Chapter 5 – The Game Begins

Aurora's Pov 

The car ride back from my meeting with Lawrence felt like it took forever and no time at all. My hands were still shaking when I parked in the garage. I sat there for a minute, just breathing and trying to process what just happened.

Lawrence Astor knew things about Damien that I didn't even know in my past life. He had files, documents, and a whole plan ready to go. 

The way he talked about destroying Damien was cold and calculated, like he'd been thinking about it for years. And those gray eyes of his kept studying me like he could see right through every lie I told.

I got out of the car and headed inside through the side entrance. The house was quiet, which meant Father was probably in his study, and Seraphina was doing whatever fake sweet sister thing she did during the day. I needed to get to my room without running into either of them because I knew my face would give something away.

"Aurora? Is that you?"

Seraphina's voice came from the living room. I plastered on a smile and walked in to find her curled up on the couch with a book. She looked so innocent sitting there in her soft pink sweater with her hair in a braid.

 In my past life, I would have sat down next to her and told her everything about my day. Now, all I could see was her naked in my wedding bed with Damien.

"Hey, Sera. Just got back from some shopping."

"Oh? You didn't bring any bags." Her eyes were friendly, but I caught something else underneath.

"I didn't find anything I liked." I shrugged and started toward the stairs. "I'm pretty tired, so I think I'll go rest before dinner."

"Wait." She stood up and walked over to me. "Are you okay? You've seemed different lately."

My heart pounded, but I kept my expression neutral. "I'm fine. Just stressed about the wedding planning and everything with the company. You know how Father can be."

She reached out and touched my arm. "You can always talk to me. I'm your sister and i'm here for you no matter what."

The urge to slap her hand away was so strong I had to clench my fists. Instead, I smiled and nodded. "I know. Thanks, Sera."

I went upstairs before she could say anything else. Once I was in my room with the door locked, I finally let myself breathe. This was going to be harder than I thought. Pretending everything was fine while knowing what they were planning was like swallowing poison every single day.

But I couldn't think about that right now. I had work to do.

I pulled out my laptop and started going through files I'd ignored in my past life. Financial records from the company, emails between Father and his business partners. Contracts that Damien had convinced me to sign without reading them properly. Back then, I trusted him completely. Now, every document made me sick.

There were so many red flags I'd missed. Small transfers of money that didn't make sense. Meetings that Damien had with our competitors. Emails where he talked about me like I was a business asset instead of a person.

I spent hours going through everything and making notes. My eyes were starting to hurt from staring at the screen when I found something that made my blood run cold.

A bank account in the Cayman Islands. Set up three months ago in Seraphina's name and Damien had been transferring money into it regularly. Money that was being siphoned from investments he'd convinced me to make with him.

I sat back and stared at the screen. This was it, proof that they were working together, proof that this wasn't just about Damien cheating on me but about them stealing from my family. They'd been planning this for months or years.

My hands were shaking again, but this time it wasn't from fear. It was rage.

I wanted to march downstairs right now and throw this evidence in their faces. I wanted to scream at them and call Father and expose everything but I couldn't, at least not yet.

If I revealed what I knew, they would ask how I found out. They would realize I'd been digging into things I never cared about before. They would know something had changed, and they might move up their timeline or find another way to destroy me.

No. I had to be smart about this, i had to play the long game just like Lawrence said.

I started making a new file on my computer. First, I needed to stop the money transfers without making it obvious. Then, I needed to gather more evidence. Enough that when I finally exposed them, there would be no way for them to talk their way out of it.

I was so focused on my work that I didn't hear my phone vibrate the first time. The second time, I glanced over and saw a notification from an unknown number.

My stomach dropped.

I picked up the phone and opened the message.

"You're being watched, trust no one."

I stared at the words. I read them again and again.

Who sent this? How did they get my number? And what did they mean I was being watched?

I jumped up and went to my window. The curtains were open, and I could see down into the garden and the street beyond. Everything looked normal, there was no strange cars, no people standing around.

But someone knew. Someone had noticed that I was different. That I was digging into things.

Was it Lawrence? Was this his way of warning me? Or was it someone else? Someone who worked for Damien or Seraphina?

I closed the curtains and sat back down on my bed. My heart was racing, and my mind was going in circles. I wanted to call Lawrence, but I didn't know if I could trust him either. He said he would find out my secret, and he seemed like the type of man who always kept his promises.

I looked at the message again.

Fine, i wouldn't. I'd gotten myself killed in my past life by trusting t

he wrong people. This time, I would be smarter, I would only rely on myself.