The guards moved forward, towering over Sophia as they reached down to grab her.
"Wait, what? What’s going on?" Sophia’s voice shook as two of the guards gripped her arms.
She tried to pull away, but their hold was too strong.
Panic surged through her as she struggled to break free, her heart pounding.
"Help!" she shouted, turning her head desperately, hoping soone, anyone, would co to her rescue.
But when she looked back, all she saw was Aurora.
Flanked by her other guards, Aurora stood there, cold and resolute, with not a trace of remorse on her face.
There wasn’t even a flicker of doubt or guilt in her eyes.
It hit Sophia like a punch—Aurora was here to make her pay.
Sophia’s stomach dropped, and as she realized no one would co to her aid, her struggles slowed.
She stopped resisting.
The guards dragged her out of the airport and into a waiting car, and from there, they took her to a luxurious hotel.
Inside the executive lounge, they shoved her into a chair, standing guard by Aurora’s side as Aurora seated herself across from her.
The contrast between the elegance of the surroundings and the darkness of the situation couldn’t have been sharper.
Sophia swallowed hard, her voice shaky as she stamred, "Why... why are you doing this?"
Aurora didn’t answer imdiately.
Instead, she gave a brief nod to one of the guards, a hulking man with bulging muscles, who approached the table.
Sophia gulped, fearing the worst.
But instead of attacking her, the man simply laid a paper on the table between them.
Sophia’s eyes dropped to the paper, and her heart skipped a beat.
It was her note.
The sa one she had left behind before fleeing. Her past actions, laid out in her own words, was now sitting right in front of her.
"I saw your note a few minutes after you left," Aurora said coolly. "Your relationship with Hades, him stealing your docuntary just to win over, and him forcing you to deceive about Lucas."
Her voice was calm, but there was an edge of sothing far more dangerous underneath.
Sophia’s eyes welled up with tears. Her voice trembled as she tried to explain, "I swear, Aurora, I was going to tell you..."
Aurora cut her off, her voice sharp. "But you were too frightened. Because Hades threatened you, didn’t he? He threatened your mother’s life and scarred your hands. That’s why you were wearing long sleeves when you ca to see in the hospital."
Sophia bit her lip, knowing there was no point in denying it.
Aurora had read everything. She wasn’t just angry—she knew it all. And instead of guilt, all Sophia felt was bitter disappointnt.
She had assud she would have been far away, safe on a plane, before Aurora discovered the truth.
Now, her plans were in ruins.
A loud slam on the table jolted Sophia from her thoughts.
Aurora had struck the surface with her hand, glaring at her with fiery eyes.
"Which ans," Aurora continued, her voice dangerously low, "you, Sophia, are the reason behind Lucas’s situation."
Sophia’s breath hitched, and she shook her head frantically. "No, no! It’s not ! It’s Hades—he’s the one behind it all!"
Aurora leaned back in her chair, her gaze cold and calculating. "Hades or not, you worked as his accomplice. You helped drag Lucas’s na through the mud. Now his reputation is destroyed, and his business is crumbling. He’s being called a criminal, and if we don’t find a way to clear his na, he’s going to rot in jail... thanks to you."
Sophia fidgeted nervously, her hands shaking. "So... what do you want from ?" she asked in a small voice.
Aurora’s eyes narrowed. "I want you to work for . You’re going to help take down Hades."
Sophia’s eyes widened in shock. "What?!"
Aurora rolled her eyes, her expression dismissive. "You heard . You’re going to use whatever access and influence you still have to bring him down."
Sophia’s voice broke as she started ranting, "Hades... he hurt , Aurora. He physically hurt —look at my hands!"
She held them up, the barely healed scars still visible. "He’s threatening my mother! He could kill her any mont!"
Aurora’s gaze was unflinching. "If you refuse to work for , then forget about your mother ever existing. And those scars on your hands?"
She leaned forward, her voice dropping dangerously. "I won’t just give you a few bruises—I’ll chop your hands off entirely."
Sophia froze, the cold threat hanging in the air like a blade. Her heart raced, and the fear that coursed through her was paralyzing.
Slowly, Sophia nodded, her voice weak as she muttered, "I’ll think about it."
Aurora almost chuckled, leaning forward slightly.
"Think about it?" she repeated, her voice laced with a calm, almost mocking tone. "You have 24 hours to find the evidence that will get my husband out of jail."
Sophia’s eyes widened, the shock hitting her like a wave.
She almost choked on her own breath. "H-Husband?" she stamred. "Didn’t you say you were going to divorce him?"
For a fleeting mont, sothing flickered in Aurora’s eyes—an emotion Sophia couldn’t place.
But before she could even begin to read it, Aurora’s face hardened again, the confidence returning in full force.
Whatever vulnerability had surfaced was buried almost imdiately.
Sophia, still rattled, didn’t notice the flash of emotion.
Her thoughts were scrambling to make sense of the situation when the guard stepped forward, his dangerous presence pushing her to a breaking point.
"Okay, okay!" Sophia blurted out, raising her hands defensively. "I’ll do it. I’ll do whatever you want."
Aurora’s lips curled into a small, satisfied smile.
"Good," she said coolly, leaning back in her chair, her gaze never leaving Sophia’s. "I’ll send so of my guards to watch your every move. So don’t even think about trying to outsmart ."
Sophia’s heart pounded as she swallowed hard, nodding slowly.
She had no choice. Aurora was far more dangerous than she had imagined.
And with Aurora threatening her mother’s life, the fear that gripped her was too strong to ignore. She couldn’t risk either of their lives.
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