Aurora's Pov
"Didn't know sluts had day jobs," he said, lips curling.
My heart stopped. He remembered.
"Aurora Blake," he drawled, slowly walking toward me. "It's a lovely name. But I think I prefer Siren." His hand brushed his jaw as if savoring the thought.
"Fuck you," I hissed.
His smile widened, eyes glinting. This time, he didn't look like he wanted to run someone over—he looked amused.
"Well, the last time you did, you didn't seem to enjoy yourself."
I clenched my jaw, fighting the urge to slap him.
"But clearly, you're clever. Clever enough to get hired here. Impressive. An intelligent whore."
My fists tightened at my sides. "Maybe it's not my fault you've never had the chance to be with intelligent people. Stupidity tends to attract its own kind."
In a flash, his hand was on my throat. My breath caught. His voice dropped, cold and low:
"Don't forget—I'm still your boss. And I wouldn't mind reminding you the hard way. To me, you're still Siren. You'll always be Siren. Not Blake. Fuck Blake."
He held me there, eyes burning into mine.
"Where the fuck were you last night?"
I stayed silent. My silence was answer enough. His smirk deepened.
"I bet you'll have the time of your life here," he whispered, finally releasing me. "Now get the fuck out."
His hand finally let go of my throat, but it still felt like his grip was there. My skin burned, and every breath came out uneven, shaky, like I had to force air back into my lungs. He turned his back to me so casually, sliding into his chair like nothing happened, like he hadn't almost squeezed the life out of me. That calmness, it scared me more than his rage.
I swallowed hard, straightened my blazer, and tried to fix my hair with trembling fingers. If I looked broken when I stepped out, everyone would know. That was the last thing I wanted—to look like his victim.
I stumbled out of the room, and the corridor suddenly felt longer than usual, my heels hitting the floor louder than they should have. Everyone's eyes flicked to me. Too long. Too curious. I forced a smile and kept walking like I hadn't just been cornered.
My so-called dream job already twisting into a nightmare.
---
"Aurora!"
I froze when I heard my name. It was Jayden at the door—either leaving at the same time or waiting for me. From the look on his face, I guessed the latter.
Everyone had been giving me stares after Adrian asked me to stay behind. We'd taken longer than expected, and whispers were already circling. I'd lied to my supervisor, saying Adrian had mistaken me for someone else. Apparently, he was inaccessible to everyone else, so the lie barely held.
I forced a smile. "Hey, Jayden. I want to thank you for waiting for me, but I'm not really sure if that's what this is."
"Of course," he said easily. "Anything for my new colleague."
We started walking.
"I didn't know pretty privilege counted in our little competition," he added casually.
I stopped, caught off guard. "Excuse me?"
He gave me a weird look.
"Jayden!" I laughed, trying to shake it off. "What's that supposed to mean?"
He didn't laugh with me.
I cleared my throat, forcing the smile back. "I knew it—you just wanted information about how I know our new boss."
He scoffed.
"Well… maybe we do have some things going on," I teased, raising a brow. "After all, you saw him yourself. He is a sexy man."
As much as I wanted that to be a lie, my body knew better—it was true.
Jayden's face twisted with disgust.
I laughed. "Oh, come on, Jayden."
"You're weird," he muttered, shaking his head.
"Maybe. But at least you think I'm pretty," I said. He stayed silent, which only made it funnier to me.
By the time we reached the exit, the tension had broken, and we were back to talking about movies and celebrities. Frenemies—it seemed that's what we'd become.
---
When I got home, the house was quiet. Mom and Lily weren't back yet. I quickly gathered my things and headed to the club, praying silently that Adrian wouldn't show his disgusting face tonight.
The music hit me first, bass vibrating through the floor. The air smelled like smoke, alcohol, and sweat. Bodies pressed against each other on the dance floor, faces flashing under the neon lights. Normally, I'd soak it in, let it numb me. But tonight, all I could think was whether Adrian's face would appear in the crowd.
Every time the door opened, my heart jumped. Every tall figure in a dark suit made me stiffen, my hands tightening around my drink. Once, I swore I smelled his cologne sharp, expensive but when I turned, it was just some stranger brushing past me. I hated that he lived in my head even when he wasn't here.
"You can't quit," Maya said after I spilled everything that happened in the office, and that awful night.
After he'd sent me out of the office earlier, I only saw him once more as he was leaving. We made eye contact, and I immediately looked away, relieved he was gone.
"I have to," I muttered, drowning myself in the beer on the table. "He's just going to use me as his weapon in there."
"No," Maya said firmly, grabbing my shoulders and giving me a light shake. "What you're going to do is not allow him to do that. You are Aurora. You are stronger than this. You can't let some man with anger issues ruin the only good thing you've worked for."
I didn't respond immediately.
"Yeah," I finally said. "Yeah, you're right. I can't let him do that."
"Yes," she said, nodding. "But you have to be very, very careful."
"Of course," I muttered.
"Do you think Harrison knows?" she asked.
"I don't know. I hope not."
"If he does, then that's when you should definitely quit," Maya said, lifting her drink.
She was right. If Harrison knew, I'd have no choice. Nothing good ever came out of anything Harrison was involved in.
Harrison wasn't around tonight. The news alone filled me with relief. I kept looking around just to be sure, but he never showed up.
It was almost 1 a.m., and for once, I could breathe.