𝘚𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘝𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺

𝘖𝘯𝘦

On the outskirts of London is The Sweet Spot, the bakery Aurora's run for years. It's her pride and joy. But there's a problem. For weeks, a black SUV has been lurking outside, watching her like a hawk.

Aurora knows it's her cousin Nathan in that SUV, watching her. Scheming. Him and her uncle Richard have been trying to sell the bakery for years. They want a big shop to take over this whole block. Aurora can't lose this bakery. Her grandma built it from the ground up. She was practically raised there. This is her home.

The hastily rolled up window confirms her suspicions. She walks over and knocks on the window. Nathan rolls down his window. He lowers his designer sunglasses and flashes her a grin. "Oh, hey Aurora... how's my favourite cousin? I'm just grabbing some quick measurements for the shop." He said.

Nathan knows how much The Sweet Spot means to me. I lost my parents when I was young. The bakery and my grandma are all that's left. "Nathan, think about what your doing. Think about what this will do to our grandma." Aurora said. "But, dad says-"

Aurora cuts him off. "Your dad is a heartless bastard who would sell his own son... if he thought you were actually worth something." She said. Outrage twists Nathan's face. His eyes narrow in a glare. "You're losing this fight. We're going to take over this whole block of buildings." He said.

"For what?" Aurora asked. "For the thing that makes the world go round, Ro... money. And lots of it." Nathan said. And he's gone. The baby cousin Aurora used to play with as kids is gone. His father has corrupted him. "What will it take, Nathan? What will it take for you to stop? I need this bakery. It's my home." Aurora said.

"It's not yours. My dad controls everything. It's hopeless, Ro. There's no way out of this." Nathan said. Helplessness and rage crash down on her. Nathan turns the key in the ignition with a smug grin. Aurora reaches into the car to grab Nathan's sleeve. He rips it out of her grip and points his finger in her face.

"Do you know how much this shirt cost me? It's imported silk! Now you're really going to pay-" He raises his voice. "Hey. Is this boy giving you trouble, Aurora?" The familiar, rough-edged figure sends a shiver down her spine. It's her neighbour, Granit Xhaka.

He runs the sports centre down the street, and he's got the dangerous muscle to show for it. "Is there trouble? I can take care of this idiot, if you like." He said. Granit's shirt is soaked with sweat from his morning run. They often cross paths at this early hour.

"Usually I save these bad boys for the ring, but..." Granit draws attention to his curled fists. Tattoos run along the twisting tendons and scarred knuckles. "I can make an exception for my favourite neighbour." He said. Typical Granit. Feisty, flirty, ready to fight. "What's in it for you?" Aurora asked.

"This favor is free of interest." He said. "Uh-huh." Aurora said and nods her head. "What? Can't I just do something nice?" Granit said. He takes a step closer to her. His mouth curls in amusement. "Don't you ever "just" do something nice?" Aurora asked. Heat simmers in Granit's eyes as she meets his challenging gaze head-on.

Behind him, Nathan turns his key in the ignition. "So, I'm uh... going to leave..." He said. Granit abruptly turns to slam his hand against Nathan's window. Nathan lets out a whimper of surprise. "Not so fast." Granit said. His low growl makes his accent even thicker.

"Don't think I haven't noticed you and your little men snooping around my gym." Granit said. "That gym is my life's work. That's my home. I'm not giving it up for your fucking shop." He said. "Yeah, actually... you are. We've got money. We've got force." Nathan said.

"All you've got is a bad knee and a tired football career. I'm not scared of you dude." He said. There's a flicker of genuine hurt when Nathan brings up Granit's football career. Aurora doesn't know the full story. All she knows is Granit was once a big deal, but he hasn't played in years. "Not scared of me, eh? Well, you should be." Granit said.