INICIAR SESIÓN***SERENA***“Seriously?” I said to myself. “You're just going to lay me off after using me for three years?”Weight settled against my shoulders as I packed. I folded slowly, careful with each piece of clothing, as if the way I handled them might decide whether I was allowed to leave at all. The room was so quiet that every movement I made felt loud in my ears.“Where will you go now?”Elena’s voice came from behind me.I didn’t turn right away. My fingers smoothed down the dress in my hand harder than needed. “I don’t know,” I mumbled. Then, after a moment. “I’ll just go somewhere far away.”She scoffed, then took small steps closer to me. The mattress dipped slightly as she reached for a blouse and began folding it gently beside me. She placed it neatly into my bag, then reached for another.“You don’t have to help,” I said.“I know,” she replied. “But I want to.”That made me look at her.“Why?” I asked. “Landon is your boss, and you have no obligation to me anymore.”She smiled
***SERENA***“You know if he finds out, he'd kill you, right?” Elena's voice came out cold.“Please… don't tell him anything,” I begged, clasping my hands together. “I'm sorry I let my curiosity get the best of me.”“This isn't just curiosity,” she said. “To me, it seems like you're just begging to be killed.”My chest tightened at her words, and no matter how much I tried to speak, nothing came out.“Just… go before I change my mind.” She muttered, turning her head away from me.“Please… are you going to keep this between us?”“I said go!” The intensity in her voice threw me off balance, and my legs moved before my brain could even catch up.In a swift motion, I hurried up the stairs and locked myself inside my room.I lay in my bed, hands clasped over my thighs as my heart hammered loudly against my chest. My mind travelled through different scenarios of what would happen if Landon finds out that I broke his rule.Then slowly, the world blurred at the edges, and sleep swallowed me w
AURORA'S POV“Aurora, please open up…” he muttered again, and I couldn't take it anymore, so I jumped to my feet and unlocked the door.What I saw next made my heart stop and my lips flew apart—Ronan’s arms were locked into Lenora’s and he carried a bright smile on his face.“You could have just answered when I was still ready to apologize,” he muttered, still smiling. “Now I'll just have to go with your sister.”My eyes traced towards Lenora standing firmly beside him, and she even winked at me. Really… is this really happening? Just where did I get it wrong? How could he go from being the most intentional man on earth to this? Why didn't I ever see any traces of this? And how long has he been seeing Lenora.Several questions rushed into my mind at once, and I had no answer for even a single one.“Aurora dear,” Lenora’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts. “I'm sorry to tell you this, but you'll have to move out of this house. And about your father's properties… I already have everyt
AURORA'S POVA tear slid down my face as soon as the door closed behind Ronan. I couldn't argue with the fact that I was already hopelessly in love with him, but I still can't allow myself to be vulnerable the same way I was with Cassian. Yes… If I had met Ronan before Cassian, I definitely wouldn't have had a second thought about him because he was truly sweet. But right now, I can't just stop thinking that he might just be another snake under the guise of a caterpillar.“I really hope I'm making the right decision,” I whispered, head buried in my palms.But first, there was something that I needed to do. I straightened and walked towards the bag I went out with, then reached for the card that Detective Elias gave me at the station. Something told me that I could trust him, but I'm choosing not to believe until I hear what he has to say for himself.I picked up my phone and carefully dialed the number on the card, then placed a call immediately.He picked up on the second ring and sa
RONAN'S POVI guess I was wrong not to involve her, but all I was trying to do was make sure she didn't fall into the same fate as her parents, not when I have the means to investigate from the shadows. “Aurora!” I called, reaching my hand into the air, but she didn't stop or even turn. Instead, she walked out of my study, and I gritted my teeth hard.Even up till now, I couldn't explain why I cared so much about her, or why her reaction and feelings could influence how I feel this much.I'M NOT FALLING FOR HER, AM I? WE'RE ONLY DOING THIS OUT OF MUTUAL BENEFIT, NOTHING MORE.But even at that, I still won't back down until I find out George Vale's real killer.I sighed heavily as I picked up my phone once again and dialed Damien's number.He picked up at once. “Alpha.”“I want you to look into every CCTV leading to Big Joe's house and every and every dash cam you can find. Be as discreet as possible, we don't want the police finding out.”“Sure,” he responded firmly. “I'll put everyt
AURORA'S POV I sat quietly throughout the ride back home. I couldn't stop thinking about Big Joe's death, and even more crazy… How Ronan was able to get us out of it in just a few hours. I glanced at him briefly, and he remained as composed as he usually was. We got home minutes later, and the car finally pulled to a stop. Ronan got out first, and I waited in the car as he rounded it and opened the door for me, his other hand stretched towards me. I took his hand with a forced smile and got out of the car. We walked quietly through the compound as maids bowed from every direction. The moment the door of the living room closed behind us, I couldn't stop myself anymore. “Ronan,” I called, and he stopped in his tracks before he turned slowly to look at me. “What's wrong, Aurora?” “What do you mean, what's wrong?” My voice croaked, but I grounded myself anyway. “Did you know Big Joe was going to die?” “I had no idea…” he responded in a cold tone, eyes completely locked onto me.







