The living room fell dead silent after Aurora left. Stella dropped the victim act instantly. She walked over to Eleanor and began massaging the old woman's tense shoulders.
Stella's voice trembled with genuine panic. "Grandma, you can't make me marry Damian Yates. He's a cripple tied to a wheelchair. Everyone says he's a violent psychopath. It will ruin my future."
Eleanor patted Stella's hand, her eyes sharp and calculating. "Don't worry, my dear. I would never throw my most valuable asset into a fire pit." She paused. "Aurora has Lott blood. Legally, she is the perfect candidate to fulfill that ancient contract."
Trading a worthless, uneducated hillbilly for the massive commercial resources of the Yates family was the most profitable deal Eleanor could imagine. She called the head butler back. "Prepare the documents. We are officially changing the name on the marriage contract to Aurora Lott."
Meanwhile, Aurora walked across the manicured lawns toward the darkest, most neglected corner of the estate. She pushed open the peeling wooden door of the guest house. The hinges screamed.
Inside, the lighting was dim. Kevin Lott, a thin man with tired eyes and graying hair, sat at a small scratched table, thick reading glasses on his nose, trying to fix a broken toaster with a screwdriver. He looked up.
When he saw his daughter standing there after ten long years, the screwdriver slipped from his fingers and clattered to the floor.
Kevin's eyes filled with tears. He stood, his hands shaking. He took a step toward her, wanting to hug her, then looked down at his grease-stained hands and stopped, afraid of dirtying her clothes.
The ice in Aurora's eyes melted. She closed the distance and wrapped her arms tightly around him.
Audra, her stepmother, hurried out from the tiny kitchen area. She was a gentle-faced woman with worry lines and messy brown hair pulled into a bun. When she saw Aurora, she froze. The worn dish towel slipped from her hands and hit the floor with a soft thud. Her eyes widened and filled with tears.
"Rory?" Audra whispered, her voice trembling. She took a hesitant step forward. "Is that really you? Where have you been all these years?"
Aurora offered a small, reassuring nod. Seeing that, the tension drained from Audra's shoulders, and a warm, genuine smile broke across her tired face. She immediately rushed to pour a cup of hot water.
Sitting on the lumpy sofa in that cramped, drafty room, Aurora felt the tight knot in her chest loosen. It was the first time in years she'd felt warm.
Kevin sat beside her, his face full of guilt. He asked about her life outside. Aurora looked at his worn face and fed him a gentle, fabricated story, completely erasing the blood, the guns, and the dark web.
Before Kevin could ask another question, the front door was violently kicked open.
Eleanor's senior assistant marched in, followed by four massive estate bodyguards. The small room instantly felt suffocating.
The assistant held up a legal folder, a smug look on his face. "Eleanor's orders. Aurora Lott will marry Damian Yates in exactly one month."
All the blood drained from Kevin's face. He shot up from the sofa, fists clenched. "No! You're throwing her into a meat grinder! Everyone in the city knows Damian is a crippled monster!"
The assistant sneered. "If you refuse, all three of you will be stripped of your living allowance and thrown out onto the streets today."
Audra grabbed Kevin's hand, her whole body shaking with anger. "We'd rather sleep on the streets than sacrifice Aurora."
Aurora remained seated on the broken sofa. She crossed her legs, hands resting on her knees, and stared at the assistant with the eyes of a mortician looking at a corpse.
Her brain rapidly pulled up the files she had on Damian Yates. The apex predator of Washington State's financial world. Rumored to be paralyzed from the waist down.
A low, dark chuckle escaped her lips. Everyone turned to look at her.
She stood and walked slowly toward the assistant. The sheer physical dominance radiating from her made the man instinctively take a half-step back.
She snatched the folder from his hand, flipped through the first two pages, her face completely bored. "Go back and tell the old woman," Aurora said, her voice dead calm. "I accept the marriage."
Kevin and Audra gasped in horror. Kevin reached for her arm, but Aurora shot him a look so commanding it froze him in place.
The assistant smiled in triumph. "Smart girl. You know your place." He turned and marched out, the bodyguards trailing behind him.
The moment the door clicked shut, Kevin dropped his face into his hands, a broken sob escaping his lips. "I'm useless. I dragged you down with me."
Aurora turned. Her eyes were clear, sharp, and completely ruthless. "Dad, look at me. I only agreed to buy us time. I am going to break this engagement myself."
She wasn't going to be anyone's pawn. The Lott family owed them blood, and she was going to collect every single drop.
