Chapter Five
Aurora's POV
The first rays of sunlight seeped into the room and I squinted my eyes open. Unable to adjust to the sudden brightness, I closed them back and took in a deep breath before opening them again.
I glanced around the room and took in a deep breath to wake myself. Just in time, the loud blaring of the alarm jolted me completely awake and I sat up with a start.
The moment I sat up, I grimaced in discomfort.
What the heck!
My whole body aches and it felt as if I had been run over by a truck and maneuvered by a car.
~ Hiss ~
An hiss escaped my lips and I groaned. Worst of all, my hand hurt and I felt as if the joints in my wrist were about to dislocate.
With difficulties, I sighed and switched the alarm off. I wanted to stay in bed for a while but I was late for work. I slept too late yesterday due to the work that I needed to complete.
Left with no choice, I made my way to the bathroom with a stumble. My movement was unstable, as if I was sleepwalking but only I knew how tired I was at that moment.
That woman could be very cruel, she....forget it.
Entering the bathroom, I brushed and striped and placed my hand on the shower switch to adjust the temperature. As the water ran through my skin, I felt rejuvenated.
The night I spent with that rude stranger resurfaced in my mind, bringing a deep blush to my face. My mind started forming wild thoughts but I quickly shook it off when I remembered how rude he was to me at the cafe.
"He isn't worth being in my thoughts." I muttered to myself.
A sigh of contentment escaped my lips. Showering was my only safe haven. After showering, I wrapped the white towel around my body and stared at my reflection on the bathroom mirror.
There were dark circles under my eyes and my cheek was a little sunken, my eyelids were drooping. A testimony to the fact that I had not been able to sleep well for some days.
But, all this could not hide the little beauty I think I had.
My eyebrows were curved in a crescent shape, my wet blonde hair tumbled down my back, dripping with drops of water and I had hazel eyes. My lips were plump, puffy, and heart-shaped and my cheek was a little bit rosy because I just took a shower. The towel could not hide the shape of my boobs and because I wrapped the towel tightly, my slim willow waist was highlighted.
My figure perfectly met all the requirements needed for being a model, one of my lifelong far-fetched wishes.
With pursed lips, I turned away with a grunt. I needed to get dressed on time for work and I was getting late already.
Rushing, I grabbed a towel to dry my hair and after that, I quickly put on a navy blue gown before packing my hair into a ponytail style. With that done, I looked around my room for one last time, checking if I had not forgotten anything.
The room was small, a single bed was laid in a corner, and beside it was my wooden table and chair. On the table, I placed some of my cosmetics...sorry, I had just one body cream and a hair cream. There were also some magazines on the table.
I rushed over and kept the magazines inside my wooden wardrobe because if that woman saw it, I would be in for another round of questioning and scolding.
With that done, I rushed out of my room just in time to bump into a middle-aged woman, who seemed to be in her late forties.
The impact made my head ache and I grabbed my head in pain, I raised my head and my eyes met with a pair of fierce ones and my heart skipped a bit in trepidation.
Fuck!
"Are you blind? can't you look carefully before walking?"
Here it comes!
"Ermm....I am sorry, I wasn't watching. I....."
As usual, I was cut off before speaking.
"What have I told you? She said, "You should not talk whenever I am talking, are you deaf?"
"I am...."
"Shut up, you are getting bolder day by day, you even dared to bump into me? And, what have you been doing? Did you just wake up? I knew it, you are just too lazy of a bum." She ran on and on, and this time, I lowered my head and kept quiet.
"Are you deaf? can't you talk?"
Geez, were you not the one that told me to shut up? I did not dare to say it out loud. I was about to talk when I heard another voice.
"Laura, is she the stepdaughter that you were talking about? She seems rude."
I looked up and realized that two women were sitting on the chair in the sitting room. My room was opposite the sitting room, so I could just walk into the sitting room after coming out of my room.
The first woman was putting on a long skirt and a top, paired with two big neck chains, she applied gel on her head and it looked glossy but in an odd way. She stared at me with ridicule and disdain but I just lowered my head.
The second woman was also putting on a black long gown, her necklace was even, it was probably up to like five and I shook my head.
They were both pretentious people, and they were dressed luxuriously because their outfits were one of the trends in the town but It was of a cheaper brand. I would not have known about this if not because I liked watching movies made in the city and also liked reading magazines.
"She even styled her hair, who is she impressing?"
"Laura, don't tell me that you allowed her to work? My daughter did not even dare to."
"Look at her dress, it's even prettier than yours Laura."
"She must be making so much money, has started giving you some of her savings? She should even give you her salary, she is an adult and you can't continue to feed her."
"You should even make her stay at home and help you with your work as a seamstress."
"Don't you think you should marry her off?"
The more the two women talked, the more terrified I became. Marry me off? Make me stay at home? Stop me from working? Isn't it all ridiculous?
When I noticed how quiet my stepmom had become, my palms quivered and it became clammy. I knew how selfish and self-centered my stepmom was, she cared for her face more than her life and she would not hesitate to sell me out.
"Yes, I will marry her off soon. She said, My heart skipped a beat at her outburst. Is she being serious or joking? I can't help but think of what she just said.