Chapter 12

Aurora POV

The day to choose the wedding venue arrives, and like everything else in my life, I have no real say in it.

Beatrice and Camilla have somehow managed to insert themselves into the process, acting as if this wedding is some glamorous social event rather than a prison I’m being forced into. I don’t have it in me ro fight any of them, let alone care enough.

So, I take a backseat to it all, choosing to stay out of it for the most part.

I sit stiffly in the back of the car, hands folded in my lap as we drive to the venues, trying not to let the sinking feeling in my gut consume me.

This will be the first time seeing Leonardo again after he’d been drugged by his son. The first time I’ll have to face him after he’d tried to make a move on me and take me to bed. To say I’m nervous is an understatement.

Since that night, I’ve heard nothing from Leonardo or Dominic. I’m not sure whether to be relieved about that or terrified out of my mind. When it comes to the Guerrera men, anything is possible.

I force myself to breathe as the car pulls up to the first venue and tell myself that it will be fine. All I have to do is survive this meeting and do what’s expected of me. Or rather, what Dominic wants me to do, which is choose the botanical gardens for some reason.

I’d done some research about them over the past few days, trying to figure out what exactly Dominic’s plans were but had come up with exactly nothing. The situation has only served to frustrate me more.

The moment I step out of the car, Leonardo greets me with that same smug air of confidence. “Aurora, it’s so lovely to see you again.”

I expertly dodge the kiss that’s aimed at my mouth and quickly allow him to peck my cheek instead. When he pulls back to look at me, I’m ready—quickly darting my eyes to the ground while tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

He chuckles, one finger hooking under my chin. “Still so shy, hm. After what almost happened between us the other night.”

Something in me soothes at his words despite his touch disgusting me. He must assume, just as Dominic suspected he would, that because he’d drunkenly passed out after having too much to drink.

Whether he suspects Dominic must have been the one to send me home or not, he doesn’t say. I’m also not about to dig myself into a hole either by mentioning it.

“I was rude the other night,” he says, his thumb grazing along my cheek. “I should have personally seen you home.”

My throat tightens.

I force my lips into a neutral smile, nodding as if his words mean anything at all. “It’s okay.”

As if they erase the way he dragged me up to that room he rented, as if they make the memory of his hands on me any less revolting.

I breathe out slowly when he steps back, dropping his hand from my face to replace it by lacing our fingers together. “Shall we?”

Camilla and Beatrice seem unbothered while we walk inside, chattering away about which venue will be the most elegant, the most prestigious like this is some sort of competition. They pick apart the location with the enthusiasm of women planning a party, utterly indifferent to the fact that I am the one whose wedding it is.

Then again, I’ve never really had a choice in the matter to begin with, so this merely fits the bill of what’s going to be the rest of my life.

“What do you think of this one?” Leonardo asks me.

“It’s nice.” I say, though even to my own ears, my words sound strained, tired.

Leonardo frowns, picking up on it instantly. “We’ll head to the second one, then.”

I hold back a sigh.

Today is going to be a long, long day.

Halfway through the tour of the second venue, I feel him before I see him.

That presence—intense, commanding, and impossible to ignore—seeps into the space like a slow, deliberate roll of smoke, slipping through the open-air balconies and polished stone archways of the garden.

It’s everywhere, suffocating yet invisible, making my pulse quicken before my eyes even confirm what my body already knows.

Dominic moves through the venue with the same casual authority he always carries, his stride unhurried, his hands tucked loosely into his pockets. His sharp gaze sweeps across the surrounding gardens, skimming over the carefully manicured hedges, the grand floral displays, the marble pathways leading deeper into the estate.

He doesn’t look at me. Not even once.

It’s deliberate, his avoidance is a silent, unspoken message: the other night meant nothing. That moment between us, whatever it was, is already forgotten.

I tell myself it doesn’t matter, that I don’t care. But the way my stomach knots at his indifference betrays me.

“Dominic,” Leonardo greets. “I didn’t think you were interested in coming along together.”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” His tone is just as casual as his stance, but there’s something underneath the carefully dressed words that send a shudder racing up my spine. “You are marrying my future stepmother, after all. Why wouldn’t I want to be involved?”

Leonardo laughs. “Yes. That’s true. You can join us for the other venues we’re going to later today.”

Dominic’s shoulders stiffen. “You haven’t chosen one yet?”

He shakes his head. “Not so far.”

At that exact moment, Dominic’s eyes lock with mine before slipping his phone out of his pocket. His fingers fly over the screen, typing out a short message before pocketing it again. Within seconds, my own phone goes off in my purse.

For some reason, I feel like I’m in trouble.

He says nothing to me as he strides away from our group, catching his father’s eye while saying, “Need a smoke.”

My stomach tightens at the sight of his retreating back.

“Wait, I want to go with you!” Camilla calls after him.

She barely gets a few feet before Leonardo’s voice stops her in her tracks. “He’ll be back soon. Don’t worry. For now, let’s move on to where the water features are. I want you all to see where family photos might be taken.”

My feet remain planted to the ground as they begin to walk again. Shoving my hand into my purse, I retrieve my phone and tap the screen a few times to wake it. Dominic’s text is displayed prominently on the front.

Meet me by the bathrooms. ASAP.

My teeth gnaw at my bottom like. Is that safe? To go sneaking off together while his father is around? Not to mention if I’m caught with him, we’ll both be screwed.

Still… I’m not sure what will happen if I don’t follow his instructions. Threatening to release the blackmail he has over me, no doubt.

Fuck.

“Um,” my voice catches the attention of Leonardo who turns immediately. “I’m sorry, I really have to use the restrooms. Do you mind if I meet you over there?”

He frowns. “You can’t wait?”

I shake my head quickly. “It’s, um… a lady issue.”

His eyes go wide. “Oh. Then, by all means.”

I nearly snort. Sometimes it comes in handy being a part of a patriarchal world like this one—men don’t ever question you over taking care of business. Especially the bloody kind.

After thanking him, I spin on my heel and head back toward a shadowed corner near a small pavilion where the restrooms are, thankfully out of sight.

Dominic is already there, leaning against the side of the building. He looks so natural, so effortless, standing there looking like he has no cares in the world to worry about .

Must be nice.

When we face each other neither of us speaks.

I fold my arms, trying to steady my pulse. Being so close to him again after what happened the last time we were alone makes my anxiety spike. If that were to happen again and we’re caught? It’ll be over for the both of us.

“So. What’s so special about this place?” I finally ask, keeping my voice low. “Why do you want me to pick it?”

It is a calculated deflection, an attempt to steer the conversation into meaningless pleasantries rather than addressing the underlying concern.

He is doing it again, keeping me at arm’s length, treating me as though I am just another piece on the board rather than a person who deserves to know what I am walking into. Sure, I’m being blackmailed into this but what would be so wrong about him telling me what the hell he’s planning?

Frustration coils in my gut. “That’s not what I asked—”

“Aurora.” My name slips from his lips in a quiet warning. “Drop it.”

The weight of his words lingers between us, thick with unspoken meaning. Every part of me wants to challenge him, to refuse to be dismissed so easily but before I can press him I hear footsteps.

I barely have time to compose myself before I hear Camilla’s voice.

“What the hell are you two doing?”