Chapter 3

The main living room fell dead silent after Aurora left. Stella dropped the victim act instantly. She walked over to Eleanor and began gently massaging the old woman's tense shoulders.

Stella's eyes reddened again, but this time her voice trembled with genuine panic. "Grandma, you can't make me marry Damian Yates."

She choked back a sob. "He's a cripple. He's tied to a wheelchair, and everyone says he's a violent psychopath. It will ruin my future in high society."

Eleanor patted Stella's hand gently. Her eyes gleamed with sharp, cold calculation. "Don't worry, my dear. I would never throw my most valuable asset into a fire pit."

Stella leaned closer. "Aurora has Lott blood. Legally, she is the perfect candidate to fulfill that ancient contract."

Eleanor nodded slowly. Trading a worthless, uneducated hillbilly for the massive commercial resources of the Yates family was the most profitable deal she could imagine.

Eleanor called the head butler back into the room. Her voice was ice. "Prepare the documents. We are officially changing the name on the marriage contract to Aurora Lott."

Meanwhile, Aurora walked across the perfectly manicured lawns, heading toward the darkest, most neglected corner of the massive estate.

She pushed open the peeling wooden door of the guest house. The hinges screamed.

Inside, the lighting was dim. Kevin Lott sat at a small, scratched table, wearing thick reading glasses, trying to fix a broken toaster with a screwdriver.

He heard the door open. He looked up.

When he saw his daughter standing there after ten long years, the screwdriver slipped from his fingers and clattered loudly onto the floor.

Kevin's eyes instantly filled with tears. He stood up, his hands shaking violently. He took a step toward her, wanting to hug her, but he looked down at his grease-stained hands and stopped, afraid of dirtying her clothes.

The ice in Aurora's eyes melted instantly. She closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms tightly around her aging father.

Audra, her stepmother, hurried out from the tiny kitchen area. When she saw Aurora, she froze completely. The worn dish towel in her hands slipped, hitting the floor with a soft thud. Her eyes widened, rapidly filling with tears as she took in the sight of the tall, imposing young woman standing in their cramped living room.

"Rory?" Audra whispered, her voice trembling violently. She took a hesitant step forward, as if afraid the image would shatter like glass. "Is that really you? Where have you been all these years?"

Aurora's gaze softened, offering a small, reassuring nod. Seeing that confirmation, the tension drained from Audra's shoulders, and a warm, genuine smile broke across her tired face. She immediately rushed to pour a cup of hot water for her.

Sitting on the lumpy sofa in this cramped, drafty room, Aurora felt the tight knot in her chest loosen. It was the first time she felt warm in years.

Kevin sat beside her, his face full of guilt. He asked about her life outside. Aurora looked at his worn face and fed him a gentle, fabricated story, completely erasing the blood, the guns, and the dark web.

Before Kevin could ask another question, the front door was violently kicked open.

Eleanor's senior assistant marched into the room, followed by four massive estate bodyguards. The small room instantly felt suffocating.

The assistant held up a legal folder, a smug look on his face. "Eleanor's orders. Aurora Lott will marry Damian Yates in exactly one month."

All the blood drained from Kevin's face. He shot up from the sofa, his fists clenched. "No! You are throwing her into a meat grinder! Everyone in the city knows Damian is a crippled monster!"

The assistant sneered. "If you refuse, all three of you will be stripped of your living allowance and thrown out onto the streets today."

Audra's whole body shook with anger. She grabbed Kevin's hand tightly. "We would rather sleep on the streets than sacrifice Aurora."

Aurora remained seated on the broken sofa. She crossed her legs and rested her hands on her knees. She stared at the assistant with the eyes of a mortician looking at a corpse.

Her brain rapidly pulled up the files she had on Damian Yates. The apex predator of Washington State's financial world. Rumored to be paralyzed from the waist down.

A low, dark chuckle escaped Aurora's lips. The sound cut through the heavy tension in the room. Everyone turned to look at her.

She stood up. She walked slowly toward the assistant. The sheer physical dominance radiating from her made the man instinctively take a half-step back.

She snatched the folder right out of his hand. She flipped through the first two pages, her face completely bored.

"Go back and tell the old woman," Aurora said, her voice dead calm. "I accept the marriage."

Kevin and Audra gasped in horror. Kevin reached out to grab her arm, but Aurora shot him a look so commanding, it froze him in place.

The assistant smiled in triumph. "Smart girl. You know your place." He turned around and marched out, the bodyguards trailing behind him like obedient dogs.

The moment the door clicked shut, Kevin dropped his face into his hands, letting out a broken sob. "I'm useless. I dragged you down with me."

Aurora turned around. Her eyes were clear, sharp, and completely ruthless.

"Dad, look at me," she demanded softly. "I only agreed to buy us time. I am going to break this engagement myself."

She wasn't going to be anyone's pawn. The Lott family owed them blood, and she was going to collect every single drop.