Chapter 6

AURORA BRUCE POV:

Josh, on his knees, looked up at my father, his face a mask of terror. "Mr. Tyler, I... I didn't... I swear, I didn't mean for any of this to happen." His eyes darted nervously between my father and me, then to my grandfather, who remained a silent, imposing statue by the entrance. "Aurora... she's not a Tyler. She's... Aurora Bruce. She' s my strategist, my... friend."

Kassandra, still reeling from the sudden shift in power dynamics, piped up, her voice shrill. "Exactly! She's no Tyler! She's just some obsessed girl who works for Josh! This is ridiculous! What kind of stunt is this?"

Her words, however, were drowned out by the murmurs from the now terrified onlookers in the lobby. Someone whispered, "Bruce... Tyler? Oh my God, she's Harrison Tyler's granddaughter! And his son's daughter!" The realization spread like wildfire, a wave of shock and dawning horror. Faces that had been sneering were now pale with fear.

Josh, hearing the murmurs, slowly, hesitantly, began to push himself up from the floor. He saw the recognition in the eyes of the onlookers, and a desperate, foolish hope flickered in his own. He thought he could still salvage this.

He straightened his suit, trying to regain his composure. "Mr. Tyler," he began, his voice regaining a fraction of its former smoothness, "I understand there's been a misunderstanding. Aurora... she' s a valued member of my team. A dear friend. But I assure you, she's not... she's not involved in the Tyler family business. She simply uses her maiden name. A quaint choice, really." He even managed a weak, ingratiating smile. "This is all a big misunderstanding. Just a little... lovers' spat, perhaps? A miscommunication about the engagement." He glanced at the terrified crowd, trying to project an image of calm control.

My gaze, cold and unwavering, fixed on him. "A misunderstanding, Josh? A lovers' spat?" The words tasted like ash in my mouth. "Is that what you call seven years of my life? Seven years of ghostwriting your speeches, crafting your policies, funneling my family's money into your campaigns, all while you planned to discard me for a more 'telegenic' partner?"

Kassandra, always quick to capitalize on any perceived weakness, stepped forward, her eyes blazing with renewed anger. "She's lying! She's always been obsessed with you, Josh! She' s a stalker! A psycho!" She lunged towards me, her hands reaching for my neck, a wild fury in her eyes.

Before she could reach me, my father moved. It was a blur of motion, swift and decisive. He grabbed Kassandra's wrist, his grip like steel, and twisted. Kassandra cried out, a sharp, piercing sound of pain.

Josh, seeing his fiancée in pain, reacted instinctively. "Kassandra! What are you doing, Mr. Tyler? She's pregnant!" The words tumbled out, desperate and ill-timed, a last-ditch effort to create a diversion.

My father paused, his grip still firm on Kassandra's wrist. He looked at Josh, then at Kassandra, a chillingly calm expression on his face. "Pregnant?" he repeated, his voice dangerously soft. He looked at Kassandra's flat stomach, then back at Josh. "Are you certain?"

Kassandra, her face contorted with pain and fear, glared at Josh. "You idiot! Don't tell him that!"

Josh, realizing his mistake, stammered, "I... I meant... metaphorically speaking! We're building a future together! A political future!"

My father let go of Kassandra's wrist with a disgusted shove, sending her stumbling back into her bodyguards. He turned his attention back to Josh, his eyes colder than ever.

"So, you never loved her," I stated, my voice cutting through the tension. "Not as a 'valued member of your team,' not as a 'dear friend,' and certainly not as a lover. It was always a transaction for you, wasn't it, Josh? A means to an end."

Josh looked at me, then at my father, then at my grandfather, who had now taken a step forward, his eyes burning with a silent, terrifying intensity. He was trapped. He saw no escape.

"Aurora, please," he whimpered, his voice cracking. "You know I care about you. Deeply. But... we're in different worlds. You're... you're brilliant, yes. But you belong in the shadows. I need a partner who can stand in the spotlight with me. Someone like... Kassandra." He gestured vaguely towards her. "She understands the demands of public life. She's... presentable. You're too... intense. Too much." He even managed a condescending smile. "But I'd always ensure you were taken care of. A position on my staff, perhaps. Some shares in a minor venture. A comfortable life, out of the public eye. You could still be my secret weapon."

Kassandra, though still rubbing her wrist, smirked. "See, Aurora? He's being generous. Take the offer. It's more than you deserve."

My laugh was cold, brittle, devoid of humor. It echoed through the silent lobby, a chilling sound. I looked from Josh to Kassandra, then back to Josh, who was now straightening his collar, confident in his dismissal of me.

"Presentable?" I repeated, my voice a silken thread of menace. "You think she's presentable? She's a cheap, plastic doll, Josh. A convenient prop. And you think I belong in the shadows? Because I worked in secret for your ambition? Because I believed in your promises?" My eyes, now burning with a quiet fire, fixed on him. "You think you can dismiss me, Josh? You think you can buy me off with scraps? You think I'm just a 'useful workhorse' that can be replaced by a 'presentable' trophy wife?"

Josh, sensing the shift in my demeanor, felt a tremor of unease. He looked at my grandfather, then at my father, both of whom were now staring at him with an unnerving intensity. The air crackled with unspoken menace.

"Aurora, please, let's be reasonable," Josh pleaded, trying to appeal to the woman he thought he knew. "I'm offering you a very generous package. A future. You just need to accept reality."

I stepped forward, closing the distance between us. My gaze, steady and unwavering, pierced through his carefully constructed facade. "Josh Palmer," I said, my voice barely above a whisper, yet resonating with an authority that silenced even the helicopters outside. "You have no idea what reality is. But you're about to learn."