BILLIONAIRE'S STUTTERING BRIDE

CHAPTER 7

Aurora stood in the middle of the dining,  a place of faded grandeur, a stark contrast to the fractured family dynamics that unfolded within it. The room was spacious, with high ceilings adorned with ornate chandeliers that had seen better days. Once-elegant wallpaper peeled at the edges, revealing the aging walls beneath.

The dining table, though solid and antique, bore the scars of time. Its mahogany finish was worn in patches, and the chairs, with their once-plush seats, had lost their former opulence. A large bay window let in feeble rays of daylight, casting long shadows across the room. The window's curtains, once rich and extravagant, now hung with an air of neglect.

The overall atmosphere of the dining area was one of faded opulence and somber memories, a reflection of the fractured relationships that played out amid the faded grandeur.

SLAP

Aurora gingerly held her stinging cheek, unable to meet anyone's eyes. The floor was strewn with the shattered remains of a once-ornate vase, a casualty of the chaos that had unfolded in the room. She honestly didn't understand what she had done to deserve this, but she had grown accustomed to enduring the consequences.

"You're such a bad omen. I curse the day I took you in!" Yelled Thomas, his anger palpable.

"Daddy, it's all her fault.  She pushed me on purpose, and I bumped into that vase. It was because my dress was better than hers." Sandra wailed, pointing an accusatory finger at Aurora.

Aurora's eyes snapped up, her disbelief evident. She knew Sandra was lying, but she had learned that her uncle didn't need a specific reason to unleash his anger on her. Her mere existence seemed to be enough.

Her cheek throbbed with a stinging sensation that hinted at a rapidly forming bruise. She could feel the heat of anger and shame burning against her creamy complexion. Her uncle's large, calloused hands had the potential to inflict far more damage. She knew she was fortunate to have escaped with only this much.

"How many times do I have to tell you to be careful?" Thomas roared, his fury a palpable force in the room.

"I-I'm s-sorry, U-uncle T-Thomas," Aurora stammered, taking a deep breath to regain her composure. "B-but I d-didn't do a-anything."

"Are you calling me a liar?" Sandra hissed, her eyes locked onto Aurora's.

Aurora shook her head vehemently...

"Just because you're getting married to Xavier Knight, don't delude yourself into thinking it changes anything. You've always been a nobody, and you'll stay a nobody. Unwanted by us and now by Xavier Knight. Mark my words, a man like Xavier Knight could never want a girl like you," Sandra spat, her words laced with malicious spite, and her eyes burned with seething jealousy and relentless resentment.

"Alright, that's enough," Thomas finally intervened, his tone laced with impatience.

"We don't have time for this nonsense. We need to be at the venue in two hours. Aurora, you need to get ready. Now, pick this mess up and get out of my sight." He barked the order, leaving no room for argument.

Aurora hurriedly grabbed the sweeping brush, its bristles scraping against the cold, cracked tiles as she started to sweep the porcelain pieces of the shattered vase to the side. With her jaw clenched in determination, she carefully collected the shards and deposited them into the dustpan before disposing of the fragments in a nearby trash bin.

Thomas, her uncle, stood nearby, engrossed in a phone conversation. The conversation was punctuated with harsh, disdainful glances in her direction. Sandra, meanwhile, continued to fiddle with her dress, oblivious to Aurora's ordeal.