Aurora??!

She lay there, trying to sleep, but every time she closed her eyes, the same horrifying scenes replayed in her mind. Frustrated, she sat up on the bed and noticed Dante still working under the study lamp, his headphones on.

"Mr. Blackwood," she said quietly. He immediately turned toward her, his expression attentive.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" he asked.

Aurora wondered how he had heard her with the headphones on. Did he keep the volume low on purpose? she thought.

"No, nothing in particular. Aren't you getting any sleep? I can sleep on the floor," she suggested, looking around the room. With no couch or alternative, the floor seemed like the only option.

"No, no, don't worry about me," Dante replied. "I have some work to finish. I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight. Please feel free to use the bed."

Aurora smiled, though it was more of a plea. "I'm not able to sleep either. Is there anything I can help with?"

He scoffed lightly before walking over to sit beside her with his laptop and a few files. He handed her a pencil and the files. "Review these and find anything that could help the company secure the deal."

Aurora nodded and got to work, reading through the files carefully, while Dante focused on his laptop, scrolling through major documents. It was a strange kind of calm between them, working silently in the quiet hours of the night.

After an hour, Aurora had finished rearranging the papers and clipping them back together. "You done?" Dante asked.

"Kind of. I'll run through the major points if you have some time," she said.

"Sure, please."

Fifteen minutes later, after a detailed discussion, Dante was impressed. For an IT grad, she was picking up business details remarkably well.

"And lastly, there are these reports from 2015-2019 and 2022-2024 on their IT and fashion industry revenues... they've been inconsistent," she pointed out. This was a strong argument to propose a negotiable deal price.

"Good job, Aurora. This is going to be one of the key points. Can you mark the first, fourth, and last points with these markers? It'll help me differentiate them better."

"Sure," she replied, reaching for the markers.

"Aurora??!" She froze. When did I give away my name? she thought, looking at him, confused.