Chapter 8 – A Dangerous Proposal

Lawrence's Pov 

Aurora was getting more interesting by the day. Marcus Chen had reported back that she seemed normal during their meeting, but his instincts told him something was off. The way she answered questions was a little too perfect, and she'd avoided certain topics without making it obvious.

I'd been watching her movements through my contacts, and she was being very careful. She hasn't had suspicious meetings, no obvious changes in her routine. But small things were happening around Damien's business that pointed back to her.

She was good at hiding in plain sight.

I decided it was time to make my move. We'd met once and established that we had a common enemy, but we hadn't formalized anything. Aurora was still operating alone, and that made her vulnerable. She needed protection and resources that I could provide.

And I needed her insider knowledge.

I sent her a message from a secure number. "Meet me tonight. I'll send the address in one hour, come alone."

I didn't sign it, but I knew she would figure out it was me.

The location I chose was a private club that I owned under a shell company. It was the kind of place where people came to do business they didn't want recorded. 

Aurora arrived exactly on time. She was wearing dark jeans and a simple black sweater with her hair pulled back. No jewelry, no designer bags. She'd dressed to blend in, which showed she understood the situation.

I met her at the entrance and led her upstairs to a private room. She didn't say anything until we were inside with the door closed.

"You couldn't have picked somewhere less dramatic?"

"I picked somewhere safe. There's a difference." I gestured to the couch. "Sit. We need to talk."

She sat down but kept her posture tense, like she was ready to run if she needed to. "What do you want, Lawrence?"

"I want to formalize our arrangement. Right now, you're taking risks on your own, and that's going to get you killed. Damien sent Marcus Chen to check on you yesterday. How did that go?"

Her eyes widened slightly. "How do you know about that?"

"I know everything that happens in Damien's organization. I've had people watching him for three years." I sat down across from her. "You handled Marcus well from what I heard, but Damien isn't going to stop there. He's going to keep testing you until he figures out what changed."

"I can handle Damien." She said.

"Can you? Because in my experience, people who underestimate him end up dead or bankrupt." I leaned forward. "You need help, Aurora, real help, not just advice, but actual resources and protection."

"And what do you want in return?"

"Information. You have access to things I don't. The Stanley household, your father's files. Damien's personal conversations with you and your sister. I need to know what they're planning and when."

She was quiet for a moment, thinking it through. "You've been watching Damien for three years. Why? What did he do to you?"

"We used to be partners. Five years ago, we were building something together, but he got greedy. He tried to cut me out of a major deal and frame me for fraud, cost me two years and millions in legal fees to clear my name." I met her eyes. "I don't forgive betrayal, Aurora and I don't forget it."

"So this is revenge for you too."

"Yes. But it's also good business. Damien has something I want, and I'm going to take it from him piece by piece until there's nothing left."

She studied my face like she was trying to decide if she could trust me. "How do I know you won't betray me the same way once you get what you want?"

"You don't. But you also don't have better options right now. You can keep working alone and hope you stay ahead of Damien, or you can accept help from someone who has more experience and resources."

"That's not very reassuring."

"I'm not here to reassure you. I'm here to offer you a real chance at destroying the people who hurt you." I pulled out a folder and slid it across the table. "This is everything I have on Damien's current operations, shell companies, money laundering, bribes. All of it documented and verified."

She opened the folder and started reading. I watched her face change as she realized how extensive my research was. This wasn't just business rivalry, this was years of careful planning and investigation.

"How did you get all this?" she asked quietly.

"I have people everywhere. It's amazing what you can learn when you're patient and you pay attention."

She closed the folder. "What exactly are you proposing?"

"A formal alliance. You give me access to insider information about Damien and your family's company. I give you protection and help you execute your plans. We coordinate our moves so we're not working against each other."

"And when it's over? When Damien is destroyed?"

"Then we go our separate ways. Unless you want to consider other arrangements." I let that hang in the air between us.

She didn't react to the implication. "I need guarantees. I need to know that you won't use this information to hurt my father's company or take advantage of me."

"I don't want your company, Aurora. I want Damien, everything else is secondary."

"That's still not a guarantee." She said.

I stood up and walked to the window. The city lights spread out below us, and I could see the building where Damien's office was located. "Three years ago, I watched Damien destroy someone I cared about. I was too late to help them, and I've regretted it ever since. I won't make that mistake again."

"Who was it?"

"That's not relevant." I turned back to face her. "What's relevant is that I understand what it's like to want revenge and I understand what it's like to need help getting it."

She was quiet again. Then she said, "There's something else going on. Something bigger than just Damien trying to steal my inheritance."

"What do you mean?"

"I found a letter from my father. He said my mother's death wasn't an accident and that someone killed her to get access to the company." She pulled out her phone and showed me a picture of the letter. "He mentioned offshore accounts, but I don't know where they are or what's in them."

I read the letter carefully. This changed things. If Aurora's mother had been murdered, then Damien's betrayal was part of a longer conspiracy. Something that had been planned for years.

"Do you know your mother's maiden name?"

"Yes. Why?"

"That's probably where the accounts are registered. I can have my people search for them." I handed her phone back. "But this makes the situation more dangerous. If someone was willing to kill your mother, they won't hesitate to kill you."

"I know." Her voice was steady, but I could see fear in her eyes. "That's why I'm considering your offer."

"So you agree?" I asked.

"I have conditions. First, you don't make any moves without telling me. Second, you don't investigate my family without my permission and third, if things go wrong, you help me disappear." She said.

"Agreed, but I have one condition too." I said.

"What?" She asked.

I walked back over and stood in front of her. "If you agree, there's one thing you cannot refuse me when the time comes."

She looked up at me, and I saw her shiver slightly. "What thing?"

"I'll tell you when the time is right but you have to agree now." I said.

"That's not fair. You could ask for anything." She said.

"Yes. And you'll have to trust that I won't ask for something you can't give." I held out my hand. "Do we have a deal, Aurora Stanley?" I asked.

She stared at my hand for a long moment. I could see her weighing the risk against the potential reward. Finally, she reached out and shook my hand.

"Deal."

Her hand was small and cold in mine. I held it a second longer than necessary before letting go.

"Good, we start tomorrow. I'll have my people look into those offshore accounts, and you'll tell me everything you know about Damien's current plans."

"Alright." She stood up to leave but stopped at the door. "Lawrence? What did you mean when you said you were too late to help someone?"

I looked at her, and for a moment, I considered telling her the truth. That I'd watched her die in another timeline and that I'd spent three years trying to figure out how to save her. But that would raise too many questions I wasn't ready to answer.

"Like I said. It's not relevant." 

She didn't look convinced, but she nodded and left.

I stood alone in the room and looked out at the city again. Aurora had agreed to work with me, but she didn't trust me yet. That was fine, trust would come with time.

What mattered now was keeping her alive long enough to take down Damien and uncover whatever conspiracy had killed her parents.

And maybe somewhere along the way, I could figure out how she'd chan

ged so completely.

Because I was certain now that something impossible had happened to Aurora Stanley.

And I was going to find out what it was.