Bought By My Ex's Billionaire Uncle

"Relax, Miss Williamson. The NDA doesn't require you to act like a block of wood."

Dante Hopkins's low, raspy voice brushed against Aurora Williamson's ear, heavy with the undeniable authority of a man who owned half of Wall Street. In the dim light of the Manhattan penthouse bedroom, Aurora lay flat on her back against the velvet mattress. Her fingers twisted into the silk sheets as she tried to calm her ragged breathing. Above her, Dante's tall frame pressed down. His long fingers slowly unbuttoned the last button of his dress shirt, and his cold platinum cufflinks grazed her collarbone.

Aurora's eyelashes trembled. Forcing her cramped fingers to uncurl from the sheets, she raised her arms and obediently draped them over his broad shoulders.

Satisfied with her compliance, Dante lowered his head. His thin lips, carrying the faint scent of bourbon, hovered an inch above the side of her neck. Aurora instinctively tilted her head back. Their warm breath tangled in the narrow space between them, thick with heat.

Just as his lips were about to touch her skin, heavy, hurried footsteps echoed down the wide hallway outside the bedroom.

Aurora froze. Her pupils shrank, and her gaze shot past Dante's shoulder toward the slightly ajar mahogany double doors. Dante didn't stop. He didn't even bother to look back, locking his dark, cold eyes onto hers with an arrogance that dismissed the entire world outside.

A loud thud echoed from the outer suite as the heavy metal entrance door was shoved open. Leather shoes pounded across the carpet, coming closer by the second.

"Uncle! You have to stop the old man from freezing my trust fund! It's not fair!"

The young, drunken, reckless voice punched right through the bedroom walls. The sound hit Aurora's eardrums like a jolt of high-voltage electricity. Her heart dropped into her stomach. Pushing hard against Dante's chest, she drained of all color, her face turning as pale as paper.

Dante frowned, displeased by her sudden resistance. With one large hand, he easily pinned her wrists above her head and pressed her back into the pillows.

Outside, the man was already right at the bedroom door. The mahogany panels vibrated under the slap of his palm.

"I know you're in there! Why the hell is the board listening to you?"

Aurora opened her mouth in terror, her throat so tight that not a single sound came out. That voice, burned into her memory, had returned after three years to turn tonight into a living nightmare.

Dante finally straightened up. He pulled an Hermès cashmere blanket over Aurora's shaking body, wrapping her from head to toe. Turning toward the bedroom door, he spoke in a voice devoid of any warmth.

"Get out."

The pounding stopped instantly. Through the crack of the door, the young man seemed to stop breathing for a full second under the weight of that command. After a few seconds of dead silence, a nervous, audible gulp came from the hallway.

"Sorry, Uncle... I didn't know you had company. I'll wait for you in the garage downstairs."

Hurried footsteps scrambled backward, followed by the heavy thud of the outer suite door closing. Dead silence settled over the penthouse once again.

Aurora gasped for air like a drowning woman. Her hands clutched the edges of the cashmere blanket so hard her knuckles turned white. Dante turned around and looked down at her, his sharp gaze sweeping over her pale cheeks. Slowly buttoning his shirt back up, he returned to his usual cold, businesslike tone.

"My apologies, Miss Williamson. Tonight's schedule ends here."

Aurora swallowed hard, fighting to keep her voice from shaking.

"Was that... a relative of yours?"

Dante walked over to the wet bar and poured a glass of ice water, answering without looking back.

"My nephew, Kaden Bentley. A spoiled heir."

Kaden Bentley. The full name hit Aurora like a bucket of ice water poured from head to toe, shattering her last shred of hope. Underneath the cashmere blanket, her body shook uncontrollably. Carrying the glass back to the bed, Dante caught her reaction, his eyes narrowing.

"Do you know him?"

Aurora's fingertips were freezing. Forcing a stiff smile onto her face, she shook her head.

"No. I just think I've heard the name on the financial news."

Dante stared into her eyes for five full seconds, the weight of his gaze pressing down on her chest until she could barely breathe. Finally, he looked away, setting the glass on the nightstand before walking toward the walk-in closet.

"You have ten minutes to get dressed. My driver is waiting for you downstairs."

Watching his tall figure disappear behind the closet door, Aurora collapsed back onto the pillows, her mind racing to find a way out of this trap. She threw off the blanket and stumbled toward her dress scattered on the floor. Pulling the zipper halfway up her back, her hands shook so badly she couldn't fasten the hidden hook.

Aurora yanked the hidden hook of her dress shut, snatched her clutch bag, and bolted out of the bedroom barefoot across the thick Persian rug, not even pausing to put on her heels. She hurried through the living room, her eyes darting to the security monitor by the foyer. Confirming the elevator lobby was empty, she pushed open the heavy metal front door with trembling hands.

The cold air of the hallway hit her face. She had just slipped her feet into her high heels when a sharp ding echoed from the end of the empty corridor.

The metal elevator doors slid open. A young man in a tailored suit with a loose tie leaned against the cabin wall, flipping a sterling silver lighter in his hand.

Aurora gasped and spun around to retreat into the suite, but a pair of eyes-three parts drunk and seven parts vicious-had already locked onto her back. The silver lighter snapped shut with a crisp click. Kaden Bentley straightened up and stepped out of the elevator, his leather shoes clicking against the marble floor.

Aurora pressed her back flat against the cold metal door of the suite, trapped. She could only watch as the man who had promised her forever on a Hamptons beach three years ago closed the distance between them. Stopping less than two feet away, Kaden dragged his gaze over her messy hair and wrinkled hem, his lips curling into a sneer.

"Look who it is. The pure Ivy League campus queen, reduced to selling herself in Manhattan?"

Aurora clenched her jaw and forced herself to meet his hateful eyes, keeping her voice flat.

"Step aside, Mr. Bentley."

Instead of moving, Kaden stepped closer, trapping her between his body and the door. The heavy stench of alcohol mixed with his cologne made her stomach turn. He lowered his voice, dripping with upper-class arrogance.

"What, climbing into Blake's bed in the Hamptons three years ago wasn't enough? Now you're after my uncle's trust fund?"

Aurora's hands balled into fists at her sides, her fingernails digging into her palms. The humiliation of being framed for cheating three years ago washed over her, making her stomach cramp. Taking a deep breath, she glared back without giving an inch.

"I signed an NDA. My employer is Mr. Hopkins, and it has nothing to do with you. Now, get lost."

Kaden laughed as if he had just heard the biggest joke in the world. His hand shot out and grabbed Aurora's chin, squeezing hard enough to bruise the bone.

"Employer? Who the hell do you think you are? You're nothing but a cheap whore my uncle bought with cash!"

Aurora swung her hand to slap his arm away, but Kaden twisted her wrist and pinned it. In the struggle, her clutch fell to the floor, spilling her lipstick and keys across the marble. Just as Kaden raised his other hand, the heavy metal door behind Aurora was pulled open from the inside. Losing her balance, she stumbled backward.

A large, firm hand wearing a Patek Philippe watch caught the small of her back, pulling her against a broad chest that smelled faintly of bourbon.

Dante Hopkins stood inside the doorway in a dark, tailored suit. His cold eyes swept over Kaden's hand still frozen in midair, dropping the temperature in the hallway to freezing. The arrogance on Kaden's face vanished instantly. Looking like a rooster caught by the neck, he scrambled half a step back and stammered.

"U-Uncle... I was just..."

Ignoring him, Dante looked down at the pale woman in his arms. His hand tightened slightly on her waist, his voice calm yet terrifying.

"Did he touch you?"

Leaning against Dante's chest and feeling the rumble of his voice, Aurora lowered her eyelashes to hide the panic in her eyes and shook her head.

"No, Mr. Hopkins."

Only then did Dante look up at Kaden, viewing him like a piece of unrecyclable trash.

"I believe I told you to wait for me in the garage."

Kaden's face flushed dark red. His eyes darted to Dante's hand resting on Aurora's waist, a flash of twisted jealousy crossing his face before he ground his back teeth together.

"Sorry, Uncle. I thought your guest had already left."

"When my guest leaves is none of your business," Dante cut in coldly. "Now, get back to your car."

Kaden clenched his fists, his chest heaving. Crushed under Dante's absolute authority, he turned around and walked back into the elevator. As the doors slid shut, Kaden stared at Aurora through the narrowing gap, his eyes Promising crazy retaliation.

Silence returned to the hallway. Dante let go of Aurora's waist, bent down to pick up her clutch, and placed her scattered belongings back inside. Handing the bag to her, his dark eyes lingered for a second on the red mark on her chin before his voice turned businesslike again.

"My driver is downstairs. He will make sure you get back to your apartment safely."

Aurora took the clutch, whispered a thank you, and walked quickly toward the private elevator at the other end of the hall without daring to look into Dante's eyes. Stepping inside, she pressed the ground floor button and watched the metal doors close, cutting off Dante's piercing gaze. Leaning against the cabin wall, all the strength drained from her limbs. She slid down the cold metal onto the floor, buried her face in her hands, and shook violently as the elevator dropped.

Aurora pushed open the peeling wooden door of her Brooklyn apartment, tossed her clutch onto the narrow entryway cabinet, and walked straight to the worn fabric sofa without turning on the lights. Dropping heavily onto the cushions, she stared into the dark room, lit only by the yellow glow of the streetlamps filtering through the blinds.

A familiar cramp twisted in her stomach. Aurora curled up on her side, pressing both hands tightly against her abdomen as she tried to ride out the chronic stomach pain triggered by tonight's terror.

Just as she was drifting into an exhausted stupor, her phone on the entryway cabinet buzzed violently, its cold screen slicing through the dark. Aurora's eyes snapped open. Her heart pounding against her ribs, she stumbled off the sofa and saw an unknown number flashing on the display. Hesitating for three seconds, she swiped to answer and pressed the phone to her ear, saying nothing as her shallow breathing gave away her fear.

The harsh scrape of a lighter wheel echoed from the other end of the line, followed by Kaden's icy voice.

"Brooklyn, 14th Avenue, a rundown building without even a doorman. Aurora, you really hit rock bottom."

Aurora stiffened, her head whipping toward the window. Even with the blinds shut tight, she felt as if a pair of eyes were staring right at her from the dark street below. She lowered her voice, trembling with suppressed anger.

"You looked up my address? Kaden, that's an illegal invasion of privacy."

Kaden let out a low, chilling laugh through the speaker.

"Privacy? A whore who signed a contract to sell her body is talking to me about privacy? Do you want me to wake up this whole building right now and tell them what you do for a living?"

Aurora closed her eyes and took a deep breath, fighting to hold onto her sanity.

"What do you want? What happened three years ago is over."

The breathing on the other end turned heavy, and Kaden's voice rose into a furious roar.

"Over? You went behind my back to climb into Blake's bed, and now you're climbing into my uncle's bed, and you tell me it's over?"

Aurora bit down on her lower lip until the metallic taste of blood spread across her tongue, forcing out every word.

"I didn't cheat on you! Three years ago in the Hamptons, I was drugged!"

"Save it!" Kaden snapped viciously. "I watched that hotel hallway surveillance video a hundred times! Your innocent victim act just makes me sick!"

Aurora leaned weakly against the wall. Knowing she could never wake a man who was pretending to be asleep, she spoke in a flat, exhausted voice.

"Whether you believe me or not, I approached Mr. Hopkins for the money. I didn't know he was your uncle."

Kaden scoffed, full of upper-class contempt.

"For the money? Fine. I'm giving you twenty-four hours to terminate your NDA with my uncle and get the hell out of Manhattan."

Aurora's eyes flew open, her voice shaking with panic.

"I can't! My adoptive father is in a private medical center waiting for his dialysis money to stay alive. I can't afford the penalty fee!"

"That's your problem, not mine," Kaden hissed. "If you're not gone before sunset tomorrow, I'll personally put your little Ivy League 'achievements' right on my uncle's desk."

An invisible hand squeezed Aurora's heart so tightly she couldn't breathe. Knowing how controlling and fastidious Dante was, she knew he would destroy her if he found out she was his nephew's ex-girlfriend.

"Kaden, please, at least let me get enough for Howie's medical bills this month..."

All she got in return was a cold laugh, followed by the dead tone of a disconnected call. The beeping echoed through the quiet apartment. Aurora slid down the wall onto the floorboards, the phone slipping from her palm and hitting the wood with a dull thud. Wrapping her arms around her knees, she buried her face in her elbows as three years of terror and grievance poured out in silent tears that soaked her sleeves.

Images of their Ivy League days flashed through her mind, when Kaden had sworn in the sunlit library that he would marry her, followed instantly by that stormy night in the Hamptons when he threw the fake surveillance tape in her face and kicked her out into the pouring rain. The cold floor beneath her pulled Aurora back to reality. She wiped her tears, got up, and walked to the small sink, splashing freezing tap water onto her pale cheeks. Looking into the mirror at her red-rimmed eyes, she forced her face into the polite, empty smile of a contract companion.

On the counter, her phone screen lit up with a text from Dante's personal assistant: "Tomorrow night at eight. Manhattan private club. Mr. Hopkins requires a companion."

Aurora stared at the words as her stomach cramped again. Taking a deep breath, she typed back "Received" with trembling fingers, placed the phone face down, and walked into the dark bedroom.