"Come in," Slade said. He tugged on his tie, "I hope you love it."
Love it?
Aurora had to hold back from saying what she wanted to say. Was a part of an all black club or something. She bit her tongue and smiled.
"Black must truly be your favourite colour," she walked in.
There is a king-sized bed wrapped in black silk and by the window was a navy blue curtain. This room looked nothing like the room she woke up in earlier.
Aurora's eyes swept around the room. From the fireplace, to the walk-in closet whose door was opened, to the sliding door and then it stopped at the shelf stacked with different books at the side.
"The arrangement is fantastic, but does it really have to be in black?" She asked and added, "black isn't really my favourite colour." The least Slade could have done was to ask her her favourite colour and design her room to fit her taste.
"I'd like to change some things around here, it's my room, I should be able to do that," she turned to look at him. His blazer was on top of the bed, and so was his tie.
"Wait, you aren't… I mean, we aren't staying in the same room are we?" She asked.
"This is my room too and I love the colour black just as you guessed." Aurora took two steps forward, "but… but we aren't really." She sighed. There's no use arguing with him.
"Do you want to take a look around, since we'd be staying together, I don't mind showing you around the penthouse." He said. She nodded.
Pointing to the closet, he said, "Some clothes are in there, they should suit you."
"What about my suitcase?" She had her clothes in there. It may not be anything expensive, but it was far better than wearing his previous women's clothes.
"Your suitcase will be brought upstairs in a while." He picked up his blazer, "I'll be in the sitting room."
Aurora changed into a simple gown which she reluctantly picked from the closet.
Slade was seated on the couch, one leg crossed over the other, a phone in one hand and a glass of wine on the table in front of him. He looked regal.
He lifted his head when he heard her footsteps and rose to his feet. Just as he promised, he took her around.
There were four rooms in the penthouse. One was turned into a study and the other was in the process of becoming another study for her.
There was a gym room, a library, a panic room and so many other places. At some point, Aurora began to wonder how all these things fit into the penthouse. She has never been to one and always reads about them. She never imagined it would be this luxurious.
"And this is the kitchen." Slade declared proudly as they stepped into his one-million-dollar smart kitchen. Aurora looked around. The entire place looked so clean.
"You don't cook?" She asked, walking to the fridge. Her legs felt weak. She pulled out one of the stools in the kitchen island and sat on it.
"What is the use of having such a beautiful kitchen if you don't make use of it?" She concluded that he wasn't a good cook. Nothing else explains this.
Slade didn't get a chance to respond as his phone began ringing at that moment. He excused himself and walked out of the kitchen. Leaving a tired Aurora alone.
Aurora's eyelash got heavier and heavier with each second that passed. She placed her head on the table.
Slade didn't return until an hour later. He tapped her gently.
She raised her head, still sleepy. It took a moment for her to wrap her head around the fact that she was in Slade's kitchen.
"Sorry, I took so long."
She stood, "It's fine. I was so tired, I didn't know when I fell asleep." She said softly.
Seeing how tired he was, he didn't continue showing her around but instead led her back to their room. She sat on the edge of the bed, slowly rubbing her eyes.
They sat awkwardly in the room together. Slade had cleared his schedule earlier and had all the time in the world. But what would two strangers who had barely spent 24 Hours together speak about?
"Are you hungry?" Slade asked, breaking the silence. Aurora shook her head. But at that moment, her stomach rumbled.
Slade stood, "Come on, let's go out and eat. It's our wedding night, we should at least do something to celebrate it."
Aurora doesn't disagree, "We are here together for a reason," she reminded him.
"Doesn't make you less of my wife." His voice is firm.
As they were about to step out of the room, Aurora's phone rang, she ended the call when Liam's name appeared on the screen.
Liam called twice and she didn't answer. It was followed by a text.
Liam: Aurora, where are you? I'm waiting at our spot. Don't keep me waiting for long.
Aurora and Slade walked into Stainless Restaurant and were led to a private space.
Meanwhile, in another part of the city, Liam stood meters away from his car, in front of a lake waiting for Aurora's arrival.