Aurora tossed the marriage contract onto the scratched coffee table. The thick paper slid across the wood with a soft rasp.
Kevin couldn't sit still. He paced the narrow floorboards, breathing shallow and fast, muttering about the ruthless tactics of the Yates family.
Audra handed Aurora a chipped mug filled with hot cocoa. She placed a gentle hand on Kevin's arm. "Kevin, stop. We have to trust her."
Aurora wrapped her cold fingers around the warm ceramic. The heat seeped into her skin. It had been a decade since anyone had made her a hot drink.
She looked at her father. "Dad, the Yates family only wants a blood connection to the Lott family. They don't care which body fulfills the contract."
Kevin stopped pacing, his brow furrowed.
A dark, sharp smile touched Aurora's lips. "Stella is adopted. Legally and biologically, I am the only true heir. I have the leverage." She set the mug down. "As long as I am the one who initiates the cancellation with the Yates family, Eleanor's entire plan burns to the ground."
Kevin's chest heaved. "But if you insult them by breaking the contract, they will destroy us! They will retaliate."
Aurora's eyes went cold. The air in the room seemed to chill. "If the Yates family tries to touch us, I will make them bleed."
Kevin sighed heavily, thinking she was just acting tough. "Whatever happens, I'll stand in front of you."
Late that night, after her parents had finally fallen asleep, Aurora sat alone by the drafty window. The cold wind bit at her cheeks. She stared at the glowing lights of the main mansion in the distance.
She reached into the hidden lining of her duffel bag and pulled out a heavily modified matte-black smartphone. The screen glowed with an eerie blue light. Her thumbs flew across it, punching in a thirty-two-character dynamic encryption key. The dark web interface loaded instantly.
A chat box popped up. The contact name was "K. Stone." An encrypted voice call request flashed.
Aurora slipped a micro-earpiece into her ear and tapped accept.
"Boss," K. Stone's voice came through, crisp and respectful.
"Report," Aurora whispered into the dark room.
"The Lott family is bleeding cash. Their supply chain is collapsing. They desperately need the Yates family's capital injection to cover a massive deficit."
Aurora let out a cold breath. That explained why Eleanor was so desperate to sell her off.
"Cut them off," Aurora ordered. "Sever the return channels for their three offshore shell companies. Bleed them dry."
She heard the rapid clacking of a mechanical keyboard through the earpiece. Ten seconds later, K. Stone spoke. "Done. The funds are locked."
"Next," Aurora said. "I need Damian Yates's private contact number."
K. Stone hesitated for a fraction of a second. "The Yates family's firewalls are military-grade. It's going to take a little time to breach."
"Just get it done," Aurora said. She needed to strike before Eleanor finalized the paperwork.
She ended the call and slid the phone back into its hiding place. She looked at the mansion again, her eyes tracking the lights like a sniper tracking a target.
The next morning, Aurora stepped out of the guest house wearing a simple grey tracksuit. The air was crisp. She started her morning run across the estate grounds.
As she jogged into the elaborate rose garden, she saw Stella blocking the center of the stone path. Stella was wearing a silk robe, holding a cup of coffee, a victorious, sickeningly sweet smile plastered on her face.
"Good morning, sister," Stella taunted, her voice loud enough for the nearby gardeners to hear. "Still have the energy to run? You should be resting. Taking care of a crippled husband is going to be exhausting."
Aurora stopped running. Her breathing was perfectly even. She didn't yell. She didn't look angry. She just looked at Stella like she was looking at a piece of trash stuck to her shoe.
Aurora stepped into Stella's personal space. She leaned down, her lips hovering just inches from Stella's ear.
"I've been doing some digging since I got back," Aurora whispered, her voice a cold, lethal hiss. "I know Eleanor has been hiding something about your true parentage. And I know she went to great lengths to bury the evidence."
Stella's entire body went rigid. The color drained from her face, leaving her looking like a corpse. The coffee cup in her hand shook so hard the hot liquid spilled over the rim, burning her fingers.
Aurora patted Stella's frozen cheek twice. "Keep your mouth shut about me, or I'll make sure every secret your precious grandmother has been hiding sees the light of day."
She stepped back, completely ignoring Stella's hyperventilating form, and continued her run down the path.
