Chapter 2 Scheme to Catch Her Cheating

Aurelia’s head whipped around, and she looked at the city beside her. She rolled the window down and the gust of rain fell on her heated skin. She snapped out of her confusion when the cab driver hurriedly rolled the window back up.

It was July of 2025, and she was in Ashdale, banished after her wedding to Luther. It had been approximately a year since the wedding, and she had seen the girl seated beside her more times than the man she had lawfully married.

Sarah McLaughin was a twenty-year-old menace who had done nothing but be a pain in the ass since Aurelia arrived. She had her nose turned up because she had a special identity. Her mother was Luther’s nanny, and she had stayed by his side until she decided to retire. Luther had considered this nanny dearer than his then-absent and now dead mother, so he settled her into his summer home in Ashdale, thousands of miles away from the Beckett ancestral house.

What the circumstances behind this retirement were was unclear to Aurelia, but the house was massive. It should have been a welcome prison for her, but she felt small and invisible in the big house. The servants whispered behind her back and ignored her, knowing Luther hated the new wife who had forced her older sister to flee the country and taken her place to marry him.

She was just a substitute for the great Luther Beckett’s first love, whom he had dreamt of marrying and failed. No wonder nobody except for the few people who attended her wedding knew of her existence.

In the eyes of the world, she had been sent abroad to study.

Sarah noticed the faraway look in Aurelia’s eyes and scoffed. “Are you happy Luther is finally coming to see you?” she questioned.

Aurelia broke out of her thoughts and stared at Sarah with an unfathomable look. “Luther is coming?” she replied, measuring the tone of her voice lest it betray her lack of knowledge.

“You’re so dumb, I swear,” Sarah whined before rolling her eyes. “Didn’t you dress up for him? Why are you pretending to forget now?” She clucked her tongue. “If not for you, Luther would visit more often. To avoid you, he hasn’t even taken any vacations.”

Aurelia furrowed her brows as she tried to remember when Luther had volunteered to see her. Indeed, his hatred for her had made him exile her. But he had come to Ashdale once… to catch her red-handed.

Her eyes widened when she realized what day it was. In the near distance, the tall Victorian hotel loomed over the otherwise dreary skyline.

Yes, that night was when Luther accused her of cheating. He didn’t offer her a chance to explain. He didn’t hear a word when she told him she had been tricked and assaulted.

Thinking back, Aurelia knew for a fact he was happy to pin the blame on her. To find another reason to push her further into the hell of his own making… He wanted to keep her miserable, holding a glimmer of hope over her head before doling out the fatal blow. He had never cared about the truth.

“I’m going to meet my husband. Why do you look more excited than me?” Aurelia countered.

Sarah bit her lip, thinking for a moment before answering, “It’s because Luther doesn’t trust you! He knows all about that boy from next door,” she hissed. “Aren’t you ashamed of seducing such a young boy when you have a man like Luther as your husband? I don’t know what’s wrong with you!” she huffed.

Aurelia lowered her head and her shoulders shook with laughter. “Why should I be ashamed? Maybe you feel it because you are willing to be the fourth wife of the family’s old butler.”

Sarah’s eyes flashed with fear. ‘How does she know that?’

Aurelia raised a brow in challenge. “Of course, I know you aren’t climbing that old man’s bed. But what would people think if they heard such a rumor?” she questioned. Her eyes flickered to the rearview mirror, where she noticed the taxi driver looking at them with mild interest.

He offered her a guilty smile at being caught before looking away.

Sarah gritted her teeth and didn’t say another word. She had felt a terrible rage when she saw this usually timid woman for the first time. Aurelia had tainted the pure dream she had harbored since her youth. Hence, she settled for an old man who had siphoned enough money to lavish his women with gifts. On the other hand, this wretched, weak woman could get a young, handsome boy panting after her even though she rarely went out of the house.

Truly, she was a siren.

“If I ever hear anyone say I am marrying that baldie, I will know it’s you. Do you understand?” Sarah hissed. She shoved the bottle of water into Aurelia’s hand and placed a small pill on it. “You really think you’re a young lady, don’t you? I have to place your medicine on your hands for you to take it on time!”

She wanted to yell and scream, but she bit her lip and stared intently at Aurelia as she popped the pill in her mouth and uncapped the bottle of water. She took a mild sip before screwing the lid back on.

“Go back to ignoring me,” Aurelia advised her gruffly.

“Or what?” Sarah snapped.

Aurelia glanced at her dispassionately before looking away. She didn’t miss how tense Sarah’s shoulders were as they stopped in front of the hotel. Sarah all but dragged her into the hotel and walked the narrow hallway to the room in which Luther was staying.

Sarah’s head was filled with plans. Maybe she would let Aurelia leave and go into the room alone. She shook the thought away, deciding that getting rid of Aurelia was better than facing the wrath of those powerful people.

Aurelia didn’t notice her plans at all. She stared at the closed door, no sign of the happiness she felt all those years ago when she lived out the same scene. Luther was not on the other side. Instead, Kevin Conrad, the son of a local businessman, lay in wait for her.

He had seen Aurelia the first day she arrived, his gaze filled with unfulfilled lust. But he grew frustrated when the young girl didn’t spare him a glance. He had never been denied what he liked, hence he came up with such a twisted plan.

It fell in line with what everyone wanted. Aurelia would be painted as a promiscuous woman. It was a stain she couldn’t wash away and wouldn’t be able to hold her head up proudly and claim her position as Mrs. Beckett in front of the world. None of the elders in the Beckett family would accept such a woman to carry their bloodline.

Aurelia sucked in a deep breath and turned to Sarah, extending her hand.

“What?” Sarah snapped.

Aurelia looked at the lock pointedly. “The keycard.”

Sarah rolled her eyes and tapped it on the scanner. It pinged green, and she waved it in front of Aurelia. “Don’t get so cocky,” she huffed.

Aurelia twisted the knob and stepped inside. The lights were switched off, and she inspected the room carefully, knowing exactly why the scene this time was different. Last time, she had taken her meds and fallen asleep in the taxi. When she awoke under Kevin, confused and shocked, Luther had stormed the room. The pills were the same ones she took on a regular basis, so after days of analyzing what it could have been, Aurelia guessed it was the drugged bottle of water she took the pills with.

This time, she pretended to sip the water, using Sarah’s nervousness as the opportunity to pull the wool over her eyes. She turned her head to the side and wiped her lips aggressively, hoping none of it was ingested.

She couldn’t be sure, but she didn’t dare take any chances. Aurelia ran to the bathroom and fiddled with the panels until the spray of cold water came rushing down. She splashed her face with it before pushing her finger down her throat, trying to gag.

Satisfied, she padded back to the room, letting the water run in the bathroom, a decoy planned to buy her time. She lay in wait in front of the door, listening to the water run. It would take a few minutes before the water started to flow over, and then another few before it flooded the room. The hotel staff would force their way in once it happened.

She lay in wait in front of the entrance door, her ear flush with the wood. After a few minutes of complete silence, she reached out and twisted the knob even though she knew it wouldn’t work. Her heart skipped a beat when it didn’t budge.

“Dammit,” she hissed.

She picked up the phone at the bedside and put it to her ear. Belatedly, she realized it was dead. The trap was well-planned. Neither Kevin nor Sarah could have come up with one so intricate.

She could hear Sarah’s muffled voice on the other side, sounding panicked. “I think she’s trying to open the door… No, I gave it to her, but she… she didn’t look drowsy at all!” Another long pause. “What should I do?”

“Check on her? Are you sure?”

The knob twisted again and Aurelia sprinted to the nearest exit.

The balcony.

The French door opened and then shut. She hid behind the curtains, hoping the lights from outside wouldn’t betray her silhouette. She pressed her palm over her lips, stopping herself from making any sound.

“Where did she go?” Sarah groaned. The sound of water running in the bathroom continued. “God, is she showering in wait for Luther to come?” she snickered.

The water kept running, and Sarah was partially sure that Aurelia had knocked out as she lay in wait for Luther. And what if she didn’t? Aurelia still thought Luther was coming and waiting for him. Could she escape once Kevin entered?

She could leave with peace of mind.

No sooner had she decided than the door opened. She tried to turn, but a pair of warm arms embraced her from behind. The stench of alcohol was overwhelming, but the voice in Sarah’s ear was starkly sober.

“Mrs. Beckett, I advise you not to scream. If anyone sees you with me, they wouldn’t think you came against your will. And your husband won’t stop at divorcing you… The moment he finds out, it’s hell for you.”

The threat startled Sarah. Kevin had mistaken her for Aurelia.

Kevin’s hand dipped lower, leaving her waist and tugging at the hem of her jeans. He flicked the button, ignoring her struggle and holding her in place with one hand.

Sarah couldn’t believe the audacity of the man. She wanted to open her mouth and scream, but Kevin beat her to it, “I’ll treat you well. Your husband will never be as good as me…”

Sarah’s lips snapped shut as she weighed the pros and cons in her head. No matter what, when Luther came inside, he would find Aurelia unconscious in the bathroom. That way, she could pin all the blame on Aurelia and the man she was cheating with. She was just a bystander who had been harmed by the cheating pair.

And Sarah? What did she have to lose?

She stopped struggling, yielding to Kevin willingly. The passionate encounter pushed them towards the French door. Right outside, Sarah gritted her teeth, bile threatening to force itself out. In a rush of panic, she looked over the railing and gulped.

The fall would be fatal, but the chance of her jumping over and landing on the next balcony was high.

With little regard for her safety, Aurelia climbed the railing. Her hands shook as she balanced on the thin metal. Cold wind and rain whipped across her face, making her lose her bearings. Still, she jumped. She landed with a soft thump on the ground with a second to spare before Kevin slammed the French door open and pushed Sarah outside, still facing away from him.

In a state of utter panic, Aurelia scratched at the large door in front of her. She used up every ounce of luck she had accrued in her lifetime in that moment.

Click.

The door slid open easily. Cold air rushed in after her.

The room was dimly lit, but the man lounging leisurely on the couch looked up unconsciously. The dark glass of whiskey in his hand tipped over, and he cocked his head to the side.

“Aurelia Beckett, to what do I owe this pleasure?” he asked, a devious smirk on his lips.