Thomas shouted desperately, "Fire!!!" using a pot lid as a shield to protect himself from the spreading blaze. "Lucca, help me here!"The other cooks rushed to grab a fire extinguisher. Lucca smacked his forehead, impressed by Thomas's foolishness.One cook returned with the extinguisher in hand and quickly put out the fire. The place was now surrounded by smoke, causing some to cough due to the lack of air."What did you do?" Lucca asked Thomas. "I just asked you to put the pan on the stove!""And I did that. It's not my fault if this stove is possessed by the devil," retorted Thomas, crossing his arms defensively.The door separating the kitchen from the customer area swung open, revealing Kai's figure. Faster than lightning, the two intruders hid behind the ceramic counter."Who was responsible for this?" Kai asked, referring to the accident moments ago.Everyone fell silent, their gazes lowered. Kai continued to wait for an answer while looking at each employee's face, growing imp
Upon returning to the Hotel Palace, Klaus and Aurora planned to split up to look for Adelaide, but they didn't even need to put the plan into action. On the lawn, couples were dancing to the sound of a slow song, and Griffin and Adelaide were there, in the middle of the improvised dance floor. She intertwined her arms around his neck, while he placed his hands around her slender waist. They swayed gently, looking deeply into each other's eyes, enveloped by an intense passion.Aurora grabbed her camera and took photos of the couple from various angles. She knew that Adelaide would love to have a photo as a keepsake. Still looking through the lens, she focused once again on her sister and the doctor. But just before she pressed the button to photograph them, the image went completely dark, and she realized that a hand had covered the lens."Hey!" Aurora pushed the object away from her face and looked at the man with seriousness. "What do you think you're doing?""We need to talk," Trist
The days passed quickly, and Adelaide continued avoiding talking to Griffin. She even turned off her phone to avoid seeing missed calls and unanswered messages. She knew he wanted an explanation and an answer about the love declaration, but not even Adelaide herself knew what she felt. She was sure she liked the doctor, but she didn't want to give in to her doubts, like her feelings for Kai; they still lingered deep in her heart.Meanwhile, Aurora's life couldn't be better, like a perfectly balanced scale. Work was wonderful; she earned extra money covering the photo shoot for Emotion's special Christmas edition. Regarding college, she would soon go on a field trip and was very excited about the classes. And lastly, she and Tristan continued to meet and stay true to the agreement, which favored her love/sex life.On that cold afternoon, Aurora calmly exited the subway. One of the reasons she loved the end of the year was that she didn't have to face the crowded throng that always form
Xavier drove his car attentively, while Aurora observed the companies, shops, and residences through the window, all while the rain fell softly. The journey was silent, which bothered the girl."Thanks again for picking me up," Aurora said."Why are you thanking me again?" he glanced at her from the corner of his eye."Oh, nothing. I just thought it was very quiet," Aurora continued, looking out at the landscape. "How did you meet Tristan?""His father, Mr. Callahan, gave a lecture announcing Tristan's presidency," Xavier replied."And how did you become friends?" she asked curiously. Tristan had a big problem with intolerance, which made it strange that Xavier had easily gained his friendship and trust."Not to brag, but I'm one of the top employees at Callahan's," Aurora made a bored face because it was clear he was bragging. "So, since I hold an important position, I had to be by Tristan's side to inform him about everything related to the company. I also helped him navigate around
It was already night, and the neighborhood square was simply magnificent. Illuminated by the colorful lights of the twinkling bulbs, the benches were personalized with red ribbons, and tables with red tablecloths and chairs were arranged for the neighbors to settle in. In one corner, an even larger table was filled with food and drinks. The place was filled with joy and camaraderie.Amidst all the excitement, Klaus and Lucca hid in a bush, looking at the people around with the help of binoculars."Did you find Alex?" Lucca asked without looking at his friend."Not yet... but I found something else," Klaus said, smirking mischievously as he used the magnified view to observe a woman not far from the bush.Lucca looked in the same direction Klaus was looking and then pulled the binoculars away from his face, flicking his friend's forehead."Focus on the mission!"Meanwhile, Aurora walked back and forth, greeting all her neighbors with great joy, even those she didn't particularly like.
It was almost midnight, and with each passing minute, Kai and Adelaide's desperation grew. The restaurant was about to close, and they were hurrying not to miss the dazzling neighborhood fireworks display. Only the two of them remained at the place.Adelaide was putting away pots in the kitchen cabinets, indignant at what she had heard. "She's lying to me!" said Adelaide, expressing her frustration.As Kai took off his apron and hung it on a hook in the corner, he replied, "I warned you to keep an eye on her."Still intrigued by the revelation, Adelaide tried to imagine what Aurora was doing behind her back, but it was hard to come to a conclusion, as she thought she knew everything about her younger sister's life.Kai tried to understand the situation better: "Did you notice any different behavior from her in the past few days?"Adelaide answered after finishing arranging the pots and leaning on another countertop, facing the chef: "Not that I remember. Apart from the fact that she's
On the morning of December 25th, Aurora sat at the table with Adelaide and Kai, who had spent the night in the guest room. She sipped the bitter coffee prepared by her sister, or at least tried to stay awake, as she had barely slept the night before.The intercom's ring awakened the girl, who was almost dozing off on the chair. Adelaide answered the call and returned to the kitchen seconds later with a puzzled look."Alex is in the lobby; he said he wants to talk to you," Adelaide informed, sitting down next to Kai.Aurora finished her coffee, grabbed her coat, and left without saying a word. She already expected that Alex would seek her out to talk about what happened last night, and if he didn't, she would do it herself. Her sleepless night had given her time to reflect on various family-related issues.Upon reaching the lobby, she saw Alex standing up from a chair when he noticed her presence."Sorry for interrupting. You should be enjoying Christmas," he said."It's okay. I have t
Days later, wearing white formal clothes, Kai rang the doorbell of the apartment. Shortly after, Adelaide opened the door, and her beauty left Kai speechless before he could complain about the delay. Adelaide wore a simple and delicate white strapless dress, with a small matching heel, and her hair was styled in a high bun."You look beautiful," Kai complimented, making Adelaide smile shyly."Beautiful? Is that all you've got?" Thomas interrupted, looking over Adelaide's shoulder to catch a glimpse of Kai in the middle of the living room. "She looks marvelous! Of course, I helped. If I wanted, I could turn an ogre into a prince!""Where's Aurora?" Kai asked, entering the place and looking around."In her room, trying to choose an outfit," Adelaide closed the door. "Thomas, please, can you go help her?""I'm going, otherwise, we'll only get to Central Park next year!" Thomas said, flipping his hair to the side and leaving the living room."Are you following her?" Kai inquired to Adelai