that I should let you borrow my car. One: you are fourteen years old. You have no driver's permit or license for that matter. Two: I don't trust you around my Aston Martin. I see you have forgotten that someone in your little group threw a fucking rock at my vehicle for no reason whatsoever."

Odette stomps her feet with a loud scream and storms out of the room.

Closing the door, Aurora is left dumbfounded at this point. "Girl, what the fuck just happened?" She scowls and narrows her eyes. "I feel like she's up to some shit. I'm snitching on her. I really am." She walks back to the bathroom to shower.

AN HOUR LATER: 7:25 AM

Looking gorgeous as usual, Aurora grabs her purse- a black CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN Cabata calfskin tote- along with her black suede LE SILLA boots, and swiftly exits her room. She treks down the grand staircase barefoot- I've said this once before and I will say it again. we don't wear heels to walk up and downstairs in this house- gets all the way to the dining room before slumping down in the seat across her mother.

"Morning mom!" She kisses the elder on the cheek before sitting down to fumble with her boots.

Juliette looks up from the newest copy of VOGUE to give her eldest daughter a smile. "Morning baby girl. Any plans for tonight?"

"I do, in fact. Me, Justin, our friends, we are going to the INTERCONTINENTAL. We like to make use of their rooftop. Have dinner and drinks. We plan to recap the first week back to school." Aurora says, zipping her boots all the way up.

Juliette nods and moves the magazine aside, just as the kitchen staff brings breakfast out. Charles strides downstairs with a complaining Odette following behind him.

Aurora can't help but heavily roll her eyes at this. She tunes her sister out in favor of the cinnamon apple French toast currently sitting in front of her.

"Good morning, my stunning girls," Charles says, entering the dining, kissing Aurora on her forehead and then Juliette right on the lips.

"Morning daddy. You need to get your child. Earlier, she came to my room and said that I should let her borrow my car."

Charles narrows his eyes at Odette, who looks away. He'll deal with her later. "Jules, will you..."

Odette starts up her complaining again and Aurora is having none of it. "If I had a roll of Dutch tape, I'd use it to cover your damn mouth. It's too early for this." She finishes up her breakfast. "Somewhere in the forest, a tree is tirelessly producing the oxygen you consume. Now go apologize to it." Now done with her food, she rises from the table, wishes her parents a good day, and takes her leave, picking up her purse on the way out the door.

FORTY-FIVE MINUTES LATER

AURORA STANDS WITH JUSTIN BY THE ASTON, for the rest of the Empire to arrive so they can make an entrance. Hey, don't judge. They want to show off. She's giggling as Justin kisses her neck. Her ass is situated right on his crotch.

She's been doing that a lot lately. I mean they haven't had sex yet it seems that his dick possesses some goddamn gravitational pull that magically attracts her ass. They both love it. Maybe later, he'll tease her.

The moment ends the minute a group of sophomores saunter up to them. Aurora knows that they're only coming over here to flirt with Justin. It's like she's invisible or something. Uhh hello? Yeah, he's off the market, dumbasses.

She's not moving from this spot though. Fuck all that.

"Hi, Justin."

Justin chooses not to acknowledge them, rather focusing on the one person who actually deserves his attention. But they are persistent.

Luckily, they don't have to deal with this for long because Adrianna's Ferrari, Kingsley's Bentley, and Mario's Rolls Royce, in that exact order, come driving up in the lot. They get out, capturing everyone's attention as always.

Justin sticks himself to Aurora's backside as they move to join their friends. "Come on, my love. We have important people to see and an important entrance to make."

Aurora smiles and gives the group of girls a petty little wave goodbye. They are going to learn not to flirt with a taken man.

"You're so bad. I love it." Justin whispers huskily in her ear, leading her to giggle. "That's one rule that should never be broken. Don't flirt with me or Aurora will definitely kill you."

"And pay for your damn funeral. Casket and all."

Mario catches the tail end of that statement and narrows his blue eyes. "Aurora's plotting someone's demise."

She shrugs and they all laugh. This is why they love Aurora. She's funny, intelligent, gorgeous, intuitive, and very cunning. She's always thinking of something to get into. Sometimes, she doesn't even have to speak and you just automatically know what she's doing.

"Anyway, Alyssa and her girls are standing near the double doors. Shall we grace them with our presence?"

"Indeed. I'm in a mood to flex on people today." Brandon says, staring at his new AUDEMARS PIGUET Code 11:59 Selfwinding Flyback Tourbillon Chronograph watch. You don't even want to know how much this watch costs.

"When are you not in the mood to flex on people? I swear Brandon keeps up with his appearance way more than I do."

"Hey...hey. No judgment. You cannot blame me for wanting to look good 24/7."

They head towards the doors, everyone automatically moving off to the side to let them through. When they get close enough, Alyssa comes down the steps towards them.

"Hello everyone. I hope to see you all at my party tonight.... especially you, Aurora."

Hearing this makes the grey-eyed heiress see red, but she's not going to give Alyssa the satisfaction of seeing her lash out. "Right. Have a good day, Alyssa. Empire, we are out."

They bypass The Untouchables and walk up the steps into the school.

"Pretending to be nice when I obviously know what the fuck you're planning? Girl bye. Miss me with that shit."