Chapter 5. A Dangerous Proposal.

AURORA'S POV 

Days passed slowly. I was anxious, restless, and barely able to take a deep breath. Ever since I walked out of Aiden’s office with nothing, I hadn’t been able to eat or sleep. Even looking at myself in the mirror made me feel sick. My mind kept replaying two things: Aiden turning me down and the terrifying thought of Peter and his sidekick throwing my body into a river.  

At work, I was a mess. I forgot the words to songs during circle time and almost gave mac and cheese to a lactose intolerant student. I spilled an entire can of paint on the floor and had to stay late to clean it up.  

By the time I got home, the sky was dark and heavy with rain. Holding my bag tightly, I jogged from my bike to the door. I reminded myself I had pepper spray and a Taser, and that there was no way Peter would find me here. But the fear wouldn’t leave.  

As I entered the building, I reached for the light switch but froze. The lights were already on.  

Before I could react, someone grabbed my wrist and spun me around. I screamed, swinging my bag at their face. They dodged easily, letting the bag hit the floor. My things spilled everywhere. I tried to claw at their eyes, but they caught my wrists in one strong hand and pressed me back against the door, pinning me in place.  

“Let me go!” I shouted.  

To my shock, the person actually let go, stepping back and picking up the pepper spray that had fallen from my bag. They examined it like it was a toy.  

“Aiden?”

I blinked in disbelief. But it was him.  

Aiden King, standing in front of me in a designer trench coat, expensive shoes, and his usual scowl that somehow made my heart race.  

“You’re here,” I whispered, more to myself than to him.  

Why was he here? My brain was full of questions. He raised an eyebrow. “Let’s hope our kids don’t inherit your gift for pointing out the obvious. It’s exhausting.” 

He flicked the safety on the pepper spray, fixing it so it was ready to use.  

“Huh?” I pushed my messy hair out of my face, trying to focus. The shadow along his jawline made me want to reach out and touch him.  

Aiden had this way of being impossibly handsome and infuriating at the same time.  

“Remember when I said I don’t do favors for free?” he asked, holding up the pepper spray.  

I swallowed hard. “Yeah, I remember.” 

“Well, today is your lucky day,” he said.  

“Forgive me if I don’t believe that,” I replied.  

At this point, I wasn’t just unlucky, I felt cursed, like I was at rock bottom and someone kept digging.  

“I know what I want from you,” he continued.  

“You want something from me?” I put a hand to my chest, faking surprise. My heart was racing, but I couldn’t help it. Aiden never missed a chance to make me feel small. “I’m shocked.”  

“Don’t give me hope, Flower Girl,” he muttered.  

That nickname stung. Flower girls were little kids at weddings, sweet and harmless. He was mocking me, as always.  

Aiden stepped closer, and I could smell him, masculine and expensive. His presence was overwhelming. “If this is going to work, you can’t fall for me,” he said, his voice cold.  

There was no point in telling him I had never fully stopped having feelings for him.  

He brushed a strand of damp hair out of my face without actually touching me. His icy gaze made it clear he didn’t want to be here.  

“I’ll solve your problems,” he said. “Your debts, your divorce, everything. I’ll make it disappear. Not as a loan. A gift.” 

Relief flooded my body.  

“Oh, Aiden, thank you so much”

“Don’t interrupt me,” he snapped, his voice sharp. “I never waste a good crisis, and yours is useful to me. You won’t pay me back with money. You’ll pay me back another way.”

He met my eyes, his expression unreadable.  

“You’re going to marry me. Be my wife, Aurora. Smile for the cameras. Attend events with me. And give me children. As many as it takes to have a son. One, three, five however many it takes.” 

“Yes!” I said quickly, desperate to accept his offer. “I’d love to” 

Then his words hit me. Wait, what? . I stared at him, trying to figure out if this was some cruel joke.  

It wasn’t. Aiden King wasn’t the type to waste time on jokes. He didn’t even have a sense of humor.  

“You want me to marry you?” I asked, stunned.  

He nodded, completely serious. The man I had dreamed about for years wanted to marry me. But there was only one possible answer.  

“No.” I pushed him away. “No way. Not in a million years.”

“Explain,” he demanded, his tone sharp.  

“We can’t marry,”** I said firmly. “We don’t love each other. And I know you think love is beneath you.”

“Middle class,” he corrected.  

“Comfortable enough not to care, stupid enough not to aim higher. Working and upper classes take finances seriously. May I remind you, the last time you married for love, it ended in debt, a runaway husband, and death threats? Love is overrated. It can’t be trusted. But mutual goals? Alliances? Those last.”

He wasn’t wrong, but that didn’t mean I could do this. The truth was, I didn’t want to marry him because a part of me still loved him. Aiden had been my first crush, my first obsession. A part of me would always want him, and that was dangerous.  

I didn’t trust him with my heart. Plus, marrying Boston’s most hated man was a terrible idea. One bad husband was enough for a lifetime.  

“Let’s compromise,” I offered, forcing a bright smile. “I’ll date you. Be your girlfriend. Go to events, take pictures. We’ll make it look real.” 

He looked at me like I was a joke.  

“You think your company is worth three million dollars?” 

“You want me to live with you, act like your wife, and have your kids for three million dollars? A surrogate gets paid that much for one baby!” I shot back.  

“Then go for a surrogate,” he said with a shrug.  

“That takes time! I don’t have time!” 

“You don’t seem to have much sense, either,” he said, tapping my forehead like I was stupid. “This is your only way out.”

“You’re a cold, heartless bastard,” I screamed, pushing him away. “And I’d rather die than marry you.”