Marry Ex's Billionaire Uncle After Divorce (Aurora and Jasper) novel Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Restless–1

(Jasper’s POV)

The video conference with the European branch finally ended. I closed my laptop and rubbed the tension from my temples. It was ten o’clock at night. The house was silent.

I walked down the hallway to Rosalind’s room. The door was open, but the bed was empty. The pink duvet was perfectly smooth.

Mrs. Potts stepped out of the shadows, her hands clasped in front of her apron.

“Sir,” she whispered respectfully. “Miss Rosalind insisted on sleeping with Miss Sienna tonight. She said she couldn’t sleep without her.”

I nodded, a faint smile touching my lips. Everyone in the household knew how attached Rosalind was to Sienna. When they went out together, strangers often mistook them for mother and daughter. It didn’t bother me. In fact, seeing them together felt more natural than seeing Rosalind with Aurora.

“Let them be,” I said softly.

I turned and walked toward the master bedroom. I pushed the door open, expecting to see a light on, perhaps Aurora reading in bed.

The room was dark. Cold.

I flipped the switch. The bed was made. The pillows were untouched.

She hadn’t come back. Again.

Irritation flared in my chest. I loosened my tie, pulling it roughly from my collar, and marched out of the bedroom and into my study.

Aurora was getting bold. My assistant had reported earlier that she had checked out of the hotel, but she hadn’t gone to any of my other properties in Los Angeles. She was hiding.

“Playing hard to get,” I muttered, pouring myself a glass of water.

I had been lenient today. I had spoken to her calmly. I had practically offered an olive branch. And this was how she repaid me? By running away and ghosting me?

I pulled out my phone and dialed her number.

It rang. And rang.

Chapter 10: Restless–1

I tapped my fingers against the mahogany desk, my patience fraying with every second. Finally, on the ninth ring, the line connected.

“Jasper,” her voice came through, followed by a heavy, impatient sigh. “Look at the time. Whatever you have to say, say it fast.”

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I gripped the phone tighter. “Watch your tone, Aurora. My patience is limited. Where the hell are you?”

“And?” she asked. Just one word. Cold. Indifferent.

“I said, don’t test my bottom line,” I snapped. “I’m asking you where you are.”

“Are you at home?” she countered.

“I’m in the study.”

She let out a short, dry laugh. “Right. Of course. You haven’t even stepped foot inside the master bedroom for two days, have you? If you had, you would have seen what I left for you.”

“What are you talking about?”

“There is something on the nightstand,” she said. “Go look.”

My grip on the phone loosened slightly. A gift? Was this her way of apologizing without losing face? I should have known. She couldn’t stay away for long.

“Fine,” I said, my voice regaining its authority. “I’ll look at it later. But you need to come back tomorrow morning. There is a charity gala tomorrow night. I need you to select my tie and cufflinks to match my suit.”

Silence stretched on the line for a moment.

Then, a laugh. It wasn’t warm. It was sharp, mocking, and full of absurdity.

“Jasper,” she said, her voice dripping with disdain. “I am not your stylist. And I am certainly no longer your wife. That sounds like a ‘Sienna problem‘, not a me problem.”

“Aurora-”

“Go ask your beloved Sienna to help you,” she cut me off. “She’s so good at servicing you, isn’t she? She can pick your tie while she’s at it.”

*Click.*

She hung up.

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Chapter 10 Restless–1

I stared at the screen, stunned.

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She had never hung up on me. Never. She had always been the one waiting, the one listening, the one obeying.

“Unbelievable,” I hissed.

The sense of control I prided myself on was slipping. It was a restless, gnawing feeling in my gut.

I tossed the phone onto the desk. She was trying to provoke me. She wanted a reaction. Well, I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction.

I strode into the bathroom and turned the shower handle to the coldest setting. The icy water hit my skin, but it didn’t douse the anger burning inside me.

Let her stay out. When she realized she had nowhere to go and came crawling back, I wouldn’t forgive her easily. She would have to beg.

(Sienna’s POV)

Sunlight streamed into the guest room, burning my eyelids. My head throbbed. The champagne from last night was still wreaking havoc on my system.

“Auntie Sienna! Auntie Sienna!”

Someone was shaking me. Hard.

“Wake up!”

“Ugh, stop it!” I snapped, my eyes flying open.

I sat up abruptly, wincing as a sharp pain shot through my arm. The movement jarred my

injury.

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Chapter 10: Restless–2

Chapter 10: Restless–2

“Get off me!” I yelled, shoving the small hands away. “It hurts!”

Rosalind froze. Her eyes went wide, filled with fear. She shrank back against the pillows.

I blinked, the fog clearing. I looked at the little girl trembling in front of me. This was Rosalind. Jasper’s daughter. My golden ticket.

I immediately softened my features, forcing a mask of pain and fragility onto my face.

“Oh, Rosie… I’m so sorry,” I whispered, my voice trembling. I cradled my bandaged arm. “Auntie didn’t mean to yell. It’s just… my arm hurts so badly right now.”

Rosalind’s fear instantly melted into concern. She looked at my arm, then at my face.

“Is it… is it because of the bad mommy?” she asked, her voice small.

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“Yes, sweetie,” I sighed, looking down. “The injury your mother gave me… it still hurts in the mornings.”

Rosalind crawled closer. Her little face was full of determination. She leaned down and pressed her lips gently against the edge of the fiberglass cast.

“I’ll kiss it better,” she murmured, looking up at me with adoration. “Does that help?”

“Much better,” I lied, stroking her hair.

We were late. By the time the driver got us to the private kindergarten, it was nearly ten

o’clock.

Ms. Lane was waiting at the door, checking her watch. She looked stressed.

“Rosalind,” she said, crouching down. “You are very late today. We have already started circle time. Please try to be on time tomorrow, okay?”

Rosalind pulled her hand from mine. She crossed her little arms and glared at the teacher.

“I don’t care,” she announced loudly.

Ms. Lane blinked. “Excuse me?”

“I said I don’t care,” Rosalind repeated, lifting her chin. “I can come whenever I want. My Daddy is on the school board. He owns this place.”

A group of children gathered around, watching the scene. They didn’t look disapproving. They

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Chapter 10 Restless–2

looked awestruck.

“Wow,” a boy whispered. “She can do anything.”

Rosalind beamed. She turned to the other children, basking in their attention.

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“That’s right,” she declared, her voice ringing with the arrogance I had carefully cultivated in her. “In this school, I do what I want. No one can tell me what to do.”

She marched past the teacher without a backward glance.

(Aurora’s POV)

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