Mason dialed the number again after failing to get through, but still no one answered. His heart, which had just calmed down, suddenly tightened again. He opened the messaging app and typed a series of words, sending them out with a "tap tap tap".
"Buzz buzz~" Sleeping soundly, Aurelia's phone vibrated incessantly by the pillow. She frowned impatiently, opened her eyes, and her beautiful fingers groped around the bed until she found her phone and glanced at it.
Why is he calling in the middle of the night?
Aurelia saw a few messages and opened them to read—The first one: "I'm at your door, come out to see me, okay?"
The second one: "Aurelia, come out and see me. Even if you're angry with me, give me a chance to explain." This chapter is from the collection at *.
The third one: "I'm right at the door. Whenever you feel like seeing me, just come out, okay?"
Aurelia put on a coat and stepped out of the bedroom. The living room was dark except for the faint light from the bar counter. She looked towards the door, saw a shadow moving through the gap. Someone seemed to be leaning against the door, sitting down.
Aurelia was stunned for a moment. Was Mason really outside? But... how did he find this place? Was it really like Amanda Fuller said, that he was just intrigued for a moment, interested in her, and went this far for her?
Yet, another voice inside her argued this wasn't the Mason she knew.
"Click." Another room's door opened. Ursa walked out rubbing her sleepy eyes, blinking drowsily at Aurelia standing in the living room, "Young Madam? Why are you standing here in the living room? I just heard someone knocking, has someone come?"
Ursa glanced at the door, intending to check it out. Just then, Aurelia's voice sounded, "Go back to sleep. You heard wrong."
Ursa scratched her head, paid it no mind, and was about to turn back to her room to continue sleeping. The door suddenly knocked "thump thump," and Mason's voice came through the door.
"Aurelia? Are you inside? Come out and talk to me."
Ursa's eyes widened in shock, staring at the door incredulously, blinking as she turned to look at Aurelia, "Yo... Young Madam, Master? Master is outside?"
Aurelia didn't respond to Ursa's words, saying softly.
"But, Master he..." Ursa looked at the tightly closed door, then at Aurelia, hesitated for a moment, and reluctantly asked, "Aren't you going to let Master in?"
"No." Aurelia dropped these words, then turned and returned to her room. Before entering, she looked back at Ursa, her eyes squinted slightly, and ordered, "Don't open the door for him. If I find out you secretly opened it, you can go back to Nightshade Residence."
"I understand, Young Madam." Ursa obediently replied.
"And..." After a pause, Aurelia added, "Here, you don't need to call me Young Madam. You can call me Aurelia or Ms. Shaw."
"Yes, Au... Aurelia," Ursa said.
She watched Aurelia return to her room, saw the bedroom door close, turned back to look at the door, and after wrestling with her thoughts for a long time, returned to her own room.
Thinking it over, she turned off the living room light too.
This way, the Master will know the Young Madam is asleep and will go back, right?
Mason watched as the light dimmed through the crack in the door, and heard no movement through the door panel. It seemed like he had just experienced an auditory hallucination. His mood darkened. Leaning against the door, he took a deep breath, his brow furrowed tightly, and slid down to the floor along the door panel.
Does she not trust me?
Or... has she already been disappointed in me?