2. WHFL

Aurora stared at Rafael sharply, her chest rising and falling with emotion. She stepped forward, standing between Rafael and the exit, challenging him directly with her eyes. 

"You can't just push me around," she said firmly. "Your business is with my father, not with me. So if you really want your money back, go find him. Don’t come here and threaten me."  

The atmosphere fell silent for a moment. Rafael's eyes looked at her intently, then he laughed loudly and mockingly. His laughter echoed throughout the empty room, making Aurora freeze even more. "Exactly, Aurora Marvelo," Rafael said as he walked away from her toward the large window overlooking the lake. "I did have to take my money from your father..."  

He stopped and turned around. His eyes were now cold, his face hard. He raised two fingers and snapped them once. "And since he's a coward who runs like a dog, then I'll start from his only inheritance."  

The door to the house opened in unison. Several men in black uniforms entered quickly, neatly, and organized. They moved straight in and began opening cupboards, taking inventory, sealing shelves, rolling up expensive carpets, and taking down family paintings.  

"What are you doing?" screeched Aurora in panic. She ran to the center of the room, blocking one of the men carrying an antique vase. "Stop! This is my house! You have no right!"  

"By order of Mr. Rafael Valentino, this property is confiscated," said one of the cold men. Aurora blocked them, but her slender body couldn't stop them all. One of them even pulled the suitcase that was still lying on the stairs, the one Aurora hadn't opened since she returned from abroad.  

"No! It's mine! It's mine, not my father's!" cried Aurora as she ran and grabbed the suitcase.  

But the big man pushed her back violently. Aurora fell, both suitcases thrown in front of the door. Her breath caught, pain shooting through her elbows and knees as they hit the floor.  

It was then that Rafael walked calmly toward her, then stopped in the doorway, looking up at her. He reached into his coat pocket, pulled out something, and threw a business card of his own on the floor. "If you change your mind, you know where to contact me," he said coldly before turning around and walking out.  

Aurora looked at him with burning eyes, full of hurt and anger. "I’m going to sue you, Rafael. You will pay for all of this."

Rafael paused for a moment, then half-turned, grinning. "Try it, Aurora. But make sure you can pay the lawyer first." He got into his black car and drove away, leaving Aurora slumped on the threshold of the house, her hair a mess, her breathing ragged, her eyes staring with determination and resentment. 

Aurora glanced at the business card. She grabbed it with trembling hands, then without hesitation tore it right down the middle, the shreds falling like the dust of shame she didn't want to keep any longer. 

"You think I'm going to beg you? Dream on," she hissed softly, full of determination. Still aching from the earlier push, Aurora dragged her two suitcases out of the courtyard of the house she grew up in. There were no more welcoming servants, no more warmth. Only the cold night and loneliness haunted her steps. 

She sat for a while on a bench at the bus stop not far from the gate. Her hand reached into the small pocket of her jacket, pulling out a shabby wallet. The contents were thin. Her savings were almost gone. The house was the only thing she had to fall back on, and now it was gone. 

A tired sigh escaped her lips. But she did not cry. Her eyes remained sharp, even though fatigue was clearly looming. A few hours later, Aurora managed to find a small rental room in the suburbs, cheap and simple. The walls were thin, the furniture old, but at least she had a roof over her head for the night. 

As she sat on her creaky little bed, Aurora opened her cell phone, which had been dead due to low battery. After plugging in the charger, the screen lit up and several notifications popped up. One of them made her eyes widen.

[Congratulations! You have been accepted to work at RV Group. Please attend tomorrow at 09:00 at our headquarters.] 

Aurora's heart jumped. 

"Oh my God," she whispered, a small smile slowly breaking out on her scarred face. 

"At least one thing went according to plan." Quickly, she stood up and opened the suitcase. She took out the only formal suit that was still neat. She ironed it as casually as she could in the room. Meanwhile, in her head, she began to formulate a new plan. 

Rafael can take his house and family name. But the future? It was hers. And she would take it back with her own hands.

The next day, Aurora walked down the corridor of the top floor of the RV Group, a towering glass building that appeared too fancy for her mood that morning. She wore a simple black blazer and a pencil skirt that was pinned together with a brooch, an impromptu modification from the night before.

A secretary greeted her at the door at the far end of the room. "Please come in. The President Director is waiting for you."

Aurora took a deep breath, adjusted the collar of her blazer, and then knocked once before opening the door. 

"Good morning. I'm Aurora Marvelo, the new hire for the marketing department. I was asked to—"

Her words were cut short as the man in the executive chair turned around slowly, smiled broadly, and crossed his arms casually. 

"—to report directly to me," Rafael interjected, his voice low and triumphant. "Welcome, Aurora."

Aurora froze in place. Her eyes narrowed, and her chest rumbled with surprise and anger that suddenly resurfaced. 

"You? How could you? If I had known this was your company, I wouldn't have come," she said sharply, almost spitting.

Rafael chuckled softly, then stood up, approaching her slowly like a lion seeing a deer enter the cage. "Unfortunately, you've already come. And even more unfortunately, you have no other choice now."

Aurora turned around, ready to walk out. But Rafael's voice stopped her right at the doorway. 

"Our branch company almost went bankrupt, Aurora. Because of your father, Edgar Marvelo. I can take this to court, and you... will be dragged in as an heir."

Aurora slowly turned around, her face pale but still fierce. "You can't blame me for my father's sins."

"I'm not blaming you. I'm just holding you accountable," Rafael replied, his voice calm yet cold. "If you quit now, I assure you that not a single company in this industry will want to put your name on a resume. And... the police will be interested in calling you."

Aurora gritted her teeth, shaking not out of fear, but out of near-explosive annoyance. "This is blackmail."

"It's business," Rafael replied with a satisfied smile. "But don't worry, I'll still pay you. Half the salary of a standard senior marketing position."

Aurora held her breath. "Half? That's not even enough for room and board!"

"That's why I prepared additional compensation," he said with a smirk on his face.

Aurora looked at the man with a burning gaze, she knew she had entered the battlefield, and the only way out was to win.

*_*