Chapter 88

Chapter 88:

Tainted Hearts

Tiffany's POV

I used to believe I knew everything. That being born into the underworld gave me an edge. Power. Control. But the moment I read the report laid before me, my world tilted sideways.

Aurora knows.

She’s digging. Hard. And worse? She’s getting closer to the truth.

Aurora won't stop until she finds what she wants.

She wss never like this, but staying in the backwoods mansion has given her bigger balls than she could carry.

Who does she think she is?, That has always made me hate her.

She thinks because she's beautiful and would turn head around that she could get what she want.

She doesn't know that even the sun shines on both the good and the bad.

No matter what she finds, it wouldn't stop me from my plans.

My men did investigation, but the results of the investigation made my fingers tremble over the page, it was the final line, underlined in red, almost like a threat:

"Confirmed: Your father ordered the hit on Aurora's mother."

I read it again. And again. And again.

No.

I stumbled back, dropping the file like it burned. My chest rose and fell, breaths uneven, my mind spiraling.

He never told me.

This was worse than I had imagined.

How could he? After everything. After raising me on lies about honor, about vengeance, about Aurora's family being responsible for my mother’s disappearance.

I had to see him. Now.

To understand why he did that.

\---

His estate was quiet. Too quiet. The kind of stillness that only followed terrible revelations.

“Father,” I called as I entered his private study. My voice was ice. Controlled. Barely.

He looked up from his drink. Of course, he already knew. There was no surprise in his eyes, only the kind of tired regret that disgusted me.

“You found out,” he said softly.

“You lied to me,” I spat.

He sighed, standing slowly. “I didn’t lie. I just didn’t tell you.”

My laughter was sharp. “Oh, semantics. Cute.”

I crossed the room and slammed the file on his desk.

“Why?”

He sat down again, fingers tightening around the crystal glass. “Because I loved her, besides that was years ago. There are more to the story than what you know.”

Silence stretched.

“What?”

He didn’t look at me. “Aurora’s mother. I wanted her. Before James. Before she got pregnant. I asked. She chose him. Said I reminded her too much of the world she wanted to escape.”

His voice hardened, bitter and low.

“She was supposed to be mine. I gave her time to play house. Time to love him. Time to raise that girl. But every time I saw them together… I couldn’t stand it.i couldn't…”his voice trailed….

“You killed her because she didn’t love you?”

“I killed her,” he said evenly, “so I wouldn’t have to watch them anymore.”

I staggered back, bile rising in my throat. My stomach churned.

All these years. All this rage I aimed at Aurora… and the villain lived under my roof.

“I trusted you,” I whispered.

“I did it for you,” he said, eyes glassy. “You needed to be the strong one. The heir. I didn’t want you tainted by weakness.”

I turned away.

“Don’t pretend this was about me,” I said coldly. “Have you ever called me your heir, regardless this was always about your obsession, nothing much…”

And yet… I still wanted to break Aurora.

Maybe that made me just like him.

Maybe……

\---

Later that night, I called Alex, Vanessa, and Peter into the warehouse. It was time they knew the plan.

“I’m going after Dominique,” I said simply.

Alex grinned, cracking his knuckles. “Finally.”

Vanessa’s eyes glittered with excitement. “I’ve been waiting for this moment.”

Peter, however, frowned. “That’s dangerous, Tiff. Dominique got ties everywhere. Politicians, mercs, cops, but most importantly he owns Aurora, you hurt him, you hurt Aurora.”

“I don’t care,” I replied. “He’s been a thorn in our side long enough. And once he’s gone, we send a message no one will forget, especially to Aurora, telling her that she's next.”

Peter looked between the others, then at me. “Are you supposed to do this, attack Dominique. Can you handle who they call the devil?.Why don't you focus on Aurora ?”

His words struck me, but I didn’t answer.

Because I wasn’t sure of what to say….

\---

Dominique’s POV

I stood alone in my office, the lights off, watching the shadows stretch across the floor like ghosts.

I didn’t like how often I thought about her.

Aurora.

She haunted me, eyes like fire, mouth sharp enough to cut a man in two. Every time I closed my eyes, it was her voice I heard. Her touch I craved. Her betrayal that pierced me.

It was maddening.

I gripped the desk, knuckles whitening.

I was becoming… soft.

I was never like this, her absence made me yearn after her.

And worse? I knew Damian was circling her. I saw it in the way he looked at her. That reverence. That unspoken desire, like he wanted her all for himself.

I hated it.

She wasn’t his to want.

She was mine.

But was she?

I had no claim. No ring. No promises. Just history soaked in blood, heartbreak and pain I caused her. .

Still, I had to see her.

\---

Aurora’s POV

The knock on my door startled me.

I didn’t expect to see him tonight. Not like this.

Dominique stood there, drenched from the rain, eyes wild.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

He stepped in without permission. “I needed to say something.”

I folded my arms. “You don’t have feelings, remember?”

He growled low. “Don’t push me tonight, Rory.”

I raised an eyebrow, but my heart was racing. “So say it.”

He closed the space between us.

“I hate how you make me feel,” he said. “I hate that I think about you constantly. I hate that I care what Damian thinks. I hate… that I’m not sure who I am anymore around you, I am scared of what am turning into.”

My breath caught.

“But I can’t stop,” he whispered. “And I don’t know if I even want to.”

I stepped closer. “Are you saying you like me?”

He flinched like the word was foreign.

“Just say it, Dominique.”

He didn’t.

So I kissed him.

Hard.

And everything shattered……..