Escape Planners [on hold]

Chapter-14

Aura Finley

Having been working nonstop for the entire day had exhausted me to the bone. I even had Kian terminate our scheduled evening meeting. It was already half-past nine at night and everybody had retired to their rooms after dinner, except for Vinnie and Joy, who were out on a date, and myself who was in the storeroom inside the manor where all the props, equipment, and other materials of wedding preparation were stored.

Apparently, Mia forgot to lock the door and requested me to do it for her. I locked the door and safely put the key in my pocket and headed upstairs since the storeroom was in the basement. The lobby was crowded with guests with everybody chatting away; some giggling, some laughing, all and all it gave away the ambiance of festivity.

Keeping a distance from them and instead of exiting from the front door, I chose the secluded corridor that directed to the back door. I walked into the dimly lit corridor, lost in myself when I heard someone whispering something, loud enough to be heard by any passerby. It was the voice coming from the room I was passing by.

Neither I was someone to eavesdrop on someone's conversation, nor the stranger's conversation would mean anything to me, but my steps came to halt when my and Kian's name taken by the stranger reached my ears.

Why would anybody talk about us? Who could it have been?

Intrigued to know who was that, I tiptoed to the side and carefully pressed my ear against the door. My heart beating fast, my chest heaving rapidly, and apprehension of being caught surged inside me. But above anything, I wanted to know who it was.

A soft yet deep gasp escaped my throat when I heard Rian's voice.

"Hadn't I told you not to call me, Matt? I've been giving you every detail regarding that and Kian and Aura are doing their job just fine at the correct pace. Just calm down and wait for the right moment, okay?"

Who could she have been discussing us with? Who could have been the person that she had to talk to in a secluded area away from everybody else?

I already had a suspicion that she was up to something, but now I was sure of it. Damnit, she was one shady woman!

Kian must know this. He must know what his heat-soaring Rian was up to.

"Okay, bye." She hung the call and I frantically pulled myself away from the door and made myself appear calm and composed and acted as though I heard nothing. I quietly marched ahead, only to be stopped by Rian.

"Hey, who's this." She sounded uneasy. I clenched my eyes shut and cursed for my luck. Slowly, I turned and face her.

Her eyes turned wide in fear as if caught red-handed. Well, she was.
"A—Aura? W—what are you doing here at this hour?" Her hands went up to her brush her hair and her feet shifted left and right. A sign of nervousness.

I was uneasy too but I did not let it surface on my face. She need not know that I heard a part of her secret conversation with a secret person.

"Oh, I was going back to my room. Came here to lock the storeroom." I said as I took slow, confident steps towards her and stood at a hand distance from her.

"Oh, alright..." I saw her gulp, her pupil moving left and right, then she looked at me. "Uh, did you hear anything while passing by?"

"Was I supposed to?" I enjoyed it when my confident stance made her more nervous.

"Oh, no, no, no." She tried to chuckle.

"Then I didn't." I shrugged coolly which caused her to sigh what appeared to be in relief. Just how dumb was she? She failed to notice the hidden meaning in my reply.