Billionaire's Revenge Game

CHAPTER 2 : DARK BLUE EYES

Aurelia felt eyes on her. Not one but multiple. It was nothing new to her.

As Aurelia walked back, she felt people stare at her from all directions. Having people stare at her body was probably one of the things Aurelia was most used to growing up.

Aurelia had a pretty face.

It wasn't narcissism. It was a fact.

The fact had not changed over the years, only amplified.

If Aurelia was not pretty, then no one had the right to call themselves pretty. Aurelia heard that way too many times to ignore.

She couldn't even stay humble for long. Hence, she got used to hearing compliments. Getting stopped on the way home or on the way to school by strangers was not surprising.

Aurelia kept her eyes straight, making sure not to make eye contact with anyone. The days of fast approaching summer were getting longer.

Sunset was nowhere in sight so Aurelia hurried up. Reaching the apartment complex, Aurelia first washed up, then started helping the house help with some cleaning.

Together, they started preparing dinner.

At exactly half past six, the door beeped and in came Rachel and Victor. Both were dressed in modest and formal wear.

"Good evening sir, madam," the housekeeper greeted them cordially.

Rachel raised her head further into the kitchen to see Aurelia stirring the pot.

"Get out of the kitchen!" Rachel sternly commanded.

Aurelia's fingers moved on their own. The ladle dropped to the edge of the pot, splashing a few drops of soup on the counter. Aurelia lowered her eyes and left the kitchen.

"You are engaged to Cooper Dishaw now. Remove these habits from your daily routine now. We don't want them to accuse us of mistreating you."

Victor did not spare a second glass for his eldest daughter. Rachel gave another set of instructions and followed Victor into the living room to rest. Aurelia took a deep breath and went back to her bedroom.

Entering the cold bedroom, Aurelia had a momentary loss of thought.

What now?

What was she supposed to do?

At this time she would be occupied with the kitchen and household work. But now she was told not to do it. She wouldn't be doing it anymore.

What could possibly replace it?

Aurelia sat in front of the vanity mirror and let her hair free. The thick waves fell over her shoulder in perfect sync. Aurelia stared at them and brushed through them with fingers. She took a rare moment to think of her life that had been the same over the years but suddenly changed.

Rachel was Aurelia's stepmom. Aurelia's father, Victor, married her three years after his first wife died of a fatal disease. It did not hit them hard. Victor and his first wife married for business, not for love, and Aurelia barely remembered the shadow of her mother.

As the only mother figure and the person who Victor married for love, Aurelia decided to call her mom. Rachel hated it but did not dare to say anything up front due to Victor. The year went by just like that and then Zara was born.

Rachel and Aurelia both realised that Victor had no affection for Aurelia. Rachel started to dictate Aurelia's life under the guise of educating her into a perfect woman. Zara got a loving up bringing while Aurelia received the strict one.

Zara was called lazy and exempted from most of the work, Aurelia was called virtuous and had to participate in the work.

Even her major in school was decided by Rachel. It was a long shot, Aurelia had to admit. Deciding the major was the same as deciding whether Aurelia would be joining the family business or not. Not that Aurelia minded. She never wanted to join the business anyway.

As it turned out, Aurelia was not particular about her life. She lacked ambition and motivation. Since she had someone to guide and everything she needed on a daily basis, she never really gave a thought to the far future.

Now, as Aurelia wore the diamond ring that symbolized her engagement to a popular stranger, she had no idea what to do and how to do it. She seemed to have entered the real world suddenly and it was the most uncomfortable thing she ever encountered.

Another evening passed with Aurelia staring at herself into the mirror. Aurelia herself was not aware that it became a habit to sit on the chair and brush her hair when there was nothing to do. She had no other hobbies and often said that she was pretty.

Pretty was her only personality trait.

Aurelia has been described as pretty more times than she had meals throughout the nineteen years of her life. Staring at herself in the mirror in her free time should be an acceptable hobby then?

After all, she was pretty.

Aurelia blinked her dazed green eyes as if out of a trance. The blazing afternoon sun had long ago disappeared behind the warmth of clouds.

For the first time in her mundane life full of routine tasks, Aurelia broke away from the set of standard rules and stood by the window.

The window was open all the time in the summer but Aurelia rarely ever stood there. An array of plants adorned the small deck. A thick grill was welded on all sides of the small deck of the window for safety reasons.

The sky was burning orange. The city pollution made it impossible to see the stars. Still staring at the endless sky meant she was staring at the stars.

Maybe someone else just like her was also doing the same. They could accompany each other like that.

A gentle brush of warm summer air blew the thick hair, pushing it back to reveal the sunken collarbone and an ugly patch of blue under it that ruined the otherwise flawless skin.

The next morning, Aurelia received news about her engagement party.

"It's a union between two business families, so the party is going to be pretty high scale. Make sure you dress up accordingly. If you don't have anything appropriate to wear, ask Zara to go shopping with you." Rachel took the time during breakfast to remind Aurelia.

"Zara has been to such co-operating parties before with her dad and has a pretty good idea of how it works. Get some tips from her."

Aurelia nodded obediently. There had not been a single day when Aurelia ever raised her voice or opposed any of their arrangements in her life. Hence, the response was standard. Rachel expected it.

Ever since Rachel came into the house, she had been wary of Aurelia being rebellious or trying to assert her dominance as the first child.

However, the girl was merely four years old and surprisingly easy to control. Rachel smirked to herself, knowing well that she managed to make the entire family hers and Zara's while slowly pushing Aurelia to the edge.

"The engagement between you and Cooper is a pure business relationship. However, that does not mean it has to remain that way. You can get to know each other better and gradually build a life around each other. Of course, as the weaker side, you have to be more accommodating towards him."

Aurelia chewed on her food and carefully listened to the advice coming from Rachel. These words were extremely important to Aurelia. It was the foundation on which the rest of her life would be built on. She can't be careless about it.

Zara was nowhere in sight. She must have woken up late. Aurelia finished breakfast and, on Rachel's orders, did not help in the kitchen and instead went to check on what clothes she had. The clothes in the closet were mostly simple tops and bottoms, focusing on comfort over style.

Aurelia was pretty.

She did not need too many pretty clothes or she might get into trouble outside. That's what Zara and Rachel always said when they got her clothes. Aurelia rarely ever got herself anything and her taste was also pretty simple (from only wearing simple clothes).

After going through the closet, Aurelia knocked on Zara's door.

"What?!" Zara opened the door with a snap. The aggressive word made Aurelia flinch back a step.

Zara was still sleeping when Aurelia disturbed her. It was her own fault for disturbing someone's sleep. Aurelia lowered her eyes and apologized first.

"Whatever. What is it?" Zara huffed.

"Mom said I should get a new dress for the engagement party."

Zara's eyes lit up with interest, "Did she now?"

Not seeing the need to speak, Aurelia nodded her head.

"Should have said it earlier! Give me ten minutes. We'll go shopping."

Aurelia, biting the inside of her bottom lip, nodded again. The door was shut to her face. Aurelia went back to her room to get her bag with the wallet and other necessities in it. It was the same bag she carried to school on work days.

Due to the engagement party in the evening, Aurelia had to take a last-minute leave. She had already told her colleagues about the engagement, so it should not come as a surprise to them. Aurelia stopped in front of the window for a few seconds.

Her right hand was raised hesitantly. Slowly, she touched the window and slid it close. It was the first time she closed her window when it was not winter. Summer's heart stopped penetrating into the room. Right next to the window was the vanity mirror. Aurelia stared at her face for a few seconds.

A small frown scrunched between her eyebrows. It was not the first time she had been looking at herself, but out of nowhere, she didn't see herself pleasing to the eye.

Maybe it was because she was changing. Aurelia did not like change. She didn't like herself even more.

Covering herself up properly with a scarf, Aurelia left the room with faint disgust in her eyes. Even her stiff lips were pulled into a sneer for herself.

She was the person who hated herself the most in the world.

From the perspective of a non-judgemental individual, Aurelia understood Zara to be an enthusiastic person who had the best interests for herself in mind. It was in every way completely different from Aurelia's personality.

Aurelia did what she did best.

She followed Zara.

Zara led her to the mall. It was not a new place for Aurelia. She had been there a few times but definitely not as many times as Zara. Even the sales staff at the stores knew her by her first name.

Aurelia did not even choose the dress for herself. She just had one requirement. The clothes should cover up every part of her body.

Zara knew it all too well. It took very little time to get a dress. From there, Aurelia became the luggage holder for Zara.

Even with shopping in mind, Zara had the mind to get back home on time. They were on their way out of the mall when Zara happened to see a store and remembered she needed something. She left Aurelia by herself, saying she would be back in a minute. Aurelia stood quietly in a corner waiting.

Aurelia's hands were full of bags. One of which was her own and the other six belonged to Zara. Large emerald eyes looked down. She looked down to avoid making eye contact. Also, she did not want others to look at her 'pretty' face.

Usually Aurelia had a listed set of things to do and her mind rarely ever wandered. In the past nineteen years of life, or how much of it she remembered, she couldn't remember being so outside her comfortable zone. She was in her thoughts. Consumed in them sometimes. Drowning in them. It was suffocating.

Just when Aurelia was once again about to be washed into the waves, someone bumped into her from the back. Multiple bags scattered on the floor in front of her. She quietly bent down to pick them up.

As she reached over to get them, another set of hands started to grab them as well. A pair of strong, tanned arms. Her eyes stayed on those arms for a few seconds too long. Following the line of the arms, she found the rolled up sleeves. A hint of green, a tattoo peeked through the ends of the rolled up sleeve.

Following above were tough shoulders wrapped in a grey vest. A well ironed collar and then a proportioned jaw. Aurelia let out an inaudible gasp when she saw the face.

Dark blue eyes looked up right then.