Vendetta

Chapter 12

Aurora carefully slipped out of the study her nerves still on edge from the close call with the maid. She moved down the hallway her footsteps light and deliberate. Just as she was about to turn the corner a voice from behind startled her.

"What are you doing here?"

She froze her heart leaping into her throat. Slowly she turned around half-expecting to see a guard or someone who could ruin everything.

But what she saw made her breath catch in her throat for an entirely different reason.

Standing a few feet away was Leo, his dark eyes glinting with amusement a familiar smile tugging at the corners of his lips. The sight of him there so unexpectedly sent a jolt of shock through her.

"Leo?" she whispered disbelief coloring her voice. Without thinking she quickly closed the distance between them her mind racing "How did you get here?"

He chuckled softly the sound warm and reassuring "I was just hired as a gardener here" he said his voice low enough to keep their conversation private.

Aurora's eyes widened. She looked him over noting the dirt-streaked clothes and the faint scent of fresh earth clinging to him "You... as a gardener?" she repeated shaking her head with a mixture of relief and safety "I'm here to help Aurora You're not alone in this"he said .

She exhaled slowly the tension easing from her shoulders "Thank you" she said her voice earnest.

They stood there for a moment the weight of their shared mission hanging between them. But there was no time for long conversations no room for lingering. Aurora knew she had to keep moving.

"I need to get back to my room before someone else sees me" she said glancing around the empty hallway.
Leo nodded his expression serious now.

"Be careful" he said, his voice a quiet command"I'll be around if you need me"

Aurora gave him a grateful smile one last glance that conveyed more than words could and then she turned away and left .

At night for dinner as she approached the table she acted acording to her plan she deliberately hit her feet with table with a sharp intake of breath she stumbled forward. The impact sent the vase teetering on the edge and it crashed to the floor shattering into a dozen sharp pieces.

The sound echoed through the room drawing immediate attention. Aurora deliberately stumbled to the floor. Pain shot through her hand and foot as she landed on the broken glass a sharp intense agony that forced a cry from her lips.

Rylan who just appeared in the doorway his usually composed expression twisting into concern as he rushed towards her.

"Aurora!" he called out his voice tinged with alarm. He knelt beside her reaching out to help.

But as soon as his hand touched hers Aurora flinched, instinctively jerking away "I'm okay" she said quickly her voice strained "There's no need"Rylan's eyes narrowed slightly not convinced.

"You're clearly not" he insisted reaching for her again.

She pulled back once more trying to push herself up despite the pain that lanced through her body "I said I'm fine" she repeated more firmly this time. But as she tried to stand the pain overwhelmed her and she winced unable to suppress a pained gasp.

Rylan let out a deep sigh his patience thinning.Without a word he slipped one arm under her legs and the other around her back effortlessly lifting her off the ground in a bridal carry.

Aurora's protest died on her lips as she realized she couldn't fight him on this not when the pain was so intense.
"You don't have to do this" Aurora said trying to pull her foot away "I can take care of myself"

Rylan looked up at her her eyes was looking straight a mix pain and frustration "Yeah, I can see that" he replied dryly his tone making it clear he wasn't about to let her brush him off.

He held her foot firmly as he began to clean the wound his touch surprisingly gentle despite his stern demeanor.

When he finished he didn't pull away immediately.Instead his gaze lingered on her his dark eyes studying her face with an intensity that made her pulse quicken. Aurora could feel the air shift between them the space growing charged with an unspoken tension everything else seemed to fade away.

Rylan leaned in slightly closing the distance between them, his breath warm against her skin. Aurora's heart pounded in her chest as she felt the magnetic pull of his presence the way his gaze held her captive. She couldn't move couldn't breathe as he drew closer his eyes flicking down to her lips.

The world around them seemed to blur the only thing that existed was the moment between them.

Rylan moved in his lips just a whisper away from hers his hand hovering as if to touch her face. Aurora's breath hitched her mind racing, at the last possible moment she found her voice breaking the spell that held them both.

"Thank you Mr Victor" she whispered her voice barely steady.

Rylan froze his eyes widening slightly as her words registered. The trance was broken and reality rushed back in. He blinked pulling back just enough to regain his composure his expression shifting back to its usual guardedness. The moment of vulnerability between them dissolved as quickly as it had appeared.

He straightened his face a mask of cool professionalism once more "You're welcome" he replied his voice low a touch of something unreadable in his tone.

Aurora exhaled softly She kept her gaze on the wall Rylan took a step back putting more distance between them.

"Get some rest Aurora" he said his tone more formal now though it carried a trace of the tension that had just passed between them.

Without waiting for a response he turned and left the room leaving Aurora alone with the silence and the echoes of what almost happened. She let out a shaky breath her heart still racing as she processed the intense fleeting moment they had just shared.

"What was that?" she whispered to herself fher voice tinged with confusion and disbelief. Her fingers absently traced the bandage on her hand the pain now a dull throb compared to the storm of emotions swirling inside her.

She couldn't shake the memory of Rylan's eyes the way they looked at her pulling her into a moment she hadn't expected and didn't know how to handle.

"Get a grip" she muttered to herself running a hand through her hair as if the motion could help clear her head. She had a mission or revenge to focus on and getting emotionally tangled up with Rylan Victor was the last thing she wants.

Yet as she sat there in the quiet room Aurora couldn't help but wonder what had just happened between them and what it might mean for the days ahead.