Chapter 2

Caleb Vance barely glanced my way as I entered his line of sight.

His attention, as always in those last months of my previous life, was already half-captured by the thought of Lila Hayes.

He probably expected me to be the doting fiancée, eager to please, ready to bind the Blackwood fortune to his crumbling Vance Corporation.

That was the Rory he knew, the Rory he so easily discarded.

A bitter memory surfaced: Jax, in my past life, his face grim, his men falling around him as he fought the Syndicate after my death.

He had known Caleb' s weakness, had tried to warn me in his own quiet way, but I, blinded by love, hadn' t listened.

He died for my mistake.

The MC cleared his throat. "And now, we invite Aurora Blackwood, heiress to the formidable Blackwood family, to declare her family's chosen alliance."

All eyes turned to me.

I saw Caleb smirk, a self-satisfied look, already anticipating his victory.

I walked to the dais, not towards Caleb, but towards Jax Ryder.

I drew the Blackwood ceremonial dagger.

Its obsidian blade gleamed.

"The Blackwood family," I announced, my voice clear and strong, ringing through the silent hall, "chooses to ally with the Ryder Group."

I turned to Jax, holding out the dagger, hilt first. "Jax Ryder, will you sign the Founders' Compact with me, and bind our families in strength and loyalty?"

A collective gasp filled the room.

Caleb' s smirk vanished, replaced by stunned disbelief.

Jax looked at me, his usually stoic face showing a rare crack of astonishment.

Then, a slow, almost imperceptible nod. He stepped forward.

Before he could take the dagger, Caleb found his voice.

"What is this, Rory? Some kind of joke?" he blustered, stepping forward. "Our families agreed! The Vance-Blackwood alliance is set!"

Lila Hayes chose that moment to appear, looking pale and artless, rushing to Caleb' s side. "Oh, Caleb, what' s happening?"

Caleb put a protective arm around her. "It' s nothing, Lila. Just Rory being... difficult."

He turned back to the assembled families. "I, Caleb Vance, declare that any talk of a forced alliance with Aurora Blackwood is void! My heart, my commitment, is solely to Miss Lila Hayes!"

He pulled Lila closer, as if daring anyone to challenge him.

"She is the one I will marry, the one I will stand by!"

He was trying to humiliate me, to paint me as the spurned woman.

He had no idea he was playing right into my hands.

Lila looked up at him, eyes shining with unshed tears. "Oh, Caleb," she whispered, loud enough for those nearby to hear.

CEO Vance' s face was a mask of fury. "Caleb, you fool!" he hissed, his voice low but vibrating with rage.

My father, however, watched me with a thoughtful expression, a hint of pride in his eyes.

I ignored Caleb' s outburst.

I looked at Jax, my gaze steady. "Jax?"

He took the dagger from my hand, his fingers brushing mine. A small shock, like static electricity, passed between us.

Together, we walked to the ancient parchment of the Founders' Compact, a document rarely invoked, reserved for the most solemn of pacts.

I signed my name, Aurora Blackwood, with a flourish.

Jax Ryder signed his, his script firm and unwavering.

Done.

Caleb stared, aghast. Then, a strange look of triumph flickered across his face. He probably thought he was finally free of me, free to pursue his "true love" without Blackwood interference.

He beamed at Lila. "See? It all worked out."

Lila snuggled closer. "You're so brave, Caleb."

CEO Vance looked like he was about to have an aneurysm. "You have ruined us, boy!" he seethed at Caleb, no longer bothering to keep his voice down.