The Blackwood mansion loomed ahead — a cold, imposing estate that matched its master’s reputation perfectly. The wrought-iron gates had barely creaked shut behind Lucian when the weight of the place settled on him, heavy and suffocating.He stepped inside, his polished shoes clicking against the marble floors, the sound echoing through the cavernous hallway. The house was silent, but not the comforting kind — it was the hush of secrets, the kind that made the air thick with tension.He found Don Ramon in the study, seated behind an ornate mahogany desk. The scent of cigar smoke clung to the air, making the room feel even smaller.“Lucian.” Don Ramon’s voice broke the stillness — smooth, calm, but with that ever-present edge. A quiet authority that made people listen, whether they wanted to or not. He smiled, but there was no warmth in it. “You finally decided to come home.”Lucian closed the door behind him, taking a steadying breath before facing the man he both respected and feare
After the storm of grief, accusations, and unanswered questions, the silence should have been comforting — but it wasn’t. It felt fragile, like the calm before another inevitable wave.Aurora sat at the dining table, her fingers tracing the rim of her glass as she watched Lucian bring in the last of the dishes. It was a simple meal — roasted chicken, fresh salad, and warm bread — but the air between them was anything but simple.Lucian set the plate down and glanced at her, his face softening just a little. “You haven’t been eating much,” he said, his voice gentle but laced with concern. “You need to take care of yourself, Aurora.”“I know,” she murmured, forcing a small smile. “Thank you for this. I… I needed it.”They sat down, and for a while, the clink of silverware against plates was the only sound in the room. The tension slowly started to ease — not gone, but quieter.After a few minutes, Lucian broke the silence. “Have you heard from your mother? Did she make it to the U.S. ok
Aurora stood by the massive windows of her father’s office — no, her office now — watching the city stretch out beneath her in a web of light and movement.The title of Chairman of Lancaster Corporation still felt foreign, like a coat she hadn’t quite grown into yet. The office was filled with the scent of leather and the faintest trace of her father’s cologne, and the weight of his legacy pressed down on her.She crossed her arms, her fingers tapping restlessly against her sleeve. The silence felt heavy, filled only with the ticking of the clock and the hum of her thoughts. But it wasn’t the company or the pressure of her new role that occupied her mind — it was Lucian.His reaction this morning… the flash of fear disguised as anger, the way his voice broke with desperation — it unsettled her. Lucian rarely lost control. He was always so composed, so calculated. But the mere mention of Don Ramon had cracked that façade.Why?Before she could spiral further into those questions, the s
Aurora cried until there were no more tears left.The darkness of her room wrapped around her, heavy and suffocating, while the soft ticking of the clock echoed the slow ache in her chest. She felt hollow — like something inside her had been broken beyond repair.How could she have been so blind?She had believed Lucian was different. Thought he was the one person who wouldn’t betray her — not like Ethan, not like all the others who saw her family name and her fortune before they ever saw her. But Lucian… he’d played his part so well. The quiet protector, the man who stood by her when everyone else turned away. The man who made her feel safe.And it had all been a lie.Her throat burned as
Aurora found herself at the office before she even realized she’d made the decision to leave the house.The familiar scent of leather and her father’s lingering cologne hit her the moment she stepped inside — a reminder of the legacy he’d left behind. A legacy built on betrayal.Aurora sank into the chair behind the massive desk, staring out at the city beyond the window. Her reflection stared back at her — tired, broken, and angry.The pieces were starting to fit together.Lucian hadn’t just lied to her for the sake of power or money. He’d been after something more personal.Revenge.But why hadn’t he told her? Why hadn’
As days passed, the weight on Aurora’s shoulders only grew heavier. The pain in her chest was constant — a sharp, relentless ache she couldn’t escape. She still couldn’t believe Lucian had betrayed her. The man she had trusted, the man she had loved, had deceived her so thoroughly that it left her breathless.And what hurt even more was that he still had the audacity to lie to her.The knowledge that her father’s death had something to do with Lucian’s secrets twisted like a knife in her heart. She didn’t know how far her father had gone in his dealings with the Blackwoods, but the idea that it might have cost him his life made her stomach churn.For the second time, she’d been betrayed — and this time, the wound was deeper than ever.She hadn’t even settled into her swivel chair when Joseph burst through the door, his face pale and his breathing ragged.“Ms. Lancaster! We have a problem!” he blurted out, his voice cracking with panic.Aurora frowned, her exhaustion blending with fru
It felt like history was repeating itself — like the universe had some cruel obsession with taking everything Aurora loved and leaving her with nothing but the broken pieces.The company her father had built with his blood, sweat, and vision — the company she had nurtured and protected — was slipping through her fingers. And this time, there was no one left to save it. No father to step in with his calm wisdom, no allies to rally around her. Just silence and betrayal.And Don Ramon Blackwood was at the center of it all.He wasn’t satisfied with taking the chairman seat. No — that would’ve been too simple. Too kind. Instead, he was going after everything. Piece by piece, Lancaster Corporation was being carved up. The branches they’d fought so hard to establish were being seized one by one, their assets frozen under a mountain of lawsuits.Lawsuits… against a dead man.Aurora still couldn’t wrap her head around it. How it was even possible, she didn’t know. But somehow, Don Ramon had fo
The vacation house was quiet — too quiet. Even as Aurora moved through its familiar halls, the silence pressed against her like a weight.This house had always been a refuge, a place of warmth and laughter. But now it felt like a fortress — cold, empty, and heavy with the burden of everything she’d lost. And the worst part? She was building that fortress with trembling hands.The work kept her from falling apart.She spent the day putting things in order — securing the house, stashing away the family’s remaining assets, and setting up Red’s mainframe in the basement. It was an old, reinforced room meant for storage, but it would serve its new purpose well. She kept everything hidden there: the jewelry, the cash, and the few important documents she’d managed to grab from the mansion before the banks could seize them.Lucing and June, their longtime caretakers, helped her without hesitation. Despite everything, they had stayed loyal when so many others had turned their backs. Their daug
Aurora barely had time to think as she rushed through the grand hallway, her heels clicking sharply against the marble floor. Every second felt like an eternity, and every breath was filled with a sense of urgency. Loyd was out there, somewhere, trapped in the hands of a man she had thought was long dead.Lester Aldric.The name sent a shiver down her spine. She had spent the last few hours wrestling with the shock of it, but there was no time for hesitation now. If what Red had found was true, then Lester was alive, and he was the one behind her son’s kidnapping.She clutched her phone tightly in her hand as she stormed toward the front door. She was going to end this.But just as she reached the entrance, the heavy doors swung open, and Lucian stepped inside.Aurora’s breath hitched.Lucian was dressed in a sharp black suit, his tie loosened slightly as though he had rushed here. His golden eyes immediately locked onto her, dark with intensity. The moment he saw her standing there,
Aurora hadn’t slept for hours. The weight of the situation had turned her mind into a whirlwind of thoughts, none of them bringing any comfort. The room felt suffocating, the silence deafening. It was the kind of silence that screamed for answers—answers that she still didn’t have.She sat in front of her laptop, staring at the screen as Red’s interface blinked at her, its cheerful emoji face betraying the severity of the situation.“Find him, Red. Find Loyd,” she whispered, her voice hoarse from the strain of the past 24 hours.Her hands moved across the keys, the same commands over and over again. Every search, every trace led to a dead end. Loyd’s whereabouts were still a mystery. The police were still investigating, but they had no leads. No clues. The frustration gnawed at her like a beast trying to break free from its cage.Every second felt like an eternity. Every thought was a question. Where is my son?Her mind wandered to the last time she’d held him, kissed his forehead, t
Aurora sat in the living room, her hands gripping her phone so tightly that her knuckles turned white. The room was filled with police officers, their radios buzzing, their voices low but urgent as they coordinated the search for Loyd.But it wasn’t fast enough.Nothing was fast enough.Her baby was missing.Her heart pounded erratically in her chest, her breathing uneven.Loyd.Where was he? Was he scared? Was he crying for her?The thought made her stomach churn.She forced herself to stay strong. She couldn’t afford to fall apart—not now.Taking a shaky breath, she pressed the call button.Lucian picked up on the first ring.“Aurora,” he said, his voice sharp, controlled—but she could hear the underlying panic.“It’s Loyd,” she choked out.“I know.”There was silence for a brief moment. Then—“I’ll handle it.”Aurora clenched her jaw. “We need to tell the police—”“No.” Lucian’s voice was firm, cutting her off.She frowned. “Lucian, they can help—”“They won’t,” he bit out. “They’l
Lucian clenched his fists, his jaw tightening as he paced his office.His plan had failed.Aurora knew everything now.He had wanted to protect her—to handle this mess before she ever found out. But now, the fragile trust they had rebuilt was at risk of shattering.Lucian slammed his fist against his desk, his chest heaving.Damn it.He never wanted to invest in CRS Holdings. Never wanted to be involved with Don Ramon again. But the old man had forced his hand. Blackmail.If Lucian hadn’t complied, Don Ramon would have unleashed something far worse.And now?Now, he was losing Aurora.A bitter taste filled his mouth as he grabbed his suit jacket. He couldn’t let this continue.He had made a mistake, but he could still fix it.He was going to see Don Ramon.And this time, he was cutting ties for good.—Don Ramon sat comfortably in his leather chair, swirling a glass of whiskey in his hand. His gray eyes gleamed with amusement as Lucian stormed into his office.“Well, well,” the older
Aurora’s heart pounded as she watched Red process her request. The AI’s animated face flickered for a few seconds before its voice chimed through her AirPods.“Scanning for data… Please wait, Master.”Her grip on the iPad tightened.She didn’t know what she was expecting. Maybe she wanted Red to tell her that this was all a mistake—that Don Ramon was still locked away where he belonged. That someone was playing a sick joke on her.But she knew better.The locket in the black box had been real. And Don Ramon wouldn’t send something like that unless he wanted her to know he was free.Minutes passed in tense silence. Aurora sat frozen at her desk, her mind racing.She had spent years trying to rebuild her life after everything he had done. She had buried the past. She had fought through her pain, through her anger, and finally, she had found peace.But now?Now, he was back.Red’s voice pulled her from her spiraling thoughts.“Search complete! Displaying results now.”Aurora’s screen fli
For days, Aurora had refused to speak to Lucian. She had seen his messages, the calls he left unanswered, but she ignored them all.It wasn’t that she had decided to cancel the wedding. No, she still wanted to marry him. But she needed time to think.The past still hurt.Because of Don Ramon, she lost her father. Because of him, their family had nearly lost everything.And worst of all, her mother had suffered the most. It had taken years for Carmela to even tolerate Lucian’s presence in their lives, and that was only because of her and Loyd.If Carmela found out that Lucian had kept Don Ramon’s release a secret?Aurora clenched her jaw. She would be devastated.She thought she had reached her limit. That nothing could make this worse.But then—a package arrived.A small black box, wrapped in a blood-red ribbon.At first, she thought it was a wedding gift. A well-wisher, perhaps. Or maybe even Lucian, trying to make amends for what he had done.But the moment she opened it, a wave of
Aurora clutched the glass of wine in her trembling hands, staring blankly at the city lights beyond Rebecca’s penthouse window. The night sky stretched endlessly before her, but all she could feel was the suffocating weight pressing against her chest.Tears streamed down her face, hot and relentless. She wiped them away furiously, but they kept falling.“I should’ve known,” she whispered, voice hoarse.Rebecca, sitting across from her on the couch, crossed her arms, her expression hard. “You’re damn right you should’ve.”Aurora flinched at the sharpness in her friend’s tone. Rebecca never sugarcoated anything, but tonight, she wasn’t just blunt—she was angry.“Do you realize what this means, Aurora?” Rebecca continued, leaning forward. “That man—Don Ramon Blackwood—he ruined your life. He manipulated Lucian. He almost destroyed everything. And now he’s just… out?” She scoffed, shaking her head. “And Lucian didn’t even tell you?”Aurora swallowed the lump in her throat. “He said he w
Aurora stormed into Blackwood Enterprises, her heels clicking against the marble floors with purpose.The moment she stepped inside, the receptionist and employees turned to look at her. Some murmured in hushed tones, but she ignored them.She was furious.Lucian had been keeping something this important from her.Her hands clenched at her sides as she took the elevator up to the executive floor. The doors opened, and she stepped out, heading straight for Lucian’s office.“Ma’am—” Lucian’s secretary, Janine, started, but Aurora had already pushed the door open.Lucian was standing near the floor-to-ceiling windows, a phone pressed to his ear. At the sound of the door slamming shut, he turned, his blue eyes narrowing slightly when he saw her.“I’ll call you back,” he muttered, ending the call.Aurora stood there, arms crossed, anger simmering beneath the surface. “How long?”Lucian sighed, already knowing what she meant. “Aurora—”“How long have you known?” she demanded, her voice shak
Aurora barely had a moment to breathe.Between wedding preparations and handling company affairs, her days had turned into a whirlwind. But for the first time, she didn’t feel pressured.This wedding was different.It wasn’t an obligation, a contract, or a forced responsibility. This time, it was hers. It was theirs.She had chosen this path with Lucian because she loved him, and every detail of the ceremony reflected that. From the floral arrangements to the venue selection, everything felt magical.But even as she juggled everything, there was still work to do. Today, she had an important media interview representing the company, ensuring investors and clients that the transition of leadership under her and Lucian remained stable.Aurora arrived at the studio dressed in a tailored beige suit, exuding confidence. She had done countless interviews before, so she thought she was prepared.She was wrong.The first half of the interview went smoothly. The questions were professional—abou