Coordination was key. It was what would ensure a successful mission like ones she had done millions times previously. Yet Aurora knew that the only way this would work was if she avoided Oliver entirely. With his big stupid smile and his enticing, irritating words, she was desperate for him not to give her away.

“Don’t talk to me in there,” Aurora had demanded, her voice stern and arms crossed tightly to show she meant business. “Don’t look at me. Don’t acknowledge me. Don’t even breathe in my general direction. Do you understand?” Her attempt to be authoritative, to hold up to the experience she had over him, seemed futile. Oliver was infuriatingly impossible to intimidate.

His eyes danced playfully across her face, jumping from the tops of her ears, to her eyes, to her nose, to her lips. Aurora despised the way his toothy grin gave her a fluttering warmth in the pits of her cold stomach - the very same cold stomach that allowed her to decieve so easily.

This would not be an easy mission.

Oliver had entered before her. He had requested it this way to give himself the experience of scouting the situation alone. He was to check for threats such as guards, weapons, quiet and observing guests, and of course, the hosts.

There were “6 guards,” - 8 in fact, he had missed a pair round the back of the building - “each with a weapon and possible concealed weapons held by the hosts themselves. At least half a dozen quiet and observing guests,” though Aurora would have discounted one for someone simply unable to cope with her social anxiety which though made her quiet, didn’t make her overly observing, “and three hosts: a mother, a father, and their daughter.”

Oliver took his station, mingling in his neat black tie and suit with a concoction of some alcoholic drink that made him wonder what the drink to olive ratio was, and scanned his eyes across the sea of wealth in clothes. Aurora wasn’t afraid to admit that he wasn’t bad for someone with his experience, but that wasn’t good enough for her to trust him implicitly.

Oliver immediately broke Aurora’s second rule upon entry, his eyes unable to look away from the red silk that shaped her body in a way that was designed with such ethereal beauty, it was the only thing you could look it. The guard hardly noticed her invitation, let along the forged signature.

The room was large and decorated with unecessary embellishment carved into the wall, lined with gold. The ceiling even had typical renaissance paintings though Aurora guessed they were not actually painted in the renaissance era, and the floor was a swirling, smooth marble that threatened those in high heels with a deathly land if something were to happen.

She spoke with guests for a little while, introducing herself as a “distant neice” of “Lady Constance” of whom owned - in part with her husband - the manor they were in. What a ‘distant niece’ actually involved, Aurora was unsure, but no one ever asked.

Looking towards Oliver, she caught him winking at Lady Constance’s daughter, hating him for how charismatic he actually was. She also saw Lady Constance’s husband, Lord Harold, catch the wink. Oliver was smart for that. It allowed her just enough time to slip away whilst she was not under the watchful eye of the Lord.

Now swapping the codes were easy. Everything went according to plan and Aurora found herself back amongst the crowd in minutes, but she couldn’t leave straight away, it would be suspicious. And then all of a sudden, Aurora found herself in the arms of the capable Oliver.

“People are dancing. I needed a partner,” he excused, his eyes just as playful as before. As much as Aurora internally protested in a battle between her brain and her heart, she just allowed it to happen.

They swayed back and forth to the sound of the gorgeous music playing and then Aurora found herself resting her head on his chest. She could hear the rhythmic sound of his heart beating quicker and quicker, and she could feel the heat radiating from his body. She hadn’t realised it but it was the first time in what felt like years that she actually relaxed.

What had happened to her hatred for him? She didn’t know either, but she didn’t mind that it was gone.

Her instructions were simple and clear, yet here she was, falling in love with her colleague in an dance of eternal love.