The Power Play

Chapter 10: The Power Play

Aurora’s POV

"Because I need your help," I said honestly. "Only… we are going to have to adjust some things regarding your condition."

His silence pressed down on me like a weight.

Jace leaned back in his chair, eyes narrowing, eyes that reminded me too much of Alex. His jaw ticked once, and when he finally spoke, his voice was flat.

“There’s nothing to adjust. I made myself perfectly clear.”

“Jace..."

He cut me off with a dismissive flick of his hand. “I don’t care that you’re married, Aurora. All you have to do is divorce him and come back to me. That's the condition. You do that and I take the test and donate to your son. You do that and your son lives."

For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. The fucking audacity. My nails dug crescents into my palms beneath the desk, the only thing keeping me from snapping at him. He had seen Alex’s picture. He knew the boy was his exact replica. Same hazel-gold eyes, same sharp jawline softened by youth. Same smile. He couldn’t deny it, not really. And yet, here he was, acting as though Alex’s survival was just another bargaining chip in his endless game of control and denying him or rather refusing to even acknowledge the fact that Alex was his.

The fury simmered hot in my chest, but I forced it down. Emotion was a weapon in his hands, and I refused to let him use mine against me.

“I appreciate,” I said slowly, carefully, “that you’ve even thought about helping Alex. Truly, I do. But I’m not going to come back as your wife.”

The muscle in his jaw twitched. “Then what exactly are you going to do, Aurora?”

He leaned forward, restingbhis firearms on the desk with his eyes pinned on me. “If you are not going to agree to my terms...then see yourself out the door. This was a waste of time." He sounded irritated that things didn't go his way but this was just the beginning.

If I was the same person from give years ago, I would have given in immediately, maybe even begged him. But not this time.

Not anymore.

I didn’t move. Instead, I shifted deliberately, crossing my legs in the leather chair, tilting my head just slightly as I let a slow smile curve my lips.

“If I leave,” I murmured, voice cool, “then your company loses a whole lot of money."

His eyes sharpened instantly. The predator in him stilled, every sense attuned to me now.

“What did you just say?”

I let the silence stretch, savoring the way the balance in the room shifted, the way his composure cracked just slightly. Then, with studied calm, I said, “Tell me, Jace. What do you know about Biogenix?”

His eyes narrowed. “Why?”

“Because I asked?I asked him then added. "Humour me."

He straightened in his chair, crossing his arms, but his gaze never left mine. “It’s a biotech firm. Mid-sized. Promising research on targeted immunotherapies. We’ve been considering acquisition.”

"That's correct." I said nodding.

His tone turned mocking. “You expect me to believe you suddenly developed an interest in corporate strategy?”

I let out a quiet laugh, one that carried more sharpness than humor. “I know everything your company has offered Biogenix. The buyout price, the integration package, even the ridiculous clause about leadership restructuring. I know the board has debated it for months. I know Lexington’s pending merger makes Biogenix even more valuable. And I know how anxious your company is to get it."

For the first time since I walked into his office, Jace’s composure faltered. His brows pulled together, eyes darkening.

“How do you know that?”

I leaned back, completely at ease now, my hands resting lightly on the arms of the chair. “Because, Jace,” I said softly, savoring each word, “I am Biogenix.”

The silence that followed was thunderous. His eyes widened just slightly, then narrowed as though he was trying to decide if I was bluffing.

“What did you just say?”

“I’m X,” I said simply. The alias that had kept me shielded for years, the phantom owner every corporation had tried and failed to court. “The person your company has been chasing, the one you couldn’t quite pin down? That's me. I’m the owner of Biogenix.”

The look on his face was priceless. It was a mix of shock which turned to disbelief, then settled into something harder. He studied me like I was a puzzle he’d overlooked, a piece of the game he’d never even considered.

“You expect me to believe this,” he said finally, voice low. 

“You don’t have to believe me,” I replied smoothly. “You can call your investigator, you have a good amount of them or even call your board, cross-check the documentation, dig through the shell companies. You’ll find me at the center of it all. I’m the one who built Biogenix. I’m the one you’ve been trying to acquire. I could send you files too if you'd prefer that."

His eyes burned into mine, and I could see the storm gathering there. But I didn’t stop.

"And what if you own Biogenix? What does that have to do with our deal?" He asked me.

“A lot actually. You see, I'm not willing to play house with you so we are going to have to do things my way." I told him.

"Oh, and Incase you forgot, this is what you gain from acquiring my company," I leaned forward now, giving him back the intensity he so often wielded against me. “Exclusive rights to the next generation of CAR-T therapies... treatments already in Phase II trials with breakthrough status. A projected market value in the billions within the next three years. Partnerships with three major European hospitals who’ve signed letters of intent pending only expansion. Patent rights on the synthetic antigen receptor platform.. which, if I’m being blunt, makes every single competitor in your portfolio look outdated overnight.”

I let the words sink in, let the temptation bleed through the air between us.

“Add that to Biogenix’s existing pipeline, rare disease treatments, pediatric oncology, immunology and Carter Holdings doesn’t just gain a company. It gains dominance. You’d outbid every competitor, and own the sector.”

His jaw clenched, but his eyes… his eyes were hungry now. He couldn’t mask it. The CEO in him was salivating at the numbers, the power, the prestige.

“And all of this,” I finished, leaning back again, cool as ice, “is mine to give. Or not. It's your choice."

The silence between us stretched for minutes. I hoped silently that this was enough to entice him. My fingers were crossed under the table too as I waited for him. We continued to stare at each other, outside, I was a woman with power who knew what she wanted while inside, I was just a mother who wanted the best for her son.

Finally, Jace spoke, his voice dangerously soft, “What are your conditions?”

I smiled, sharp and unapologetic. “Two. And they’re non-negotiable.”

His chin lifted. “Say them.”

“One: You will take a test. If you’re a match for Alex, you will help him. No more games. No more conditions. His life isn’t your bargaining chip.”

His nostrils flared, but he didn’t interrupt.

“Two: You stop pestering me to divorce my husband. My life is mine, Jace. You don’t get to control it anymore. If you want Biogenix, if you want everything I just laid out, those are the terms.”