She had known Lucas first.
She was the one who’d been there all along
Aurora <b>was </b>just someone who cameter.
And if it really came down to who <b>had </b>known him longer, it wasn’t even a contest.
Funming, Wendy looked up, only to meet <b>Aurora’s </b>eyes–calm, cool with a faint, unreadable smile.
In that instant, all her bluster vanished.
She couldn’t help but think of that confrontation at the mall earlier, especially the moment Aurora twisted Rachel’s finger without blinking–that fierce, unflinching energy
Just thinking about it made her shiver.
She wasn’t a match for Aurora at all.
“Fine, let’s just eat,” Wendy muttered reluctantly,
She <b>had </b>no choice.
She was on someone else’s turf, and she couldn’t risk saying too much in front of Lucas.
If she pushed it, he might catch on <b>and </b>that wouldn’t end well for ether of them
Lucas didn’t bother with her tantrum, treating it like the sulking of a spoiled child.
He pulled out a chair for Aurora, ncing at her with genuine warmth. “You must be hungry. Come on, sit down and eat.”
This time, Aurora didn’t refuse.
Wendy was seated directly across from her, and Aurora could clearly see how her expression shifted like a palette of swirling
colors.
She found it oddly amusing.
Lucas, however, didn’t notice care.
All he saw was that Aurora had chosen <b>to </b>sit down and have dinner with him.
That alone made him feel like the reconciliation he’d been working toward <b>was </b>finally showing results.
Dinner passed with quiet ease between Lucas and Aurora–both smiling<b>, </b>both deep in their own thoughts.
Wendy, on the other hand, tasted nothing. Every bite felt like chewing sand.
Every time she looked up, Aurora’s gaze was still locked on her–steady, unyielding, not once looking <b>away</b>.
But it wasn’t something she could call out.
So, she had no choice but to keep her head down, finish her food insilence, and <b>retreat </b>to her room without a word.
Truthfully, Wendy had wanted to m her utensils down and storm off from the very beginning.
But Lucas had cooked this meal–she couldn’t bear to leave it untouched.
Caught in that contradiction, she chose to swallow her frustration long with her dinner.
Aurora watched her with mild amusement.
That bitter expression–so restrained, so forced–wasn’t something she got to see every day.
She lowered her gaze, then turned to nce at Lucas, who was peeling shrimp for her with practiced ease. What surprised her <b>was </b>that Wendy hadn’t told Lucas about what happened at the mall.
She had expected to walk into an interrogation tonight, fully prepared for it.
But <b>instead</b><b>, </b>this was what she came home to.
Lacas caught her gaze and casually ced the peeled shrimp into her bowl.
His voice <b>was </b>gentle. “You’re not eating? Why are you staring at me?
“It’s nothing. Let’s <b>eat</b>,” Aurora <b>said </b>as she met his eyes, then quietly picked up the shrimp and took a bite.
Lucas smiled<b>, </b>clearly pleased.
To him, this moment meant something–maybe their rtionship was finally starting to thaw
Maybe things could return to how they once were.
as moreplicated.
For Aurora, it was more
She <b>was </b>still thinking about the way he’d handled Wendy earlier<b>. </b>
At least on the surface, he stood on her side.
Maybe it wasn’t fair to write him offpletely just yet.
She decided to observe a little longer.
After Wendy left the table<b>, </b>things between her and Lucas became noticeably more rxed
He kept offering her food, and the atmosphere grew warmer with each passing moment,
By the end of it, dinner had been unexpectedly pleasant.
The next moming
ad to work when she bumped into Wendy, who was still at the table eating breakfast.
Aurora was getting ready to head to
Aurora raised a <b>brow </b>but said nothing as she passed.
But Wendy couldn’t stand being ignored.
She deliberately moved closer, inserting herself into Aurora’s path
ZU DUNUD