Chapter 58
Chapter 58:
She stepped around him. The heavy door opened, and a blast of cold air hit them. Outside, waiting on the gravel drive, was not a taxi, but a sleek, matte-black armored SUV. A uniformed driver stood by the open rear door.
Sterling stared at the car. It was a military-grade vehicle, worth more than his Ferrari.
Aurora didn’t look back. She slid into the leather interior, the door thudding shut with the heavy solidity of a bank vault.
From the shadows of the study doorway, Elias watched the exchange. He leaned against the frame, his arms crossed over his chest.
As the SUV pulled away, crunching over the gravel, a small, involuntary smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.
“Titanic,” Elias whispered to himself. He liked that.
A week had passed since the dinner at the estate. The following Saturday morning, sunlight flooded the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Obsidian Tower Penthouse. Aurora stood in the center of the expansive living room, adjusting the cuffs of her silk blouse. The city of New York sprawled beneath her, a kingdom of steel and glass.
“Rory, are you sure about this p>
Arthur Vance stepped out of the guest suite. He was tugging at the collar of his shirt, looking uncomfortable. He wasn’t in a tenement anymore, but the habits of a lifetime were hard to break. He looked around the luxury apartment as if afraid he might break something just by breathing on it.
“I have a suit, Rory,” Arthur said, patting his chest. “The tweed one. It’s perfectly good p>
“It has holes in the elbows, Gramps,” Aurora said gently, walking over to straighten his collar. “And today isn’t just a shopping trip. It’s a statement. You are the grandfather of the woman who owns this tower. You need to look the part p>
Arthur huffed, looking down at his worn shoes. “I don’t need fancy clothes to be me. And I certainly don’t need you spending a fortune. This place… it’s already too much p>
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“It’s not about spending,” Aurora said, her eyes gleaming. “It’s about armor. We’re going to war, Gramps. Just a different kind p>
She led him to the private elevator. Ideally, she would have had a tailor come to them, but Arthur needed to see the world from his new vantage point. He needed to walk into the places that used to shut him out and realize he owned the floor.
Down in the garage, Jones was waiting by the armored SUV. He held the door open.
“To the Fifth Avenue boutiques, Miss Vance?” Jones asked.
“The flagship store,” Aurora confirmed.
They drove through the city, the heavy vehicle cutting through traffic like a shark through water. When they arrived at the high-end department store in midtown, the valet rushed to open the door.
Aurora guided Arthur inside. The store was a temple of consumerism, with marble floors and sales assistants who judged net worth by shoes.
When they walked in, a sales associate looked at Arthur’s comfortable but worn loafers and immediately turned her back, pretending to straighten a rack of ties.
Aurora didn’t care. She guided Arthur to the men’s formal wear section.
“This one,” she said, pulling a sleek, navy Italian suit off the rack. “And this charcoal one p>
“Rory, look at the tag!” Arthur whispered, scandalized. “Three thousand dollars? That’s a used car p>