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 Three hours later, my friends were finally gone. I climbed up the stairs, taking them quickly. I was forty five thousand dollars richer and a lot more likely to punch Daniel Sterling in the face for his bad advice. Why did I put surveillance on my wife? I already knew she was going to do whatever she wanted. And what did Daniel know about women anyway? He hated the idea of them, unless they were his stepmother and sister. I didn’t bother with pretending to get ready for bed. I went straight to Aurora's room and knocked on her door. After knocking three times and getting no answer, I pushed the door open a little. The room was empty. “Petar!” I yelled so loud my throat hurt and probably broke the windows. My estate manager was there in seconds, clearly surprised to hear me yell. I was searching through her closet, trying to see if she left any of her important things. The things she cared about most. She hadn’t. Damn it! “Sir, do you need anything?” Petar asked f
AIDEN'S POV Raindrops dotted her face and lips like little diamonds, a clear sign of the rain outside. The weather has been nicer lately, but this week, it was raining a lot. The scene reminded me of when Aurora said yes to my proposal in front of my friends. It made me feel good and I smiled, watching her with a look of amusement. Finally, she’d come to her senses. My wife stopped. By the time I realized she was holding something in her clenched fist, she threw it at my chest. A soaked, heavy cloth slid down my shirt. I could almost hear Daniel’s, Sterling’s, and Henry’s jaws drop in surprise. “You’ve been following me!” Aurora slammed her open hands on the table and, in one movement, wiped it clean of cards, glasses, and ashtrays. The stuff flew to the floor. “I saw your stupid guys waiting by my car when I left Mrs. Reynolds’ nursing home, so I decided to chase them and Got one guy’s jacket. The other was too fast.” “Which one did you catch?” Daniel asked casually. “So
AIDEN'S POV My heart was racing now. I could feel the tension and pressure around my neck, and for the first time in years, I knew they were going to win.Being rejected by my wife wasn’t even one of the worst things that happened to me this month, but the fact she turned me down made me want to rip off my skin and throw it all over Daniel’s house.It was his idea to make me push my weight around with her. Now, not only did I have Landon as a problem, but I also had a wife who refused to get pregnant.I turned around, storming down the hallway, speeding past the master bedroom like a storm, going all the way to the farthest room on the second floor. My fingers itched. My eyes twitched. I couldn’t hold it in anymore.I couldn’t keep it under control. For the first time in years, I was going to let the anger come out. I threw the door open. It was an old study room I converted into a spa. Whatever bullshit excuse I could give the builders to soundproof the room and fill it with soft, u
AIDEN'S POV “Cut the crap, King. Where’s my money?” He tried to grab my shirt collar, leaning over my desk, but I was faster. I pushed back in my chair, making him fall face first onto my desk, his eyes landing on the tempting numbers from the monthly report. I stood up and buttoned my suit. “What’s money in the big picture, Herold, my friend? You have the Arctic to save.” “You won’t be so smug when I go to the FBI and tell them how much money you stole from me.” He quickly got up, fixing his tie. “Let me know when you do that, so I can visit the IRS and tell them you’ve been hiding millions in offshore accounts. That’ll end your nonprofit career faster than a fish out of water.” He froze, knowing I had a point. Herold would have to pay for it. No one was supposed to know he was hiding millions where no one could find it. He glared at me. “You think I care?” he spat. “You think that’ll stop me from sending Tinder and Tree to Evon? To give them all the things your family stole f
AIDEN'S POV It was already hard enough for me to say the word "divorce." Now I had to stand here and listen to her tell me we were in a serious, monogamous relationship. My life really went downhill after we started sleeping together. "You will never find what we have with anyone else," she said angrily. "And you’re the dumbest smart man if you think you can." "Are you done being dramatic?" I leaned against her bedroom doorframe, crossing my arms like a tired dad. "Are you done being heartless?" she replied back. “No. Which brings us to the only reason you’re still here but not pregnant yet.” "Did you ever think I might not be able to have kids at all?" She started getting dressed. Underwear first, then a big shirt. "I did," I said. "When I made this plan, I wrote down the good things, the bad things, and the problems that could happen. Not being able to have kids was the first bad thing on the list." "And?" "And everyone can be replaced." She froze. She didn’t move at all
AIDEN'S POV I threw the blanket off and sat up, quickly pulling on my underwear. “Sweetheart, let’s not act like I care enough to have you followed. Daniel follows Herold, and he saw you going in and out of his house.” “Daniel’s a jerk.” She jumped off the bed like she touched something hot. I pulled a v neck shirt over my head and didn’t care about her yelling. “What Daniel is or isn’t doesn’t matter to me. I’m not married to him. You, on the other hand, are breaking the contract you signed. The part that says you can’t help my enemies. You went and talked to Herold like a fool, telling him we keep our money separate. Now Herold will use your job in court to show that I’m a bad, cold husband.” “You are a cold husband.” She threw up her hands and laughed with no joy. “Love wasn’t part of the deal.” “Screw your deal!” she shouted, losing her usual calm. “Why? Screwing you is way more fun.” I was already heading to my room. I felt proud for not letting us sleep in the same bed
AIDEN'S POV Aurora signed a contract saying she couldn't talk about it. She had no right to tell anyone. Daniel took a puff from his cigarette and looked at me with a small smile. “Don’t tell me you were dumb enough to add her to your bank accounts, Aiden.” "No, but I send her sixty thousand dollars every month. She lives in my house, eats my food, and I pay for everything. I thought that would be enough money so she wouldn’t try to find another job." "Well, that’s what she told the Landons. You know she works for them, right?" I did, and I didn’t. Aurora told me months ago that she wanted to do that, but she didn’t say anything after. I assumed. Fine, I hoped she only said it to annoy me and get a reaction out of me because that seems to be her favorite thing to do right now but I didn’t think she would really do it. "Aiden?" Daniel tilted his head. I coughed, put my hands under the table, and cracked my knuckles. “I knew,” I lied. “Why didn’t you stop it?” "Well that's
AIDEN'S POV It had only been forty minutes since they arrived, and already I wanted to kick them out with my shoes still stuck in their backsides. Aurora was upstairs on a zoom call with her friends, and my mind was full of thoughts about what I had planned for her tonight. “A smile? No way.” Devon squinted at his cards and took a sip of his brandy. “Maybe he’s having a stroke.” “Maybe something’s stuck in his teeth,” Henry said, tapping his cards on the table. “Like, you know, feelings or something.” “Shut up,” I warned. “No, they’re right. You’re smiling,” Daniel said, looking at me with disgust. “It’s gross. We’re trying to eat here.” He dropped his sandwich onto his plate. “I think it’s cute,so let's leave him alone for now” Henry said, taking a sip of his beer. “Aiden caught a case of feelings, and there’s no cure for what he’s got.” “Are you really one to talk about being pussy whipped?” I grabbed a card from the stack in the middle of the table. “Your manhood has bee
AIDEN'S POV Three months had passed since Aurora moved in. Three months of annoying daily dinners, text messages full of pointless cloud pictures, and too much sex. Physically, I’d never been this satisfied in my life. Mentally, my thoughts and beliefs shrank every time I stepped into my house. If Aurora thought we were getting closer to being happily married, she was wrong. I wasn’t any more in love with her than I was three months ago, and didn’t care for her more than the day she walked into my office, asking me to be her hero. Yet, my new life had a cost, and I wasn’t happy about paying it. I cracked my knuckles behind closed doors so much, I was surprised my fingers were still attached. I spent extra time at the gym taking my anger out on a punching bag to let off steam. It didn’t help that Sandy was showing off her big belly. She kept it out every weekend when we went to my parents' house, patting it to make sure no one forgot she was pregnant. My parents' excitement about