The city had barely recovered from the last storm when the next one hit.
The scandal surrounding Dominic and Aurora only intensified. The media, once satisfied with their initial gossip, had turned their focus toward something far more personal: the true nature of their relationship. Speculation ran wild, and with each passing day, more questions arose than answers.
The corporate boardroom at Raine Global had become a battlefield.
Aurora sat across from Dominic, her fingers nervously tapping the polished surface of the table. The company was under siege, and despite his assurances, the pressure was mounting. The phone calls from their legal team were growing more frequent. Investors were restless. And the public had begun to demand something that neither of them was prepared to give—the truth.
Dominic leaned back in his chair, his eyes never leaving her face. His demeanor was always cool, but the intensity in his gaze never wavered. It was as if he could read every one of her thoughts.
"Let's get one thing straight, Aurora," he said, his voice low, but cutting through the heavy tension. "This will not be solved with the truth. We can't just reveal everything to the press. The media will twist it, tear it apart."
Aurora clenched her jaw. "And what do you propose? We keep living this lie? Keep pretending this is all just part of a strategy?"
"No," Dominic said, his voice sharp. "I'm not suggesting we keep lying. But there are truths, and then there are truths that are better left unsaid."
His words sent a chill down her spine. What truths was he talking about?
She looked at him, trying to decipher the underlying meaning behind his cryptic words. "What do you mean by that?"
Dominic's gaze softened, but the intensity never left. "The truth about us, Aurora… our truth—it's complicated. The media doesn't need to know everything. The world doesn't need to know everything."
A part of her understood. She had lived her life under a microscope before, and she wasn't naive enough to believe that any of this could be neatly packaged for public consumption. But there was still a part of her that itched to be free. Free of the lies, the secrets, and the manipulation.
"I can't keep pretending," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "Not when the truth is so much darker than anything they could imagine."
Dominic's eyes darkened, and for a moment, she saw something in him that was raw, almost vulnerable. It was the same look he had given her that night when their kiss had spiraled out of control.
"You don't need to carry this alone," he said, his voice gentle, but firm. "I'll protect you."
The sincerity in his words hit her like a punch to the gut. She didn't know if she could trust him entirely. Not yet. But there was something about the way he said it—something that made her want to believe him. To believe in him.
"Why?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly. "Why are you doing this for me?"
Dominic leaned forward, the weight of his presence overwhelming. "Because I don't want anyone else to have you. Not like this. Not as a pawn. And not when you're the one I'm trying to protect."
Her heart stuttered in her chest. It was a dangerous game they were playing, and every word, every action, was another move in a dangerous dance neither of them fully understood.
But the storm inside her calmed slightly. Not because everything was clear, but because, for the first time, she didn't feel so alone in it.
---
By the time they reached the media briefing, the tension between them had thickened into something palpable, something unspoken. It was impossible to ignore.
Dominic's hand brushed against hers as they entered the press conference room. The flashes of cameras were immediate, as if they were ready to tear apart any semblance of peace they had fought for. Aurora's breath caught in her throat as she forced herself to smile, her eyes scanning the sea of reporters.
"Dominic, Aurora," one reporter called out from the front, "Are you in a relationship? Is this really a PR stunt, or is there something more?"
Aurora stiffened, but Dominic was unfazed. He stepped to the podium, his voice calm and authoritative.
"This is not a PR stunt," he began, his words slow and deliberate. "Aurora and I are… involved. We've been involved for a while now. What you see in the media is just a fraction of what's real."
The reporters shifted, murmuring to one another as they jotted down notes. Aurora fought the urge to flinch as the spotlight on them grew brighter. The questions came one after another, faster than she could answer, each one more personal than the last.
"Is this affair connected to your rivalry in business?" another reporter asked.
"No," Dominic replied without hesitation, his voice unwavering. "Aurora and I have always been two different people with two different goals. But that doesn't change the fact that we're both real, and what we have is real."
The questions continued, but the answers grew more measured, more rehearsed. Aurora could feel the weight of Dominic's words, the way he spoke about their relationship with such certainty. But the truth—their truth—felt like it was slipping through their fingers, one question at a time.
Then came the question that stopped everything.
"Are you two planning on marrying?" the reporter asked, their tone innocent, but the implication deadly.
Aurora's heart skipped a beat. She didn't know how to answer that. And Dominic… Dominic didn't answer at all. For a long moment, his silence spoke volumes, and Aurora felt the tension rising between them like an electric current.
Finally, Dominic's gaze moved to her, locking with hers. He didn't say a word. He didn't need to.
Because for all the questions, all the speculation—there was one truth that was undeniable.
They were caught in this together. Whether they liked it or not.
---
Later that evening, back in the privacy of his penthouse, Aurora found herself pacing again. She couldn't escape the feeling that the walls were closing in. The pressure, the constant scrutiny—it was unbearable. And Dominic? He had become an enigma, his every word and action adding to the confusion.
He stood by the windows, his arms crossed, his silhouette framed by the dim light from the city below. "You did well today," he said, his voice low.
"Did I?" she replied, her tone sharp. "Because I feel like I'm losing myself."
Dominic turned, his eyes catching hers. "You're not losing yourself. You're just fighting for something more than your comfort zone."
Aurora stopped pacing, her breath catching in her throat. "I don't want to fight anymore, Dom. Not like this. I didn't ask for this life."
He stepped closer, his presence a constant force in the room. "Neither did I. But now that we're in this, we'll finish it together. You don't have to fight alone."
For a moment, they stood in silence. Then, Dominic reached out, pulling her closer. The tension between them flared once again, but this time, it wasn't just about business or public perception. It was about something deeper. Something neither of them had fully acknowledged.
"Together, Aurora," he whispered, his breath warm against her skin. "We're going to finish this together."
---