AURORA'S POV
"With what money?" I sighed. "And don't even think about offering me another loan. I'm just going to say no."
Annabelle worked as a club promoter at one of Boston's most popular club. She was incredible at her job, bringing in high-paying clients that made the owners ecstatic, but she wasn’t rich. Plus, she was saving up to help fund the club's upcoming renovation project so she could become a partner.
"If you’re too proud to take money from mey your own sister, no less you should ask Sandy for a loan," Annabelle said, her voice filled with frustration.
"The Kings have more money than they know what to do with. Sandy wouldn’t even notice it missing. She’d lend it to you without interest, and she knows you’d pay it back eventually."
"I can’t," I said, shaking my head.
"Why not?" Annabelle placed a slice of pizza on a paper plate and walked back to the couch, setting it in my lap.
"Eat, Aurora. You’re so thin, Mom thinks you have an eating disorder."
"I don’t," I said, frowning.
Annabelle rolled her eyes. "Girl, I know.
You were devouring Cheesecake Factory meals with margaritas not even a year ago. You’re just stressed. Snap out of it and ask Sandy for the money!"
"Are you crazy?" I waved the limp pizza in the air. "She just told us she’s pregnant. She doesn’t need my drama."
Three days ago, during our usual takeout night, Sandy had announced her pregnancy. Ariella and I squealed with excitement, while Sandy and Annabelle just watched, waiting for us to calm down.
"So what?" Annabelle said. "She can be pregnant and still lend you money. Women multitask."
"She’ll worry, and I don’t want to be that needy friend."
"It’s only a few thousand dollars."
It was really three million dollars, but Annabelle didn’t know that. And that was why I couldn’t ask Sandy.
"Then think about this," Annabelle pressed. "If asking Sandy feels weird, go to Aiden King. He’d give you the money. Sure, he’d enjoy making you beg for it, he’s as infuriating as he is handsome but you’d leave with what you need."
Why didn't I think about Aiden sooner?. After the suite incident years ago, my friends and sister had demanded details. I told them most of the story, the important parts. I left out the part where I told him I loved him and then cursed him. No point in sharing every little detail, right? Over time, I’d almost forgotten him. Almost. The memory of him saving me had faded. I supposedly fell in love. Got married. Almost got divorced but Aiden remained single and as far as I knew, he hadn’t been in a serious relationship since the day he rejected me at Sandy and Henry’s wedding.
Eight months ago, the same week Thomas disappeared, Aiden took over Royal Pipelines Enterprises, his father’s oil company, becoming CEO.
Right then, I realized that Aiden King was my best chance at the money. He didn't give out free favors and could keep a secret. He loved watching people squirm.
He had saved my life once before and I'm sure he’d do it again. Three million dollars was nothing to him. He’d give me the money just to watch me awkwardly pay him back in tiny monthly checks.
I’d even take back the ridiculous curse I put on him. For the first time in months, I felt a spark of hope. Not because of the pizza, but because I finally had a plan. Aiden King was going to save me. Again. This time, I just had to play my cards right.
TWO DAYS LATER
"Sorry, sweetie, no chance you’ll be seeing Mr. King today," the assistant said with a smug toss of her platinum ponytail. She looked like a dominatrix doll in a bright pink vinyl dress, her strong perfume thick enough to knock someone out. Her fake smile and sharp eyes warned me to stay away from her boss.
I had come straight to Royal Pipelines after work, hoping to talk to Aiden King. Sandy told me Henry, who worked at the company, would be leaving early to take her to a doctor’s appointment. I didn’t want him to see me and tell our friends.
When I arrived, Aiden’s assistant, Carrie, made a big show of pouting into the phone.
"Hello Mr. King, it’s Carrie Brandy," sorry to bother you, but Miss Aurora Knight is here without an appointment. She says it’s urgent but won’t give me any details."She hung up and turned to me with a sour look.
"Mr. King can’t see you today."
"Tell him I’m not leaving until he does," I said, trying to sound calm.
She sighed and repeated my words into the phone. When she hung up, she slammed it down.
"He says he’s in a meeting that’ll last hours."
"That’s fine. I’ll wait."
Two hours passed. The lobby was sleek, with gold accents and TV screens flashing stock prices. Carrie sat at her desk, tapping her nails loudly, looking annoyed.
"I need to use the restroom," she finally said, grabbing her makeup kit.
I looked up from the oil and gas magazine I was pretending to read. "Oh? Need help? I teach kids, so I’m used to accidents."
Her glare was deadly. "Don’t go anywhere unless it’s back to the trailer park. Or hell."
She stormed off, her heels clacking like a warning.
As soon as she left, I rushed toward Aiden’s office. It wasn’t hard to find—it was the biggest one. Through the glass door, I saw him and another man deep in conversation. The other man, tall and blond, had his back to me.
I didn’t hesitate. I pushed the door open.
Aiden didn’t even look at me.
The blond man spoke in a smooth British accent. "Stocks are up, but the media still hates you."
"Get to the point," Aiden snapped. "How do I fix it?"
"Short of changing your personality? No clue," the blond man said with a smirk.
"Try harder, or I’ll throw you out myself," Aiden growled.
The blond sighed. "You fired nine percent of management and drilled in the Arctic. People don’t like you. The people you fired told the press, and now the company’s a mess."
"I’ll donate money. Sponsor something," Aiden muttered.
"Too late for that. You’ll need to sacrifice more."
Aiden frowned. "I won’t fake a happy life for some people with electric cars."
"Mr. King?" I cut in, my voice louder than expected.
Both men turned to look at me. The blond looked amused, while Aiden seemed completely unsurprised.
"You’re interrupting," Aiden said coldly.
"Sorry, but I need to talk to you. Privately, please."
"No."
"It’s important."
"Not to me. Which Steele sister are you? The loud one or the annoying one?"
I clenched my fists. "Aurora. The annoying one."
"What do you want?"
"To speak in private."
"This is Mr. Devon, my lawyer. Just talk."
The lawyer smirked, clearly entertained. "I’ll leave you two to it," he said, gathering his papers. "Have fun, King."
The moment he left, Aiden leaned back in his chair and flipped an hourglass.
"You’ve got five minutes. Go."
I spilled everything . From Thomas's debt and the threats. Aiden listened without a word, then nodded. "You explained all that in under three minutes. Impressive."
The door suddenly burst open, and Carrie rushed in, wide-eyed. "Mr. King, I told her not to"
"Leave," Aiden snapped.
"But"
"Get out before you get fired for your incompetence" he ordered. She fled immediately.
"You just threatened her," I said, shocked.
"Implied," he corrected. "Now, why me? Why not your friends?"
"I don’t want to ruin those friendships. This is business."
"Why not Daniel Sterling?"
"He’s scarier than you."
Aiden smirked. "And your useless husband? Where’s he now?"
AIDEN'S POVHenry made the announcement at the dinner table. "We’re having a baby.”His grin was smug, and I wanted to smack it off his face maybe with a punch, or worse. Breathe, Aiden. Just breathe. I try to calm myself. Sandy, his wife, touched her stomach. She didn’t seem like the motherly type. Honestly, none of them seemed fit to take care of anything, not even a goldfish. “We’re eight weeks in. Still early, but we wanted you to know.”I kept my face calm, cracking my knuckles under the table. Their timing was terrible. Mother jumped from her chair, squealing as she hugged and kissed them both. Ariella, my younger sister, couldn’t stop talking about how excited she was to be an aunt. She was about to finish med school, so it made me question her life goals for a moment. Alex, our father, shook Henry’s hand like he’d just closed a big deal. In a way, he had. Our father had always said he expected us to have kids. The family name, the company, and the fortune had to stay i
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
AURORA'S POVHe smiled, looking impatient. "You knew that when you gave yourself to me so willingly all those years ago.He remembered our last kiss,and for some reason, that took the fight out of me. "Listen." I shook my head, trying to think clearly. "How about we start dating, and I"“No,” Aiden interrupted. “It's either marriage or nothing.” “You don’t even like me!” .He checked his expensive watch, clearly bored. “What does liking you have to do with marriage?” “Everything! It means everything! How do you expect us to make this work?” “I don’t,” he said bluntly. “You’ll have your house, I’ll have mine. You’ll be ridiculously wealthy, live in the most exclusive neighborhood, and be admired by high society. You’ll have complete freedom as long as you give me children, remain loyal during that time, and avoid public scandals. We’ll barely cross paths after the first few years. But no divorce,” he added, lifting a finger. “It’s messy, bad for business, and makes people look weak
AURORA'S POV."Sure. Take all the time you need. It’s not like the mafia is after you,” Aiden said, his rich boy tone mocking me. I knew exactly how bad my situation was. But if I was going to officially sign my life away to the man who broke me, I at least needed a few days to think about it. “Give me a week.” “Twenty four hours,” he replied “Four days. You’re asking me to give up my entire future.” “If you don’t agree, you won’t have a future. Forty eight hours. That’s my final offer, and I’m being generous. You know where to find me.” He turned and walked to the door. “Wait,” I blurted. He stopped but didn’t turn around. A memory of me watching him walk away at Sandy and Henry’s wedding hit me like a punch. I realized something then if I agreed to his offer, this would be our pattern. I would always reach for him, and he would always pull away. A shadow of a man who was close enough to touch but never truly mine. “Give me your home address. I don’t want to meet at your of
AURORA’S POV The sky was clear and I decided I Knew I had to make a decision quickly. Our apartment was silent. Annabelle hadn’t come home last night. She was probably in some handsome man’s bed, showing off her curves like a painting for him to admire.I hurried out of bed and walked barefoot to the small kitchen. I turned on the coffee machine and Annabelle’s old radio. The same ’80s station that always cheered me up was playing the last few lines of “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston. Then, a weather report warned about a coming storm.A vase of fresh roses sat on the counter, a gift from one of the many men who visited her nightclub hoping to win my sister’s heart.Aiden called me Flower Girl in the beginning of what some would call a one sided relationship due to the fact that I was hopelessly in love with him. I picked up one of the white roses. A thorn pierced my thumb. A tiny drop of blood, shaped like a heart, rested on the petals.“To marry or not to marry Boston’
AIDEN'S POV Being on time and keeping promises were two of the few things I respected in people and she had neither. I opened my glove compartment and pulled out the sticky note Devon had given me with names of possible brides. Next on my list was Nina Pierce. A former model who now worked as a child psychologist. Long legs, a good family, and a perfect smile (though Devon warned me she had fake teeth). She was thirty five, wanted kids badly, and was traditional enough to want a big church wedding. She had already signed an NDA before I even spoke to her. I made Devon do that with all my possible brides, except for Aurora, who was: My first choice, so I wasn’t careful enough. And too good to tell anyone. I typed her address into the GPS and drove out of my private ranch. I had spent the last few hours riding my horses, avoiding my work, and trying not to be angry that Aurora Knight needed time to decide if she would marry me when her other choice was a brutal death at the hand
AIDEN'S POV “Aww, you finally made an account on OkCupid?” Henry put his hands together, acting all sweet. “Our parents have been on his case for a long time about being lonelier than a Satanist at a church camp.” “It’ll be a cold day in hell before Aiden King says ‘I do,’” Daniel said in a relaxed voice. “Better get a warm coat, mate because you'd be surprised.” Devon smirked. “Hell’s not ready for me yet. And Aiden likes too many women to settle for just one.” Daniel replied. “Women are like pancakes. They all taste the same,” I added. Daniel grinned. “Good thing I love pancakes.” The guy had slept with almost every woman in town. Every woman except my sister. It didn’t take a smart scientist to see that Ariella was deeply in love with Sterling. Whenever she was in the same room as her sister-in-law’s brother, she almost drooled on his lap. The second I figured it out, I made sure Sterling worked for me. I didn’t even have much work for him at the time, but hiring hi
AIDEN'S POV Jeffrey King, my father choked on his fancy fish eggs. The next day, he decided to fix my problem by putting me on a plane and taking me to Norway, where he had a visit planned at one of Royal Pipelines’ oil drilling sites. Maria, the Norwegian woman who took away my virginity, was in her early thirties, about a head taller than my teenage self, and looked completely confused when I almost threw up on her lap. I didn’t want to lose it, not that young, not to a stranger, and definitely not in a fancy brothel on a side street . But doing things to make my father happy wasn’t new to me. It was just another normal day in the King household, where my father held power over me like a reward to make me do what he wanted. Stand straight. Don’t use bad words. Don’t spell anything wrong, fall off a horse, eat with bad manners, or look my father in the eye. So, I put on a condom and did what was expected of me. When I walked out of the room, my father patted my ba
AIDEN'S POV. The sweet smell of her skin reached my nose, even with the strong barn stench around us. "Washington." I lifted the hoof pick, pointing at the stalls behind him. "The others are Hamilton, Franklin, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, and Jay." "The Founding Fathers." She walked smoothly to the barn, leaning against the wall with her hands behind her back, watching me. "Good job, you just passed a third grade history test." I tapped Washington’s leg so he’d lift the other one. "Fifth," she corrected with a smile. She liked arguing with me. "I studied in another country," I mumbled. All my American history lessons came from tutors. "I know," she said softly. "Unlike our kids, who will stay close to us until they’re old enough to decide where they want to study." Yeah, sure. Keep telling yourself that. "Over your dead body, huh?" I groaned, digging deeper into the hoof with the tool. "No," she said calmly. "Over yours." I quickly looked up at her, then went back
AIDEN'S POV I stayed away from my wife for the rest of the week. That didn’t stop her from sending me daily messages about her dead aunt hiding in clouds every time the sky was clear. Her texts, like my prayers for a normal wife, stayed unanswered. She asked to meet a few times, even though I never replied. The idea of seeing her made me sick, so I ignored it until I felt calmer. But after seven days, my body still refused to settle down. At night, I couldn’t stop thinking about her under me. Realistically speaking , meeting her only once a week could still get her pregnant in a few months. To be safe, I made a chart of her possible ovulating days and decided to change the days I saw her each week to make sure I didn’t miss any chance but next time we met, I had to do a better job of controlling myself. I never meant to lose control the first time we had sex. But when I saw her naked breasts moving with each thrust and her lips open in pleasure, I lost all control like a
AURORA'S POV Henry: I hope you know that your husband is a jerk. Me: Trust me, You don't need to tell me because I already know. Henry: All polar bears are left-handed. Bet you didn’t know that. Henry: Also, related to that, your husband is a jerk who looks at his phone every five seconds. Are you two texting? Me: No. Henry: Weird. He always logs off during poker nights. Me: Can you do me a favor? Henry: What kind? I’m a married man. I know Kill is far from my perfection, so you missed out. Me: A: delusional. And B: not even if you were the last man alive. Henry: What’s the favor? Me: Watch him. Make sure he’s okay. Henry: And you care because? Me: He’s my husband. Henry: I thought it was just for show. Me: You’re wrong. Henry: Other than the phone thing, he seems like the same old Aiden to me. Smoking, drinking guy who just needs a hug and some good sex. Me: Night. Henry: Of course, silly. Aiden seemed fine in less than an hour. That was strange and worrying. But
AURORA'S POV Feeling completely Embarrassed, I tied the back of my dress, put on my jacket and underwear, and left the kitchen to find my husband. During my tour, I observed that his house was really big, with curved halls, many doors, and stairs leading to the second floor. This was only my second time inside, and I had never gotten a real tour. I saw Peter by the door, talking to a man in khaki pants and a blue hoodie with a company name on it. They were going to the kitchen. Feeling like I was sneaking around, I quietly walked up the curved stairs before Peter saw me. The second floor was big and tall, like a church. Aiden’s house, like his parents’, was more old-fashioned and fancy than the modern homes you see on TV shows. I walked through the rooms, opening each door a little until I reached a pair of double doors, probably his room. I put my hand on the wood, not wanting to go in, but not wanting to leave without knowing what had just happened. This was important. We just
AURORA’S POVHe moved closer, standing between my legs, still fully dressed and suddenly, the air felt tense, and I could feel the hair on my arms stand up with excitement.I leaned back on my arms, biting my lip. He pulled down his sweatpants, his eyes focused on something behind my head. He was trying not to be involved when it happened, avoiding touching or looking at me. He took his cock out of his underwear and I saw that he was hard, with a drop of cum on the tip.At least now I knew the problem wasn't that he wasn’t attracted to me. He positioned his cock toward my pussy, his face looking like someone about to face a hard fate, then slid all the way in at once, filling me completely. His eyes rolled, and he looked up at the ceiling as he tried not to make a sound.I wasn’t just wet, I was dripping because I was so aroused that I grabbed his face, turning it so he'd look at me. His nose flared, and his lips pressed tightly together. He didn’t move inside me. We both knew it felt
AURORA'S POV "I wasn’t. I wanted to impress you." "Maybe I wanted to poison you," I said, narrowing my eyes. Aiden's lips twitched, almost smiling. "The only person you could poison is yourself, like you did a few years ago. And even then, you messed it up." "Hey, I did a good job. It’s not my fault you saved me." "I still regret it." He playfully shoved me. I stepped back, keeping my eyes on him. "Listen, you tried cooking, and it was a disaster. I have a poker game soon, so we’ll have to skip the first course and go straight to the main event." "You planned a poker game tonight?" My eyes widened. He stepped closer, and I instinctively moved back. He was cornering me, trapping me while I struggled to think straight. "You weren’t hoping we’d cuddle and watch a romantic movie, were you, Flower Girl?" He gave me a mocking smile. I wanted to tell him to go to hell, but before I could, my back hit the kitchen island. Aiden grabbed my waist, lifted me, and placed me on the cold
AURORA'S POV My first problem? I didn’t know how to cook. My second problem? I actually believed making Aiden a homemade meal (which would probably taste awful) might change something between us. But my biggest and most urgent problem? I was pretty sure I was setting my husband’s kitchen on fire. Maybe this was karma punishing me for playing dirty. Once it was clear that Dear Husband wasn’t going to make the first move to see me, I decided to show up at his office and get a dinner date out of him. I was desperate to build a connection, while he was determined to keep his distance. It felt like having a sugar daddy who didn’t want to sleep with me. I got all the gifts, but not the man. The problem was, I wanted the man. The fancy shoes were nice, but not nice enough to make me scream their names in bed. I’d asked that it would be at his place because I wanted to be in his world, break down his walls, and force my way into his life. Plus , being married to someone who di
AIDEN'S POV She made sense. That worried me because I was usually the logical one in every conversation. "You’re here now," I said. I wasn’t in the mood for sex,but I supposed we have to get it over with at some point.She smiled, licking her lollipop. Her lips were soft and tempting. "We’re not having sex in your bathroom. I respect myself more than that." "Are you sure?" I asked, half teasing, half serious. "So far, you’ve acted like a bride I ordered online. Bending over the sink wouldn’t be surprising." She laughed. She actually laughed then flipped her hair over one shoulder, turned around and said. "Goodbye, husband." She walked to the door seductively. Her walk was full of confidence and she knew exactly what she was doing. Nothing was shy or innocent about her now. I wasn’t used to women leaving before I told them they could. It annoyed me. Usually, my money and power kept them around. Watching her leave felt like she was taking something from me. "Aurora," I growl
AIDEN'S POV I stared at her impatiently the whole time she talked, then sent her back where she came from. Even though I didn’t like either of my sisters in law, they clearly had no idea what was really going on in my marriage. That was good. It meant Aurora had kept quiet. Sure, Henry, Daniel, and Devon knew the truth. I told them during poker night but they were on my side. Aurora jumped off Henry’s desk and put the red lollipop back in her mouth. “All right, hubby. Make it quick.” I took her to my office, then walked into the private room where the walls weren’t glass, so no one could see us and shut the door behind us then gave her a stern look. “What are you doing here?” “Having lunch with friends.” She pulled the lollipop from her mouth. The smell of watermelon filled the air, making my dick twitch. “Having a good day, hubs?” “Not really.” “Yeah, I saw the protest on the news.” She scrunched her little nose, the one I hoped our future kids would get. “That bill