Chapter 6 – Shadows in the Boardroom

Lawrence's Pov 

I stood at my office window and looked down at the city spread out below me. From up here, everything looked small and manageable. Like pieces on a chessboard waiting to be moved.

My phone buzzed with an update from Marcus. He was one of my most trusted people, and he'd been tracking Damien Scott's movements for the past week. The report was interesting.

Someone was interfering with Damien's business deals. Small things at first. An investor pulling out at the last minute, a contract that fell through unexpectedly. A shipment that got delayed just long enough to cause problems.

On their own, these things could be coincidence but together, they formed a pattern. Someone was systematically disrupting Damien's operations, and they were being very careful about it.

I had my suspicions about who it was.

Aurora Stanley had changed. I'd noticed it the moment we met at the gala. The way she carried herself was different, she was more guarded and aware. And when she approached me with her proposition about destroying Damien, she'd had a look in her eyes that didn't match her reputation as a naive heiress.

Something had happened to her. Something that made her wake up and see what Damien really was.

I wanted to know what it was.

"Mr Astor?" My assistant knocked and opened the door. "The board meeting is ready."

"Thank you, Claire. I'll be right there."

I grabbed my tablet and headed to the conference room. Today's meeting was important, we were finalizing a deal with one of Damien's major suppliers. Once we signed this contract, Damien would lose his primary source for materials, and it would cost him millions.

But I'd set up something else too. Something that would tell me if my suspicions about Aurora were correct.

The board members were already seated when I walked in. We went through the usual formalities and then got down to business, the supplier's representative was eager to sign. Damien had burned too many bridges, and now his former allies were looking for better options.

"Everything looks good, Mr Astor. We're happy to move forward with Astor Group." The representative smiled and reached for the contract.

"Actually, there's one small change I'd like to make first." I pulled up a document on the screen. "I want to add a clause about exclusivity. You won't be able to work with Scott Industries or any of their subsidiaries for the next five years."

The room went quiet. This wasn't a normal business move. It was aggressive, and it would make it obvious that I was targeting Damien specifically.

The representative hesitated. "That's a significant restriction, Mr Astor."

"I'm willing to increase our offer by twenty percent to compensate."

That got their attention, money always did.

"Let me consult with my team." The representative stepped out to make a call.

While we waited, I pulled up another screen on my tablet. This one showed a live feed from a contact I had inside Scott Industries. I'd planted this person months ago, and they'd been feeding me information about Damien's operations.

But recently, someone else had been accessing files they shouldn't have access to. Someone who knew exactly what to look for and how to cover their tracks. The digital fingerprints were subtle, but they were there.

I'd traced them back to an IP address that belonged to the Stanley household.

Aurora.

She was good,better than I expected. She'd managed to dig into Damien's finances without triggering any obvious alarms but I had better systems and better people. I saw everything.

The representative came back in. "We accept your terms, Mr Astor."

"Excellent." I stood and shook his hand. "Claire will handle the paperwork."

As everyone filed out, I stayed behind and pulled up my messages. I sent a quick text to Marcus.

"Confirm the source. I need to be sure."

His response came back fast. "Already did. It's her."

I smiled. Aurora Stanley was playing a dangerous game, and she was doing it well but she was still learning. Still making small mistakes that someone like me could catch.

The question was, what did I do about it?

I could confront her. Tell her I knew what she was doing and offer to help more directly but that might scare her off. She was clearly keeping secrets, and she wouldn't trust me if she thought I was digging too deep.

Or I could keep watching. Let her make her moves and see how far she was willing to go. That would tell me more about who she really was and what she was capable of.

I was leaning toward the second option when my phone rang. It was Daniel, one of my security people.

"Mr Astor, we have a situation."

"What kind of situation?"

"Damien Scott just sent someone to the Stanley residence. Our contact says he's there to handle Aurora personally. They're concerned about her recent behavior."

I felt my jaw tighten. "Who did he send?"

"Marcus Chen. He's one of Scott's fixers, he usually handles problems quietly."

I grabbed my jacket. "Send me the address. I'm on my way."

"Sir, are you sure that's wise? If Scott finds out you're protecting her, it could complicate things."

"I don't care. Make sure our people are ready."

I hung up and headed for the elevator. Aurora might be smart, but she was also still inexperienced. She didn't know how ruthless Damien could be when he felt threatened. And if he'd sent Marcus Chen, then he was already suspicious.

I couldn't let anything happen to her, not when we were just getting started.

The elevator doors opened, and I stepped inside. My reflection stared back at me from the mirrored walls. I looked calm, but inside, I was calculating every possible scenario.

Damien was making his move. That meant Aurora had rattled him more than I thought. Let him be scared and make mistakes.

But I needed to make sure Aurora survived long enough to see this th

rough.

Because whether she knew it or not, she'd just become the most important piece in my game.