A GOLDEN EMPIRE

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

A SLEEPY AURORA OPENS HER EYES, the first rays of morning sunshine falling on her face and brightly illuminating her jet black hair. Blinking long lashes over bright grey eyes, the heiress yawns once and then pulls her phone off of the charger so she can check the endless amount of notifications. It's Monday, which means school. If she could skip today, she most certainly would, but she needs to maintain her pristine 4.0-grade point average. So she gets up and heads straight for the bathroom.

Shower water comes as perfect rain, warm and steady, awakening her skin in all the right ways. Aurora wishes she could stay there all day in its cocoon, but the day awaits.

Exactly an hour later, she's in her freshly steamed uniform, heading downstairs with her phone, keys, LE SILLA suede stretch boots, and her black HERMES Birkin crocodile bag, all in hand. When she gets to the last step, she puts her boots on and drags herself into the dining room where a SAINT LAURENT suit-clad Charles is.

"Good morning daddy."

At the sound of his eldest daughter's voice, he looks up and smiles, but it falters when he takes notice of her tired state. "Good morning honeybear. You look exhausted. Did you sleep at all last night?"

"On and off. I kept tossing and turning all night." She's going to have to figure out how to avoid Alyssa today because she just knows that said girl will interrogate her and she is not having it. "I need a pick me up." That means she needs coffee... immediately.

He caresses her head. Getting an idea, he pulls his phone out of his suit jacket and discreetly has more money transferred to her bank account.

Her phone dings but she makes no moves to check right then. Honestly, she doesn't need to. She knows. She can go shopping after school to buy a new pair of heels to go with her dress for Friday's auction.

OH let me tell you! Diamond Weekend is approaching. It's this Friday and planning has been amazing. Usually, Charles and Juliette have their event coordinator oversee everything but this particular time, they wanted in on the plans.

There's a lot to look forward to.

September is the official kick-off when it comes to the West Coast social calendar with balls, brunches, and many more social gatherings of Los Angeles's elite. These are the places where you see husbands come home with a new trophy wife or you see a couple have an encounter with the former/current lover or mistress, with the husband or wife on the arm... It usually creates a few interesting and socially embarrassing shows for those involved- just entertainment for those witnessing it. The parties will be followed by LA fashion week that overflows the city with almost unnaturally beautiful young women and, adding the freshmen of UCLA, USC, and CSULA to that list, it's like a sea filled with new fish.

"Thank you. Daddy, do you have business dealings with James Sinclair?" Aurora wants to know. If he does, maybe he can get the man to tell his irritating daughter to leave her alone. She says as much.

Charles frowns. Why do these people think can annoy his family, unscathed and just get away with it? That shit is just not happening. "He wants to have a meeting with me. I will talk to him, honey. But first, we deal with the trifling ass Copeland family. Harris keeps calling me, telling me that he's coming to the office today... during my lunch break." He's now annoyed because that man is interfering with his and Juliette's plans to have lunch together.

"Don't you and mom have lunch together every day?"

"Nearly every day. I'm going to have to let her know. She's not going to be happy."

It's true. Juliette loves spending any free moment with her husband and when she hears that they won't be having lunch together today, she'll have a fit.

The objective of their conversation, wearing a cream-colored PRADA lace dress with some nude LE SILLA heels, enters the dining room with Odette behind her. The kitchen staff is bringing breakfast out. Aurora perks up at the plate of French toast sitting in front of her. Odette grins at her sister's mood change.

"Good morning everyone!" She kisses Aurora on the cheek and Charles on the lips.

"Good morning mommy."

They enjoy breakfast and very pleasant conversation.

Afterward...

"Mon Cheri," Juliette says, placing a delicate hand on Aurora's knee. "Nadia will be here later on tonight with the gowns she thinks you might like for the ball on Sunday. Where do you want to do the fitting?"

Aurora pulls her bottom lip into her mouth and thoughtfully chews. Fame, money, and stunning good looks are synonymous with the Hollingsworth name and as such, she has to always look spectacular. And as such, the family has its own personal stylist— NADIA, a no-nonsense, all-involved personal stylist who translates the family's perfection into their outfits time and time again.

"Can we do it here? There's a ton of light."

"Sure. And I was also thinking we could take some test shots." Juliette smiles. "Is that okay?"

Aurora nods, her jet-black curls falling into her grey eyes. "Of course."

Her mother wants to jump-start her business career by launching a new lingerie line, Le Petite Coquette, for which she wants her daughter to be the face. Granted her father isn't too happy about his sixteen-year-old daughter being the face of a sexy lingerie line, but Aurora inherits the genes of a God and Goddess and so to Jules, it seems only natural to debut with her eldest daughter.

Aurora, of course, agrees because she loves to be in front of a camera.

"Perfect, the photographer should be here by 4:30. Have a good day at school, my girls." Juliette smiles and kisses her daughter on the forehead. She watches her girls leave before turning to her husband, who's staring at her with the utmost love and care. "Are we still on for lunch today, honey?"

Charles sighs and shakes his head. "Not today, love. Harris Copeland wants to meet with me during lunch. I'll be telling him a thing or two."

She pouts and crosses her arms. That man is the devil.

"But," Charles grabs her hand, kissing it. "I will make it up to you. I'll leave early and take you to your favorite restaurant for dinner."

Juliette pulls him in a kiss. "Dinner and dessert."

"You know it." He deepens the kiss once more before declaring that he must be going to work.