"Miss Aurora, you're finally back," Tina greeted her happily, though her smile faded as she noticed how unwell Aurora appeared.
"Aunty..." Aurora managed a slight smile as she took off her flat shoes.
Seeing the fancy shoes made Aurora smile inwardly. She still couldn't believe it: David had bought her all the girly things that young Aurora usually wore. The knee-length black gown barely covers her wound, making her worry that Tina will see.
To avoid Tina noticing her injured leg, she concealed it and casually walked inside.
Tina followed closely behind. "Miss Aurora, where have you been? You look like you haven't been eating for a while! Oh my God, why are your clothes different from before? Are you alright? Did something bad happen to you?"
"Aunty Tina, I'm sorry to worry you, but I assure you that I'm fine..." Aurora replied calmly, trying to comfort her with a smile. However, her efforts fell short.
"No, no, no. You can't lie to me, Miss Aurora. Your face looks pale..." Tina continued to express her concern.
"Really? Perhaps it's simply because I'm very hungry?" Aurora rubbed her belly, stifling a laugh as she saw Tina gasp in shock, her eyes wide open.
"Oh Lord, I know I was right. You haven't been eating for a while! Okay, okay, change first. I will cook your favorite food a lot," Tina said as she grabbed Aurora's bag.
When she felt the bag was damp, Tina paused and looked at Aurora again.
"Huh? Miss, why is your bag so damp? I know it was raining before. Have you been playing in the rain?"
Aurora couldn't help but laugh at her innocent question. Tina said the exact words David asked her.
She explained that she got caught in the rain after seeing some friends and couldn't find a taxi to return home.
However, she didn't mention that she had visited the hospital.
"Oh God! Thank God you're not catching a fever. Next time, you need to bring an umbrella, Young Miss."
Aurora felt grateful that Tina believed her this time.
"Alright, I will. Thanks for the advice, Aunty," Aurora lazily replied, taking her cell phone and wallet from the bag before heading to her bedroom.
Just as Aurora was about to open her bedroom door, Tina stopped her.
"Miss, I forgot to tell you. Earlier, Mr. Russel called me. He wanted to speak with you..."
Aurora's heart raced as she recalled her brief encounters with Alvin Russel at the hospital.
'Did Alvin recognize me? Is that why he called to check on me?' She wonders.
"Aunty Tina, why did he call?" Aurora asked, trying to sound casual, even though she felt curious and nervous.
"I'm not sure. He insisted he wanted to speak with you, saying it was urgent and for your own sake, Miss. When I told him you were not home, Mr. Russel requested your phone number..."
Tina hesitated to continue, worried that Aurora would scold her if she knew she had already given her phone number without permission.
'My phone...?' Aurora muttered quietly, glancing at her cell phone. She was unsure if it was still functional or had already broken.
"So, did you give him my number?"
"Yes, Miss. I'm sorry. He sounded very kind..." Tina replied nervously.
Aurora smiled faintly at Tina. "It's okay, Aunty. Please go ahead and prepare our early dinner. I need to wash up now."
Tina smiled and nodded before rushing to the kitchen.
Closing the bedroom door behind her, Aurora didn't rush to check her cell phone. Instead, she took a moment to look around her bedroom again, trying to adjust to her new life as Aurora Spencer and leave her old self behind.
A few moments later, a soft sigh escaped her lips as she walked to her study desk and tried to turn on her cell phone, but it wouldn't turn on.
"Did the battery die?" she mumbled, checking if it was still wet before plugging it in to charge.
...
Later,
Aurora rechecked her cell phone after enjoying a warm shower and changing into comfortable clothes.
She felt relieved to see that the phone was not broken. However, when she turned it on, it buzzed with a flurry of new texts and notifications for a few seconds before finally stopping.
The text message she had awaited appeared, freezing her in place.
Although she hadn't saved Alvin's phone number, she remembered it clearly. Alvin had sent the text.
"Young Miss Aurora, did you visit GS Hospital today? Are you alright?"
"I tried calling you a few times, but your cell phone was inactive. Please call me if you need anything."
After reading two messages from Alvin, her heart sank. Her father had indeed sent her profile picture to Alvin.
"Has Alex seen my picture too?" The thought alone was enough to make her head dizzy.
She set her cell phone aside to let it charge, dismissing all the notifications. She needs to focus more on learning about her new identity as Aurora Spencer.
Sitting at her laptop, Aurora attempted to review her activities and plans. But after a few more minutes of checking, she suddenly felt nauseous.
She leaned back in her chair, momentarily gazing at the gloomy sky while running her fingers through her slightly damp hair, attempting to calm her restless mind.
What she discovered about this girl was genuinely shocking.
"What on earth is happening here? How could this girl possibly have a crush on Alexander Graystone? Seriously!?"
Hearing her voice made Aurora laugh with bitterness. She turned back to her laptop and checked her email.
She nearly had a heart attack when she reviewed the emails that arrived today.
"How is this even possible? Even in this second life, I can't escape that man. How could this girl apply for the internship program in Patrick's division? This is utterly insane!"
Aurora shook her head as she read the email confirming her acceptance into a three-month internship as a programmer at Stardust Tech. She knew better; the programmers at Stardust worked under Patrick Wallace, the Chief Technology Officer. He was Alex's best friend and also his hacker.
She understood the challenge of securing an internship at the country's top technology company, particularly within Patrick's division.
Each year, they select only two individuals from thousands of nationwide applicants representing various universities, choosing only the best.
"Did Alex or Alvin know that I applied there? Is that why they accepted me, or was this girl indeed the best?" Aurora inwardly laughed as she realized how similar they were—this girl was also brilliant!
As Aurora focused on reading several emails on her laptop, her cell phone suddenly rang, startling her.
Without checking the caller ID, she answered the call. "Hello..."
"Finally! You answered my call, Miss Aurora. I've tried reaching you since this afternoon, but your cell phone was off. I also sent a few texts, but you didn't respond. I just noticed that you read my message..."
Aurora was so shocked to hear Alvin's voice on the other end.