Trapped in a Secret Marriage with a Dangerous Billionaire - Chapter 282

Chapter 282: Their Next Big Mission
Aurora chose to wear a multi-coloured shift dress that hid her baby bump for the night.

She used a soft floral perfume on her wrists and dabbed some around her neckline before reapplying her pink lipstick while sitting in front of her vanity table.

“You shouldn’t stay there later than 8 PM,” Xander spoke from the side as he watched her get ready. “It would be preferable to spend the night rather than travel back late.”

“But you don’t want me spending the night at my father’s house, so you want me home early,” Aurora finished for him as she turned to meet his gaze.

She wasn’t angry or anything, just stating the obvious.

Xander smiled as he got ready to defend himself.

“Sweetheart, it’s actually because I don’t want anyone dragging you into their drama. Being pregnant is already stressful, then you had to add office work to it.” Spreading his arms out, he added, “I feel for you.”

Aurora shook her head as a smile bloomed on her lips. It didn’t matter whether he was telling the truth or not. She chose to believe him.

At least, she was well aware he cared so much about her that her safety was his priority rather than his selfish interest.

“As we discussed earlier, Nene will go with you,” Xander said as he started walking towards her. “Read the room and respond with wisdom.”

Stopping in front of her, he leaned in to kiss the corner of her neck. Of course, he would do that. That was the reason he got up from the couch in the first place.

“I trust you,” he said, leaning away from her.

“You don’t have a choice,” Aurora replied. Then, she grabbed her bag from the desk and got up on her feet. “See you, darling.”

Xander followed solidly behind Aurora until they arrived at the entrance of the house, where Nene was already waiting.

Xander proceeded to adjust Aurora’s coat before hinting that she could come right back into his arms if she changed her mind about the dinner.

“See you in a few hours, Xander,” Aurora said with a smile before walking away.

She wasn’t going to change her mind about this dinner. She needed to know what her Aunt was thinking, and which better way to find out except through conversations over dinner?

Xander stood at the entrance and watched until Aurora’s car left before he went back inside the house. And as soon as he got into the study room, his phone’s ringing tone went off.

At first, he thought it was Aurora calling, but when he saw Asher’s name displayed on the screen, disappointment contoured his face.

“What’s up?” Xander answered the call and placed the phone on his ear as he walked towards his desk to sit.

“All’s good,” Asher replied quickly. “I got leads on our next big mission. It has to do with a dangerous arms-snuggling syndicate. And guess where this terrorist group is based?”

Xander frowned slightly. And since he had the luxury of time, he tried to guess the right location for their next mission. But when none of the options he came up with in his head made any sense to him, he gave up.

“You tell me.”

Asher chuckled. “You won’t believe it, but we are going to Octavia Empire.”

“What?” Lines appeared on Xander’s forehead as he leaned out of his seat. He didn’t look pleased.

“Sounds unbelievable, right?” Asher teased.

Xander briefly shut his eyes and opened them again. “How did you get this piece of information?”

“I pay more attention to the organization than you these days, so of course, I will get information faster than you,” Asher stated proudly. “Anyway, the Royal family of Octavia asked our President for help as soon as they got the intelligence report.”

Xander thought for a moment before asking, “Is it possible for a big crime organisation to be suited in Octavia?”

Asher knew he had his doubts. Even he was surprised when he learned of that information. But then again, big terrorist groups are known to hide and operate from the least expected locations.

“We are required to change our appearances and accents completely,” Asher added. “We will be gone for months.”

A groan escaped Xander’s lips. Aurora wasn’t going to like this. Even he wasn’t comfortable being away from her, knowing that their child was growing in her belly.

Asher understood his best friend’s frustration from the other end of the phone and sighed. He didn’t know what to say to make him feel better, so he went ahead to continue talking about their new mission.

“From next week, we are required to be at Arsenal’s headquarters twice a week. This mission is a serious deal, and highly confidential. We need to follow up on so many details and start a special operation training.”

Asher continued revealing more details to Xander, which ended up leaving him more displeased than he already was.

He thought he had more time to spend with his wife before the next mission. He hadn’t expected the situation to turn out this way.

“Is there a possibility that the Reagent family have a hand in this?” Xander inquired.

“There is, but we aren’t sure,” Asher replied. “But it will do us a lot of good if they are involved in this so we can get rid of them once and for all.”

Letting out a sigh, Asher thought of something and added with a trace of seriousness in his tone, “Lex, you know the Reagent family have been after you for sabotaging their plans. You have to be careful this time around.”

“I’m already thinking about it,” Xander said, his voice lacking enthusiasm. He was already exhausted for a mission that wouldn’t commence until next year.

After talking about the mission, Asher stirred the conversation towards something else to lighten the mood.

“I think you are not going to be the only one lacking time for yourself this period. My mother wants a grandchild, so she took it upon herself to arrange several blind dates for me. Now I feel like I’m going to need your moral support.”

Finally, Xander’s resolve cracked. He made fun of Asher and blamed him for being single at this age.

“What were you thinking would happen?”

Asher immediately sat upright at the other end. “Don’t make fun of me. Have you forgotten when you got married?”

“I was waiting for the right one, and I found her,” Xander stated proudly. He didn’t want to mention Victoria being in the picture before because Asher has never dated seriously.

“Seems like I came to the wrong person for moral support,” Asher scoffed.

—

Swift Family Residence.

Aurora was welcomed warmly by her family’s butler, who stood outside until her arrival.

It has been a while since Aurora last visited, so of course, the staff dearly missed her.

The butler mentioned to Aurora that her Aunt was already waiting in the living room as he escorted her inside with Nene following closely behind.

As soon as Aurora walked into the living room, Stephanie stood from the couch and approached her with a big smile, while her cousins slowly stood up as well.

“Welcome, Aurora.” Stephanie hugged Aurora carefully and leaned away. “I thought you wouldn’t be coming again,” she said, looking into her eyes.

“I told you I would come,” was all Aurora said when she replied politely.

Stephanie nodded and gestured for her to come in properly.

While Nene followed, she thought that Aurora was being treated like a guest.

“Aurora,” both Ivy and Damien called as they took turns hugging and greeting her. “It’s good to see you.”

“Welcome,” Aurora said, returning the warmness before separating from them while Stephanie stood at the side, smiling from ear to ear.

She was elated by how Aurora was getting along with her children.

Before Stephanie could remind Aurora to sit, she chose a two-sitter couch next to Stephanie and sat down before asking Nene to sit down.

Knowing her position, Nene took the other couch next to Aurora’s and fixed a subtle attention on her.

“I didn’t see you come in with any bag,” Stephanie said with her gaze fixed on Aurora after everyone had settled down.

“I won’t be staying for the night. I will just have dinner and go back,” Aurora said to her.

Stephanie sighed. “The helper already cleaned your room and got everything ready. I’m disappointed.”

Aurora didn’t say anything about that, and thankfully, Stephanie didn’t push it. Although she didn’t know what was wrong, she could tell that Aurora was a bit distant, or maybe she was the one overly excited.

“Aurora, congratulations on your marriage,” Ivy started, looking excited to talk about it.

“Thank you,” Aurora replied curtly. Aurora was never close to any of her cousins, so she didn’t know how to relate with them. Thankfully, they understood and didn’t see her as haughty.

“I’m sure you had a wonderful celebration. It’s a shame we didn’t get to attend.” As soon as Ivy said that, she quickly added, “Would you be holding another wedding any time soon?”