Devil's Prisoner of Love by Prefer

As expected, Justin took Aurora off the ship. Ivy, standing on the deck, caught sight of them and exclaimed, "Why does she get to leave? I want to leave too!" In recent days, Mrs. Woolf and Justin had been carefully keeping Ivy and Aurora apart, fearing that Ivy might harm her. Ivy's life on the ship had begun to resemble that of Cinderella in a dark fairy tale-endless laundry and cleaning. She felt like she was slowly turning into a servant.

"She got permission from the boss," Frank said, noticing the envy and bitterness on Ivy's face. He could tell she was struggling with the unfairness of it all.

"Then I want to leave too. Can you talk to the boss for me?" Ivy pleaded.

"Maybe next time. The boss already left," Frank replied, fully aware that Ivy wanted to escape. Living this grueling life on the ship every day-of course, she would be desperate to leave.

Ivy's gaze fixated on Aurora, filled with resentment. God, could you be any more unfair? Aurora, however, treated Ivy like a stranger. Given all Ivy had done to her in the past, Aurora knew she only needed to say the word, and Justin would throw Ivy overboard to feed the sharks. The fact that she hadn't done so was mercy enough. Forgiving Ivy or helping her was something Aurora couldn't bring herself to do. Everyone had to face the consequences of their actions.

When Aurora stepped onto land, she felt a sense of relief wash over her. After so many days of drifting on the sea, the solid ground beneath her feet brought a rare sense of stability.

"You haven't had anything to eat yet. Let's find a place to eat," Justin suggested, his tone filled with concern. Though Justin had essentially kept her captive by his side, Aurora didn't resent him. She believed he was just temporarily blinded by obsession and would cto his senses eventually.

Fate hadn't been too unkind to her, Aurora thought. Back in her darkest days in New York, she had met Asher. He had been her light, staying by her side and helping her through those hard times. He had cared for her with the sattentiveness Justin was showing now. Thinking of Asher made her heart ache a little. He must be worried sick about her, just like Julian.

"Are you thinking of him again?" Justin asked, breaking her train of thought.

"No," Aurora replied honestly. "I was thinking of a friend of mine. If he knew I had disappeared, he'd be worried." "A he?" Justin's heart clenched at the implication.

"Yes," Aurora said with a wistful smile. "He cinto my life during its darkest chapter, like a ray of sunlight. Without him, I wouldn't be who I am today." "Then why isn't he your fiancé?" Justin asked, his voice tinged with jealousy.

Aurora smiled faintly. "Speople are only meant to be friends. Love just doesn't happen. We spent three years together, working hard side by side, but I never fell in love with him. To me, he's family. And family isn't the sas a lover." Pausing, she added, "It's the swith you, Justin. You're a good man, but I will never love you. No matter how long you keepby your side, that fact won't change." Justin's expression darkened. He couldn't help but feel that Aurora was using this opportunity to define their relationship as well.

"Aurora, how can you be so sure you won't fall in love withif you don't even try?" Justin asked, frustration evident in his voice.

Aurora shook her head. "Justin, I know exactly who I carry in my heart. He waited forfor so many years. I couldn't betray him. If I were to have his child and still try something with you, that would be disrespectful-to him and to you." If you're loving the book, nel5sis where the adventure continues. Join us for the complete experience—all for free. The next chapter is eagerly waiting for you! "I don't mind if you have his child," Justin countered.

"But I do. It wouldn't be fair to you," Aurora said firmly.

The conversation seemed to circle back to the spoint. Mrs. Woolf quickly interjected, trying to change the subject. "Alright, alright, didn't we say we were going to eat? Aurora, what would you like to eat?" Aurora understood that she couldn't rush things. She would take her tshowing Justin that it was simply impossible for them to be together.

"There's a restaurant over there. Shall we go there?" Aurora suggested. It had been a long tsince she'd had a proper meal.

Justin and Mrs. Woolf exchanged awkward glances. Having spent most of their lives at sea, they were unaccustomed to dining in formal restaurants.

Noticing their hesitation, Aurora quickly added, "If you don't like it, we can find somewhere else." "It's fine. Let's eat there," Justin said, taking her hand and leading her toward the restaurant. Aurora instinctively stiffened at the contact, uncomfortable with physical closeness to men. But Justin had previously declared that they were a couple in public, so Aurora had no choice but to go along with it to avoid provoking him.

The restaurant was modest compared to the upscale establishments Aurora was used to, but it was one of the nicer places in this small town. Soft music played in the background, and the staff were polite and attentive. Aurora, accustomed to such environments, fit in naturally. But Justin and Mrs. Woolf felt out of place, their unease evident.

Still, Justin made an effort to adapt. If this was the world Aurora belonged to, he wanted to be part of it.

The waiter led them to a table and handed the menu to Justin, who immediately passed it to Aurora. "You decide." "Alright, I won't hold back. You'll both want steak as your main course, right?" Aurora asked.

"Yes," Justin replied.

Aurora skillfully placed their order.

"Three sirloin steaks, a Nicoise salad, roast beef grilled king prawns with beef garlic herb butter... Oh, and I heard you have-" "Miss, you have excellent taste. Are you a food critic or perhaps a journalist?" the waiter asked, impressed.

"Oh, no, it's just a habit," Aurora answered modestly. She wasn't showing off; this was simply second nature to her.

Justin, however, had no idea about her life in New York. He didn't know she was the owner of a New om York-based company and an internationally renowned designer.

Her words left him stunned. He'd always known there was a gap between them, but now he realized it was far greater than he had imagined. The content is on. novelenglish.net!

For Aurora, this was just her reality. She was oblivious to the thoughts running through Justin' and Mrs. Woolf's minds. Sitting there, she exuded an air of elegance, like a princess who belonged in such a place-not on sship. In that moment, Justin had an epiphany. Looking at her, he thought, She should live in a world like this, not hidden away on a ship. From her sketches, he'd already guessed she might be a designer. Keeping her confined to the ship would only tarnish this jewel.

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