AURORAI raced to the bathroom to throw up while Martin and his men tackled the man in my room. When did this go wrong? How did Linda get this man here? Is she still working for Katherine?“Aurora!” Carina screamed my name.“In here!” I yelled as I placed a balm around my neck.“Thank goodness you are okay,” she said, hugging me.There weren't any injuries on my neck but the mark of his hands were everywhere around my neck.“I just wanted my mind off some stuff,” I said to her, trying to keep my voice steady.“You will be fine,” she said and I nodded. Of course I will be, this is just another list of scars already on me.“Where is he?” I demanded.“At the back of the house,” Carina said, looking confused about why I asked.I dropped my towel and headed there, “you shouldn't be there Aurora, it's nasty!” She yelled but I didn't care.This is the second attempt on my life within a short period of time and I need answers. I need them fast and I need them now.“Haaa!” I flinched at the ag
AURORAI held my chest as I listened to Linda on the phone, “they took Mary, Aurora. They took her,” she cried even more. She is a mother. I didn't expect her to do anything less.“Please calm down, Linda. I need you to ping your location to Martin's cell. Can you do that?” I asked her.“Yes,” she said, her voice, shaking.“Okay, good we are on our way,” I said and handed Martin back his phone.“Stop, stop,” the detective said.“Detective, I don't have the time for your snacky remarks right now,” I said to him.“No, snarky remarks, you can't leave the station. Who knows if this is just a ruse to get you out without much protection,” he said.“He is not wrong,” Martin agreed with him.“I understand that but I can't leave Linda all by herself. Her daughter is comatose, she needs all the help I can give her,” I said to both of them.“Fine but you are going with some police protection and you are coming straight right here. If this is a kidnapping, it's now a police matter,” he said.“Wha
AURORAI walked out of the office, feeling defeated and dejected. I placed myself around the hallway as I tried to think of next steps.How did she find out Linda was working for me? What kind of slip up will make this happen?I came back to this city to show Jacob I could be better without him and to have my revenge on him and Katherine but somehow the table has been turned and I'm the one being tortured.“I need a phone,” I said to Martin, who walked outside with me. He placed a call and in about a minute a brand new phone was handed to me.I used it to tap my palm, trying to think of a decision to make.“Ahh!” I threw the phone against the wall, screaming.“I'm fine, Martin,” I stopped him from coming close to me, he nodded and stood back.The door of the interrogation room opened up and the detective peeked outside.“She is calling again,” he said and I hurried with him into the room.I flinched at the sight of my assailant, Martin stood between the both of us.“Don't worry,” he s
AURORAI tried to break the glass between us but nothing seems to be working. Thankfully the paramedic came with some tools and we got her out.“Mary, everything is going to be okay,” I tried talking to her.Martin walked in with the detective and some cops.“Start gathering evidence,” he ordered and I handed him the watch.“If she is close we will know with this,” he said, dangling the digital watch.“She is seizing!” One of the paramedics yelled and I rushed to Mary.“What's going on?” I asked as I watched her shake violently.“She is having a seizure,” one of them said as they turned her to her side.“Is that safe?” I asked.“Are you the mother?” They asked and I shook my head.“Then give us space to work,” one of them said and pushed me aside.“Hey, she's only trying to help!” Martin yelled but I stopped him from saying more.“It's alright,” they wheeled Mary out of the building and I followed right behind them.“Since you are not family, you can't ride with us,” the one who shove
JACOBWhy does everything have to be had with her? Why can't she just see that I'm trying to make up for the mistakes I made.I stood in front of her hospital room as she got wheeled out of my sight, I dropped the flowers by her door and walked out of the hospital.I'm trying to be the better man for her but she seems to be pushing me away at every opportunity she can get.Why? Is there something holding her back or someone else?Or is there something she is planning to do to me but can't be seen with me? I mean she already told the press, she doesn't know me. What exactly do I need to do?I got into my car and drove straight to the first club I saw on my google map.I haven't been in a club in a while, especially ever since Braden got married and Maria got pregnant.I hit the club and the loud music filled my head. I walked straight to the bar and ordered a lot of drinks on my tab.I could see some of the ladies already flirting with me with their eyes so I notioned for them to come
AURORAIt's been a quiet few days. There haven't been any threats to my life, the company profit has increased more than ever. My strength seems to be back since my health scare a while back.I still don't understand how I was that sick to the point of death and still didn't feel a thing.Sometimes I remember the hurtful words I said to Jacob, I feel so mad at myself and sad about it that I shed some tears at times.I didn't mean to say those words to him but Katherine had gone too far by involving a child and if it means him staying away from me for my loved ones to be safe then so be it.“Out of the way!” I heard Mary's voice behind me and I quickly stood aside. She and Anne are making a mess of the house again and I'm getting tired of screaming.“Girls, you have to eat breakfast,” I said to them as I placed their plates on the kitchen counter.Steven thought it was a good idea for Mary to have someone her age as she got out of the coma and he was right.She and Anne bonded almost i
AURORAI listened to the wind wave against my window like a holla Custer and I came to a realization of how my life is at the very moment.It's been two weeks since Jacob handed me a subpoena for trying to sell his company using the auction site.It's clear Katherine set me up but Jacob doesn't want to hear any of it. “The evidence is clear, Aurora. I guess you didn't think your revenge plan would come back to bite you in the ass,” he mocked me and left my presence. He then ordered his guards to work me out of his office.I have never been that humiliated in public, especially since the media were around the building, I had to sneak out to get around them.Myself, Carina, Andre and Madeline have looked for every piece of documents to support my claim but it looks like the odds are not in my favor this time.Madeline offered to be my lawyer despite her not being the company's lawyer and after going through her reviews and her certification, I knew she was the best for me.“I think we
AURORAWe switched to the TV, watching the “breaking news,” about Katherine's office building.“Woa, it's going down!” Carina yelled, as the building came down.“What a cheap ass building,” I said in a mockery tone.“You shouldn't do that,” She said.“What! I'm in the comfort of my home, I can say anything I want,” I said to her.She rolled her, “yeah, we all know how safe our words are here in this house,” “That's true,” I said, remembering how we were bugged both in the house and on our phones.“Well, there is still nothing, stopping me from laughing,” I said, giving out my best laughter.“Get out of here,” Carina said.“Oh come on, girl. I know you want to,” I said, teasing and tickling her.“Okay, okay,” she said, laughing and we heard the doorbell.“Check through the camera first!” I yelled as she got up.I heard the door open along with Madeline's voice, so I stood up immediately.“Madeline?” I was surprised, “you didn't say anything about coming over here,” I said as I hugged
AURORAI have been in a moving vehicle for the better part of ten hours. Wherever my captors are taking me, they don't seem to have an idea what they are doing.This can't be LeVert, he won't make such a mistake by hiring amateurs, even if he is doing it by himself. He has enough experience to do it right.Suddenly the vehicle stopped moving, the back of the vehicle opened and I was brought out. One of them was about to speak when the other one shut him up without speaking.I kept my mouth shut, I need to be brave, for myself and for my family. My wedding is in a few hours along with Carina's and there is no way I'm missing it.They tied the blindfold around my eyes even tighter, causing the darkness to engulf me.The rough fabric of the blindfold pressed harder against my eyes, sending a jolt of sharp pain across my temples. Darkness was absolute now, not just the absence of sight but the weight of uncertainty pressing down on me. I tried to focus on my breathing, forcing myself to s
JACOB“I can't believe you are getting married!” Braden slammed into me. Trying to ruffle me up a little.“Says the married man,” Andre said to him. It's funny how we are all friends now and we have Aurora to thank for that. She brought all of us together. That's my future wife.“What are you smiling about?” Grey asked me.“You better not be thinking about my sister in some certain way in front of me,” Martin said and we all laughed.I have asked all of them to be mine and Andre best men including Michael, Ryan and Clay. Liam insisted on being the DJ for the service. Right now we are having our bachelor party and having loads of fun. “Thank you for allowing Aurora to do this with Carina,” I said to Andre holding his shoulder.“Are you kidding, Carina will have my head if I don't agree, plus we get to give the world the wedding of the year,” he said and I smiled.“Good man,” I shook his hands and walked towards Grey. “Hey bro,” he turned around and placed his phone in his pocket.“Th
AURORAONE YEAR LATER“What about this?” I walked out of my closet in a black gown filled with diamonds and a white off shoulder handle.“Perfect,” Carina squeaked. I rolled my eyes and walked deeper into the room.“People see me on this, they might think tonight is my rehearsal dinner,” I said to the soon to be bride.“Oh come on, you are the chief bridesmaid, you are meant to dress as elegant as the bride,” Aubrey said, adding her own wisdom to the situation.“Well, apart from that, I will think you guys are just playing dress up with me for me to impress Jacob,” I said to them and they both laughed.“Why are you laughing?” I asked them.“Nothing, just remembering how you blunted out I love you to him,” Carina said, still laughing. I rolled my eyes, trying to hide my blushing face.“Aubrey smirked, “Oh Aurora, you were so abstract about it. It feels like you have been bottling that emotion.”“Maybe I was. I guess my body moved before my mind,” I said to her.“And your timing couldn'
AURORA“Okay, alright. Be safe,” I said and hanged up the call.“Is everything alright?” Carina asked me. I looked at her with my puffy eyes. I can't believe I asked her to move her wedding date all because of LeVert. I feel so sad and heartbroken.“No, don't do that,” she said, hugging me. “Everything will work out. We just need to protect Anna and Mary and we all will be safe.”“But your wedding…”“Can wait,” Andre said, standing beside her. “We all need to be together right now.” He took my hands and I nodded.“Okay,” I exhaled, wiping my face with my other hand. “Let's do this then.”“The girls are pulling up,” Aubrey said to me. We raced towards the car to stop the paparazzi from taking pictures of them.“How come there are so many paparazzi?” Madeline asked as we moved through the crowd.“LeVert probably called them here to witness whatever he had planned,” I said to her.We finally got to the car and help Linda protect the girls from the cameras.“Aunt Aurora,” Anna and Mary hu
JACOB“What does Christina has to do with any of these?” I asked her.“I'm sure you heard from your stepbrother, Grey?” She asked.“Lara, what are you doing?” Aurora asked her. “Grey is not to be trusted.”“I was the one who told Grey to meet with you,” she said looking at me. “He is trying to make amends. You should let him.” I looked at Aurora, who just shrugged her shoulders.“So what about Christina?” Amy asked, standing in front of her. “You can't just drop a bombshell like that and not say anything to it.”“I was getting to it,” she handed her USB drive to Liam, “here, input it to the system,” Liam looks at me hesitant to do it. “Do it Liam,” I nodded.”A lot of files displayed on the bug screen. “These are all of the operations I could find that can be linked to LeVert, including serial killing of high profile women.” “Which one involves my step mom?” I asked, and a more detailed document displayed on the screen.“Wait,” Aurora scoffed. “You have this much evidence and LeVert
JACOBI kept pacing around, it's been almost two hours since Aurora left and she isn't back yet.“Martin is with her,” Madeline said to me, “he won't let anything happen to her.”“But if he can't,” I said and she looked confused. “Whatever is going on is beyond his power,” she sighed and shook her head.“Hey, you have to think good thoughts bro,” Amy said, holding my shoulder. “Aurora didn't come this far to give up or jeopardize everything.”“She is right, J,” Braden whispered, standing beside me. “You have to be able to trust Aurora, trust that she knows what she is doing,” he said and scoffed, “because she has been doing this long before she returned back to her life.”“I just want to protect her, want to keep her safe,” I said to him.“I know bro, but she got this and you know it.”I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down, even though every fiber of my being screamed to go after her. Braden was right, though. Aurora had proven time and again that she could handle herself.
AURORA“Thought I would recognize you?” I asked her.“Hoped,” she said, jerking her hands from Martin who was still looking shocked.“What the hell are you doing here?” I asked her with gritted teeth.“I don't know, hiding from my brother,” she said and I scoffed.“You are not that bumped into me,” I said to her. “You were at the precinct.”“No, you only saw me at the precinct when I came out, not before,” she said and I looked at Martin.“I will prove it to you,” she said and I turned to her.“How?” I asked, folding my hands. She tried to move but Martin stopped her. “Let her go, Martin. She knows she needs us,” Captain Marlow scoffed and walked deeper into the room.“Here,” she placed a material over her head and I could see the face of the woman we saw in the CCTV camera video.“Unbelievable,” I whispered. “Have you seen something like this before?” I asked Martin.“Heard of it but haven't seen one this real,” he said as Captain Marlow took it off.“Spent almost all the money I co
AURORA“You know he is just scared for you,” Martin turned around in the car and said to me.“If you are referring to Jacob then don't. I don't need a lecture right now,” I said and he sighed.“He just wants to protect,” I glared at him and he raised his hands in defense. “That's all I'm going to say,” he turned around facing the traffic.“I have been on my own for a while, I can handle myself,” I said out loud.“I thought you guys have moved past that?” Martin asked me.“Move past what?” I asked, feeling confused.“Move past what he did almost ten years ago?” He asked and I sighed.“We have but he has to know that I didn't have him or you protecting me then and I was still able to survive Copper and being kidnapped,” I said to him.“I get that but he is here now and from the look of things he wants to protect you at all cost.”“Why do you think I brought Michael with us?” I asked and Micheal smiled. “At least Michael can report to him if anything happens.”“We are here, Miss Aurora,”
AURORA“Hey,” I kissed Jacob on the lips as I took off my jacket.“I miss you,” he said, kissing my neck. I bit my lips smiling.“I know but we have work to do,” I pushed him slightly and walked over to the workstation he had set up in his penthouse.“Are you sure this place is secure?” Martin asked him as he walked in.“Yes, nobody knows about this place, not even Christina,” he said and I sighed.“Does Grey know about this place?” I asked him, for a while he has been having a blind spot when it comes to his step brother.“Jacob?” I called his name when I noticed he was hesitant to answer the question.“Yes he does,” he said and I dropped my hands loudly against my laps.“Why would you do such a thing? Grey is not to be trusted,” I said to him.“Look, Grey might have done a lot of things in the past but he helped us back in my airport.”“Or he brought you there to set you up along with Martin,” Braden said.“I agree with Braden,” Amy said and Jacob glared at her.“Don't do that, they