Semua Bab Love and deceit : Bab 81 - Bab 90

🌹 Aurora 🌹The city lights blurred as Damien sped through the streets, the black list burning in my lap. I gripped it tightly, as if holding it any looser would make it disappear, as if the truth inside it wasn’t already seared into my mind.Our names were on it.I had never been naïve enough to believe we were untouchable, but this was different. Seeing our names among men who had vanished, who had been silenced, sent a chill through my veins.Damien didn’t speak. His fingers clenched around the steering wheel, his jaw tight with the kind of rage that simmered just beneath the surface. The kind that meant something dangerous was brewing.My stomach twisted. “What are we supposed to do now?”His eyes didn’t leave the road. “We go to my father.”I snapped my head toward him. “Are you insane?”“No.” His tone was clipped. “We don’t have a choice.”I let out a sharp breath. “Victor Sterling is part of this. He knew what was happening. You really think he’s just going to hand us the trut

🌹 Damien 🌹The first thing I noticed when I woke up was her.Aurora.Lying beside me, her body still tangled in the sheets, her soft breaths even and rhythmic.Her bare skin glowed under the dim morning light filtering through the massive windows, a stark contrast to the storm she had unleashed in me just hours ago.I’d meant to be gentle with her. I really had.But she had pushed me, teased me with that defiant fire in her eyes, knowing damn well what it would do to me.And so, I’d claimed her. Completely.My fingers traced slow circles on her exposed back, watching as she shifted slightly, her face pressing into the pillow. Even in sleep, she looked... at peace.The kind of peace I hadn’t known in years.And yet, as I lay there, staring at her, a dull ache settled in my chest.Because peace wasn’t something men like me could afford.And she had no idea what she was walking into.My father’s words from last night echoed in my mind."You think you can protect her from this world, Da

The morning the world turned against Reynolds Pharmaceuticals, Aurora knew something was wrong before she even saw the headlines.Her phone wouldn’t stop buzzing—calls from unknown numbers, frantic texts from colleagues, missed calls from Damien. The air in her penthouse felt thick with something unspoken, a warning whispering through the walls.Then she saw it.The headline was everywhere, plastered across news outlets, trending on social media:“Reynolds Pharmaceuticals: A Legacy Built on Lies?”Aurora’s stomach twisted as she clicked on the article. The words on the screen blurred together in a haze of disbelief.Leaked documents suggest that Reynolds Pharmaceuticals has engaged in unethical drug trials, falsified reports, and concealed dangerous side effects of its best-selling medications. In an exposé released by Hawthorne Biotech’s CEO, Alistair Hawthorne, the evidence is damning.Her hands clenched around her phone as she scrolled through the attached documents—bank transactio

🌹 Aurora 🌹The weight of betrayal sat heavy on my chest.The past few days had been a whirlwind of chaos—public backlash, financial losses, and desperate damage control. Every time we thought we had a grip on the situation, something new surfaced, threatening to pull us under.And now, standing in Damien’s penthouse, I could feel the walls closing in on us.Across from me, Damien was seated at his desk, his face illuminated by the glow of his laptop screen. His jaw was set, his fingers moving swiftly over the keyboard as he analyzed the latest reports on Reynolds Pharmaceuticals.“This isn’t just a smear campaign,” he muttered. “Caldwell knows exactly where to strike.”I crossed my arms, pacing the room. “Because someone is feeding him information.”Damien’s fingers froze on the keys. He lifted his gaze to meet mine, his expression unreadable. “You think there’s a leak?”I swallowed hard. “I know there is.”The things Caldwell had exposed weren’t just public knowledge. He had target

🌹 Damien 🌹 The weight of the city’s scrutiny was palpable. Everywhere I went, I felt the invisible eyes on me, the silent judgment of the public, the incessant chatter of the media. Every corner, every building in this metropolis seemed to breathe the scandal, from billboards announcing the latest accusations to the desperate whispers that echoed through the boardrooms of Reynolds Pharmaceuticals. The damage that Victoria and Ethan had caused felt as if it were closing in, suffocating both the company and our families.Aurora and I had fought so hard to come this far, to claim something for ourselves amidst the chaos of our families’ legacies. But now, it seemed as though all of it was crumbling before our eyes.The sound of the phone ringing on my desk snapped me out of my thoughts. I glanced at the caller ID, my jaw tightening when I saw the name. Ethan Coldwell.I picked up the phone, my voice measured. “Damien Sterling.”“You can’t run forever,” Ethan’s voice came through the