Chapter 2: Can’t Be Wrong
Aurora’s POV
??The tattoo.
??That tattoo.
??The very one I had seen on the wrist of the man who assassinated my family.
??No... no... it couldn’t be.
??Without thinking, I jumped away from him and rushed out of the room. My legs carried
toward the changing area before my mind could even catch up. I slamd the door shut, slid down to the floor, and hugged myself tightly.
My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would burst right out of my chest.
??The image of the scorpion tattoo kept flashing in my head—over and over again. The sa tattoo that had haunted my nightmares for years. The sa tattoo I had forced myself to morize, so I would never forget a single line.
??"It’s him..." I whispered, fresh tears sliding down my cheeks. "My parents’ killer... it’s him."
??I choked on my sobs, my chest tightening as the truth sank in. All my life, I had searched for him. I had burned that image into my mory—every curve, every sharp edge. It wasn’t a common design. It had a specific symbol, sothing unique. One of a kind.
??"I can’t be wrong," I cried softly. "It’s really him."
??mories of that day ca crashing back—the gunshots, the screaming, the tallic scent of blood. Everything. Panic took over. I had to leave. I had to go ho.
??What if he recognized ? What if he realized I was the surviving daughter of the family he wiped out? What if he decided to finish what he started?
??trembling, I got to my feet, quickly changed out of my costu, and rushed out of the dressing room.
I t Clara at Bar Stand Two.
??"I’m going ho," I blurted out, my eyes darting frantically around the room. "An ergency ca up."
??My heart raced as I scanned the club, terrified the masked Dom might suddenly appear behind .
Clara frowned, worry etched into her face. "Aurora, what happened? You look like you’ve seen a ghost."
??I saw more than a ghost, Clara. I saw the man who murdered my family.
??But I couldn’t say it out loud. Clara knew my family had been assassinated, but I wasn’t ready to tell her that I might have just co face to face with the monster behind it.
??"Is it your brother?" she asked gently. "Did the hospital call?"
??She was talking about Jas—my elder brother. The only other person who survived that night.
??"Yes," I lied quickly. It was the only excuse I could think of. "I have to go. Please explain to the manager," I said, not waiting for her response.
??I turned around and ran out of the club through the back door. A taxi was parked outside; I waved it down and jumped in. But even as the car drove toward my apartnt, I couldn’t calm myself down. I kept looking over my shoulder, my mind spiraling into dark places.
??What if he followed ? What if he already knew who I was? What if he saw
at the club and recognized .
??"Shit!" I cursed in a panic. The taxi driver glanced at
through the mirror, and I quickly looked away, squeezing my eyes shut and forcing myself to take a deep breath.
??When we reached my apartnt, I paid him and rushed to the door. My fingers trembled so violently I could barely punch in the security code. The door opened, and I ran inside like I was being hunted. I locked the door imdiately. Collapsing onto my small bed, I stared at the white ceiling, my heart still hamring against my ribs.
??barely slept. My mind wouldn’t stop racing. Should I leave the country? But what about my brother? His health? His treatnt? I knew I couldn’t... I couldn’t just run away.
??I must have drifted off at so point because I was suddenly jolted awake by my phone ringing. I realized with a shock that it was already morning. I picked up my phone and checked the ssage, my stomach dropping through the floor.
??Aurora, if you don’t find your ass here in twenty minutes, consider yourself fired.
??That was a ssage from my manager.
??"Fuck!"
??I was on morning duty.
??I forced myself to stand up. My legs felt like lead, but the fear was slowly being replaced by a cold, sharp desperation. I hadn’t spent six years grieving just to let him take the one thing I had left. I scrubbed my face with ice-cold water, trying to hide the dark circles under my eyes with heavy makeup. I needed to be invisible. I needed to be just another face behind the bar. I wouldn’t wear the costu from last night; I’d be in my standard morning shift uniform. Maybe—just maybe—he wouldn’t recognize
in the daylight.
??I made it to the club with two minutes to spare, breathless and sweating. Marcus was standing by the entrance, tapping his watch with a deep scowl.
??"You’re lucky I like your work ethic, Aurora," he grumbled, waving
toward the bar. "Get to Stand 2. It’s going to be a busy morning for the private lounge guests."
??My heart stopped. The private lounge. That’s where the high-rollers stayed after a night of partying. That’s where he would be.
??As I reached the bar and began setting up the glasses, I kept my head down, my hair falling forward to shield my face. Every ti the heavy doors opened, I flinched.
??"Aurora! Two espressos for the VIP booth," Clara whispered, sliding a tray toward . She looked at
closely. "You okay? You look pale as a sheet."
??"I’m fine," I lied, my voice cracking.
??I picked up the tray and turned toward the booths. My eyes instinctively drifted to the wrists of every man I passed. And then, I saw him. He was sitting in the corner, still masked, dressed in an expensive charcoal suit. He was talking to a group of n, looking perfectly civilized—like he hadn’t spent his life destroying families.
??His hand was resting on the table. And there it was. The scorpion tattoo, clear as day in the morning light.
As if pulled by a magnetic force, his eyes drifted toward . The mont his gaze fell on , my breath seized.
??"You..." he paused. "Co here."
??
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