Aurora stood before the massive conference table, her heels clicking with authority as she paced across the boardroom. The senior team of Lane Group sat stiffly around her, all eyes on her fiery presence.
"Elias Raine is bleeding," she declared. "And we're not done yet. I want every pending acquisition reevaluated—anything with even a sliver of connection to Bishop Holdings needs to be burned to the ground. No mercy."
A junior exec raised his hand timidly. "What if this triggers a financial backlash?"
Aurora gave a slow, dangerous smile. "Let it. I'm not here to play nice. I'm here to win."
As she stepped out of the room, applause echoed behind her—but her mind was far from victorious.
Something was off.
Dominic had been quiet all morning. Not cold—cold she was used to—but distant. Too calculating. Like he was preparing for something.
She entered her private office, heart thudding for reasons she couldn't name. As she sat at her desk, her assistant stepped in.
"Miss Lane, a woman named Juliana Ward is waiting downstairs. She says she's from overseas and that she knows Mr. Raine personally. She's requesting to speak with you privately."
Aurora froze. "Did she say what it was about?"
"She said it's urgent... and personal."
---
Juliana Ward was elegance wrapped in ice. She wore a navy dress that whispered old money and secrets. Her smile was sharp, her eyes unreadable.
Aurora sized her up quickly.
"So, you know Dominic," she said casually, offering no handshake.
Juliana's lips curled. "Intimately."
Aurora's face didn't twitch. "And what brings you to me, Miss Ward?"
Juliana took her time sitting. "I just came to warn you. Dominic isn't who he says he is."
Aurora leaned forward, folding her hands. "You'll have to be more specific. I know a lot about the man I'm... involved with."
Juliana chuckled. "Do you? Did he tell you about Barcelona? About what he did to my father? Or about the confidential merger that never happened because Dominic leaked it and walked away richer than anyone should be at twenty-one?"
Aurora blinked once. Her pulse spiked, but she didn't let it show.
Juliana leaned in. "He's a master manipulator. He charms, breaks, and moves on. You're his new game. Just like I was."
Aurora stood slowly. "I don't know what kind of history you two have, but let me be clear—I'm not someone you can rattle with pretty stories. If you have proof, deliver it. Otherwise, you can see yourself out."
Juliana's eyes narrowed. "You'll regret trusting him."
Aurora gave her a deadly smile. "Everyone regrets underestimating me. Good day."
---
That night, Aurora didn't go to Dominic's penthouse. She returned to her own.
She poured whiskey instead of wine.
And she stared at her phone.
No messages from him. Not even the usual late-night one-liner:
"Still dreaming of me?"
She tossed the phone across the couch and exhaled.
Was Juliana telling the truth? Or was she just another bitter ex trying to shake her confidence?
Aurora knew Dominic had skeletons. So did she. But this felt different.
Too specific. Too intentional.
Her thoughts spiraled.
Had he used her? Was she just part of a long game?
---
Meanwhile, across the city, Dominic stood at the edge of a rooftop bar, drink in hand, staring at the skyline like it held answers.
Elias Raine had gone silent. That worried him. When snakes went still, it meant they were coiling to strike.
His phone buzzed.
Juliana: "She doesn't know. Yet."
He gritted his teeth.
Juliana's return had been unexpected—and dangerous. She had always wanted chaos.
Dominic wasn't proud of what happened years ago. But he wasn't the same man now.
Was he?
He looked down at the phone.
He didn't text Aurora. He couldn't. Not tonight. Not until he figured out how much Juliana had told her.
---
The next day, Aurora strode into Dominic's office without knocking.
He looked up, startled for the first time in a long time.
"Aurora—"
"Who is Juliana Ward?"
Silence stretched.
Dominic slowly stood. "She's from my past. But whatever she told you—"
"She said you destroyed her father's company. That you leaked a merger and made millions."
Dominic's jaw tensed. "It was more complicated than that."
She stepped closer. "So, it's true."
He didn't deny it.
"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, voice low.
"Because I didn't want you to look at me the way you're looking now."
"I'm not judging," she said. "I'm calculating. Was I part of your strategy? From the beginning?"
"No," he snapped. "You were the one thing I didn't plan."
She didn't flinch. "And if I hadn't fallen for you? What then? Would you have burned me too?"
Dominic stepped forward, grabbing her wrist. "Don't. Don't twist this into something it's not. I never wanted to hurt you."
She pulled away. "But you did. You didn't lie, Dominic. You just chose silence. That's worse."
She turned to leave.
He called out. "Aurora, don't walk away from me."
She paused at the door.
"You always forget, Dominic," she said coldly. "I don't walk away. I burn bridges."
And she left him standing in the ruins.
---