Se connecterThat day felt longer than usual.Darius didn’t leave right away.And Aurora… didn’t ask him to.There was no long conversation. No serious discussion. Yet his presence felt… different.Darius spent most of his time with Hazel.Holding her. Soothing her when she stirred awake. Sometimes just sitting quietly, watching her small face with an expression Aurora had never seen before.Gentle.Aurora observed from a distance. Silent… but she didn’t stop him.Something was slowly changing. Not in the situation—but within Aurora herself.Evening turned into night.The lights in the house came on.The atmosphere grew warmer.Aurora stood at the entrance of the dining room.“Darius.”He turned.Aurora hesitated slightly. “If you want… you can stay for dinner.”Darius nodded, without many words.He smiled—a warm smile.The dining table was neatly set. Warm dishes were served.Aurora sat on one side.Darius across from her.Hazel was already asleep in the bedroom, watched over by the nanny.For t
Aurora ended the call without saying another word.Silence immediately filled the room.She was still looking at Darius.No long explanation was needed.She already knew the answer.“Why?” she finally asked.Her voice wasn’t raised.But it carried weight.Darius didn’t answer right away.He stepped closer, still keeping a distance that respected the boundary Aurora had set.“Consider it…” he said casually, “…an investment.”Aurora narrowed her eyes.“An investment without profit?” she remarked.Darius gave a faint smile.His gaze dropped to Hazel, who remained calm in Aurora’s arms.“Not all returns can be measured in numbers.”The sentence was simple.Yet it stirred something inside Aurora.“So this is about the baby?” Aurora asked, lowering her gaze slightly to Hazel.Darius didn’t deny it.“Everything I do… always comes back to her.”Aurora searched for an opening, but what she found instead was something else—sincerity.“Darius…” her voice softened unconsciously, “…you don’t have
The car came to a stop in front of an old building standing far from the city center.The place was silent. No passing vehicles. No signs of life. Only weathered walls and a large iron gate that slowly opened as Darius’s car entered.Lily looked out the window. A flicker of hesitation crossed her eyes, but she forced a smile.“You really do love theatrics,” she muttered.Darius didn’t respond. He stepped out of the car first.His men immediately opened the back door and pulled Lily out.She struggled again.“Let me go!” she snapped.No one answered.Darius walked inside the building calmly, as if he were used to the place.Lily was shoved in after him.The iron door slammed shut behind them, the sound echoing.And in an instant, the world felt different.The room was wide—but empty. Only a chair, a table, and a single hanging light in the center.No luxury. No comfort. Only pressure.Lily was forced into the chair. The rope around her wrists was tightened.Darius stood a few steps in
The narrow alley fell silent again after Lily’s words lingered in the air.Aurora’s gaze remained locked on her. There was something about Lily’s last sentence that felt… unfinished. Like a threat that had not yet fully revealed itself.Darius raised his hand slightly.A simple gesture.But enough.His men immediately grabbed Lily.“Let me go!” Lily snapped, struggling to break free. But their grip was too strong.Darius didn’t look at her again.“Take her,” he said coldly.“Where are you taking me?” Lily demanded.“To a place that will make you understand… consequences.”“No… let me go!” Lily thrashed, trying to break free. “You’ll regret this. You’re making a mistake by going against me!”She kept resisting.But she was dragged farther away from the alley.Just before she disappeared from sight, she turned her head.Her gaze went straight to Aurora.And she smiled.A smile that sent chills down the spine.“This isn’t over…” she whispered softly.Then she was gone.Leaving the air he
Aurora’s steps came to a halt the moment those words reached her ears.“Our child… is with that woman.”The world around her seemed to vanish.The voices. The footsteps. Everything faded into silence.Only one thing remained—Hazel.“Where?” Aurora’s voice changed. Sharp. Tense. Almost trembling.On the other end, Darius’s voice remained calm. Far too calm for a situation like this.“An old parking structure behind the shopping center. A narrow alley on the west side.”Aurora turned immediately.No hesitation.No reply.She ran.The air in the alley was damp. The scent of old walls and lingering trash filled the space.Footsteps echoed quickly.Aurora arrived, her breath slightly uneven.And the sight before her—Made her blood boil instantly.Lily.The woman stood in the middle of the narrow alley, restrained by two large men—Darius’s men.A few steps away, Darius stood calmly.As if all of this were nothing more than a minor matter.And in his arms—Hazel.The baby wasn’t crying.Sh
The days passed in a strange way.Calm—too calm.As if a storm that should have arrived… was being held back somewhere unseen.Aurora stood by the window in her office, staring at a photo of the land that had just been successfully cleared. The project had gone smoother than expected. There had been no significant obstacles. No major resistance like there usually was.Everything… had gone perfectly.“The contract has been signed, ma’am,” her assistant said from behind her. “Harrington’s company has been extremely helpful. Even some parties who previously refused… suddenly changed their stance.”Of course she knew why.“Darius…” Aurora murmured softly.A profitable contract. Cleared paths. People suddenly falling in line.It all pointed to one thing—Control.And the purpose of that control…Aurora slowly clenched her fist.Her.And Hazel.Yet strangely, Aurora did not stop any of it.Because for now… it was working in her favor.Meanwhile, Lily had disappeared.No trace. No shadow.Ev







