t h i r t y t h r e e

"Xavier, I really don't need you here 24/7 keeping an eye on me whenever I'm in the kitchen."

Aurora huffed, throwing a glare at her meddling boyfriend who sat in front of the breakfast bar at the large kitchen island. It was like he didn't have a multibillion company to run.

Xavier opened his mouth to protest but was cut off again with Aurora's grumbling.

"I mean, I'm really not that hopeless. Rosa's been teaching me and I think I'm capable of making a simple dish. Plus, it's Megan's first day with us and I just want to cook her a homemade meal."

Aurora's pout grew when Xavier didn't budge. She stood in front of him across the island with her hands on her hips, glowering at him.

And yet again, he remained unfazed.

Aurora had officially moved in with Xavier and she never realized how much she actually owned. She tended to hold onto items that she justified with the excuse of "maybe needing it later". Her logic also included the ideology that cleaning up was just hiding everything in her drawers.

Out of sight, out of mind.

This didn't work quite well with Xavier, especially when they spent days going through her things, dividing them into two separate piles.

The keep pile vs. the throwaway pile.

She even found some of her old notes back from grad school, which made Xavier stare at her with disbelief. And those definitely went in the throwaway pile. Xavier wouldn't even allow an 'I think I'll need this later, but I'm not quite sure' pile. Hence why they spent hours since Aurora was terrible at letting things go.

In all honesty, she would've just stuffed everything into a single box. To her defense, it would've saved a lot of time.

"Really, babe? You're still going to watch over me?" She deadpanned, pointing the tongs in her hands at Xavier. "I just need to sauté the veggies and grill the meat. I wrote down step by step what I need to do and it really doesn't seem that hard."

Xavier's eyes drifted from his stubborn girlfriend who refused any help to the pan behind her. He raised an eyebrow.

"The pan's on fire."

Aurora scoffed and rolled her eyes at his nonsense, talking as she turned back to the stove. "What do you mean the pa- Oh, fuck the pan's on fire."

Her eyes widened with panic at the flame that had somehow magically appeared in the pan. Quickly, she grabbed the pan, not knowing what to do with it. Moving back and forth with panic, she finally threw the pan into the sink and turned the water on.

She could hear Xavier's snickering behind her as she watched the flame disappear in an instant. Aurora frowned as she stared at the remnants of what was suppose to be sautéed broccolini.

"This is all your fault," she muttered when she felt his presence behind her.

Xavier chuckled, wrapping his arms around her waist. "How is this my fault, sweetheart?"

"You were distracting me!" She threw her hands up with despair as she continued to stare at the burnt pan. "I was doing so well, too."

"Mmm, I don't know about that," he murmured next to her ear, placing a kiss on the skin behind her ear.

Grumbling, she elbowed him, hoping to get a reaction out of him. But instead of hurting him, she was sure her elbow took most of the hit. What was he, made out of steel?

With a grunt, she began to scrub the pan, hoping to erase any traces of scorched broccolini.

"Are you mad at me?"

Scrub.

"I was just teasing you, love."

Scrub.

Not able to take the silent treatment, Xavier leaned over her and turned the water off. He gently gripped her hips and turned her around so that she was now facing him. His eyes zeroed in on her lips that were naturally forming a pout.

Aurora sighed, leaning forward so that only her forehand was touching his chest. He really was made out of steel. Keeping her head down, she spoke with a small voice that made Xavier's heart clench. "I just wanted to prepare a nice meal for her."

Xavier chuckled, rubbing her back comfortingly. "I know, sweetheart. But really, it's the thought that counts— even if we have to order takeout."

She sighed again.

Xavier brought his hand to her chin, tilting her face so that she looked directly up at him.

"How about the three of us go out for dinner?" He murmured, gently coaxing her, hoping to make her feel better. "We can go to that Thai restaurant that you like so much."

Aurora's eyebrows scrunched as she contemplated the suggestion. Thai food did sound really good right now.

"Can we get mango sticky rice for dessert?" Her eyes grew wide as she stared up at him causing any resolve to immediately disappear, not that he had any to begin with when it came to her.

"You know I can't say no to you, love."

Finally, a smile broke out on her face. She wrapped her arms around Xavier's neck as she stood on the tips of her toes to press a sweet kiss on his soft lips.

"God, you're so fucking cute," he murmured against her lips, not pulling away completely. "I love you."

Aurora smiled before bringing him closer, pecking his lips between each word. "And, I love you."

The two were lost in their own little world with everything else forgotten. But their moment was soon ruined when a voice called out a warning.

"Teenage girl about to enter the room," announced the youngest Knight, causing the two to break apart. Having been here for only a day, she knew how affectionate the couple could get.

Keeping his hand on Aurora's waist, Xavier turned them around so they were now facing the wide entrance of the kitchen.

Seconds later, Megan walked in with a small smile playing on her lips. She held her phone in one hand and a book in the other. Even though it was almost summer, she still wore long sleeves that ran to her hands.

Isabella had gone to Paris to attend a fashion show and dragged Alexander along with her. Not wanting to stay in their huge estate alone, Megan had requested to stay with one of her siblings.

And since there were only two weeks until she graduated high school, Megan's parents gave her permission to stay with Xavier and Aurora until graduation day. She was basically done with school already and had already decided which school she wanted to go to.

"Megan!" Cheered Aurora awkwardly. "How was your nap?"

"Really good," the younger girl fumbled with the sleeves of her shirt before sniffing the air. "What's that smell? It smells like something was burning."

Aurora's eyes widened, as Xavier began to laugh.

"N-nothing!" She stammered, quickly moving to stand in front of the sink, hoping to hide the evidence from wandering eyes. She elbowed Xavier in the stomach as he continued to laugh before giving Megan an innocent smile that basically screamed that she was hiding something. "Your brother here was just about to do the dishes."

"Wha-"

"Hey! Is that a new book?" Aurora quickly interrupted Xavier before he could even begin. She walked over to where Megan was standing, wrapping her arm around the younger girl's shoulders.

"Yeah—Um, I just got it last week," There was a confused look on Megan's face as she was led out of the kitchen by Aurora.

"I love Nicholas Sparks."

Before they were completely out of sight, Aurora turned around.

"Love you," mouthed Aurora as she pointed at the sink cheekily. She turned her attention back to Megan as the younger girl excitedly began to talk about the book.

Xavier shook his head as he watched them make their way out of the kitchen. He turned back to where the charred pan sat in the soapy water— the smile on his face disappearing slowly. He let out an exasperated sigh, still not quite understanding how this even happened in the first place.

Rolling up his sleeves, he began to scrub.

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"Megan Ella Knight, don't you walk away from me."

Xavier's angry voice could be heard echoing throughout the large house until it reached Aurora's ears.

Wondering what was going on, she turned from her seat on the living room couch only to see Megan walk past her in a quick pace towards the stairs that led to the bedroom she often stayed in whenever she was here. Her head was down, but Aurora could see the bruises and cuts on her face clear as day.

Not soon after, Xavier stormed into the space, following after his youngest sister while shouting at her to stop. Aurora quickly pushed aside her white faux fur throw blanket and trailed after the siblings with worry.

She could hear Xavier banging on the door as she got closer and closer.

"Megan, let's talk about this," begged Xavier as he continued to pound on the locked door. "You can't expect me to not do anything after seeing you like this."

"Go away," Megan's voice came out muffled through the door.

"Open the door now," Xavier commanded—his voice turning stern. "Before I kick it down."

"Hey," She stopped him before he did anything rash. Aurora brought her hand up to gently grasp the arm he was using to pound on the door. "Let's give her some space."

Not fighting her, Xavier followed Aurora's lead to the lounge just down the hallway from Megan's room.

"You can't expect me to not do anything when there's someone who's obviously hurting my baby sister," he ran his fingers through his hair in frustration as he tried to calm his breathing down.

"And I'm not," she soothed. "But going at it like this is just going to make her shut down even more."

"Then what should I do?" His voice came out in a broken whisper. "She refuses to tell any of us where she's getting all those bruises from— and I think by now, we all can speculate what exactly is going on."

"Let me talk to her," she suggested. "Maybe she'll talk to me."

Xavier sighed before nodding, seeing that it was the only option as of right now.

Aurora squeezed his hand before moving to the restroom to grab the first aid kit. She then headed back to the locked door.

"Megan?" She called out in a soft voice, knocking gently on the door. "It's me."

It was silent, but before she could knock again, she heard the lock click open. Aurora turned back to look at Xavier who was standing off to the side and gave him a reassuring smile.

She entered the room, gently shutting the door behind her. Megan was sitting with her head down on the bed.

Quietly, she took a seat next to Megan on the bed. Before she could say anything, Megan threw her arms around her and began to sob. Aurora quickly wrapped her arms around her, comforting the young girl.

No words needed to be exchanged because Aurora knew. She knew exactly what Megan was going through, having been through it herself. Her own eyes were beginning to tear up thinking about what this beautiful and passionate young girl was probably going through.

When her sobs subsided, Megan laid her head on Aurora's shoulder exhaustedly.

"Let's get you cleaned up," Aurora said gently. She pulled away and grabbed the first aid kit that was long forgotten.

As she began to disinfect and treat the wounds on Megan's face, she felt her heart break even more. It was a lot worse than she had imagined— only catching a glimpse when Megan ran by.

Megan flinched as Aurora gently dabbed one of the cuts. She didn't know why, but there was just something about the older girl that made her feel comforted— like she wanted to pour her heart out to her. There were no questions asked, and Megan felt comforted by Aurora's presence.

"Thank you," Megan whispered when Aurora began to pack the first aid kit up. She gave Aurora a grateful smile, grimacing slightly due to the cut on her lip.

Aurora returned with a small smile, taking Megan's hand in hers. "You're not alone, Megan. It might feel that way now, but you're not. I was in the same exact position back when I was in high school and I just want you to know that we're all here for you."

Megan nodded, silently looking down at their adjoined hands.

"I know you're probably exhausted, so I'll let you rest," continued Aurora, not wanting to push the girl. She knew the young girl had probably had to deal with a lot today. "How about I come pick you up from school tomorrow and we can get ice cream or something? And if you're up for it, we can talk."

Megan thought for a second before nodding slightly.

"I'd like that," her voice came out small. "Thank you, again, Aurora."

"Of course," Aurora stood up from her spot. She helped Megan lay down on the bed. "I'll bring you something to eat as well as an ice pack in a bit."

Aurora took one more look at the young girl before stepping out of the room, gently shutting the door behind her. She leaned against the door, taking a deep breath to calm her feelings down. Her emotions were running haywire, but she knew she had to be strong.

After putting the first aid kit back to its rightful place in the restroom cabinet, she went to look for Xavier. She was actually kind of surprised he wasn't waiting right outside of the door when she walked out.

She found him in the kitchen, tensely moving ingredients from the refrigerator to the kitchen island. Cooking had always been a way for him to calm himself down.

He looked up when he saw her coming from his peripheral vision and halted his movements. She could tell by his eyes that he had many questions he wanted to ask.

"She's resting," she opened the refrigerator to grab an ice pack.

"How is she?"

"Exhausted from crying."

Xavier felt his heart clench with sorrow as he thought about the pain his baby sister had to endure— both physical and most likely mental. "Did she tell you anything?"

She shook her head.

"She didn't say much," Aurora looked down at the marble counter, placing the icepack down. "The wounds— how could they do that to her?"

She could hear him suck in his breath as he closed his eyes with anger.

"I'll kill every single one of those motherfuckers," he declared angrily, slamming the knife down onto the cutting board. He was seething and he would find out who even dared to do this to his sister. "My father's been sponsoring the damn school since Damien and Steph were there. And they still allow this shit to happen?"

Aurora grabbed his hand in hopes of calming him down. He turned to face her— eyes softening when they met her own. With a heavy sigh, he pulled her close, bringing her into his warm embrace.

"I know it's been going on for a while now— fuck, we all know," he muttered brokenly, resting his chin on her head. "What kind of brother am I if I can't even protect my baby sister?"

"You're an amazing older brother, babe. You shouldn't blame yourself for the actions of others— this is on them," she wrapped her arms around him tighter. "But I know she's strong and she will get through this. She has an amazing group of people around her who will support and help her through this."

He bent down dejectedly, resting his head at the crook of her neck.

"I'm taking her out for some ice cream after school tomorrow," she murmured, running her hand up and down Xavier's back soothingly. "She seemed to want to talk after I told her I went through something similar when I was in high school."

She felt his arms tighten around her waist. He placed a small kiss on her exposed shoulder. "Thank you for doing this, love."

He knew this was probably bringing her back some difficult memories, but all she did was give him a small encouraging smile.

"She reminds me so much of me when I was younger," she whispered, resting her head on his chest. "I won't let her fall into that darkness."

Xavier stood back up, brushing away a strand of hair from her face. He looked into her eyes and saw that instead of reliving her painful past, her eyes held a promise— one that he knew she was determined to keep.

He leaned down to place a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Why are people so keen on hurting the most beautiful and kind-hearted people in the world?"

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I'm sorry I keep changing the cover!!!!!! I promise It'll be the last time in a while-- actually nvm I take that back, I can't promise that because I'm indecisive af!!!

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE 30K READS, YALL ARE FKING AMAZING!

Let me know what you guys think and yea! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a lovely ass day <3

Love, Mae (it's finally revealed...kinda)