135

135
AURORA'S POV

I stood there frozen, the echo of his words still buzzing inside my head. My pulse pounded like a drum, fast and nervous. “Your father?” I asked, the words thin and dry. “What do you mean by that?”

Cassian nodded once, slow. “Come downstairs,” he said. “I do not want Leo hearing any of this. But I need you to hear it. I need you to understand just how deep this went.”

We walked in silence. Every step down the stairs felt heavier than the last. I could still hear Leo’s soft humming from the living room. That small sound kept me anchored, somehow.

Cassian led me past him, toward the back room. He closed the door behind us. The click of the lock was soft but final. Then he turned to face me, jaw tight, hands folded behind him.

“My father wanted control,” he started. “Over everything. My decisions, the company, even who I married. I thought he hated you because you were unpredictable. But it was more than that.”

I frowned. “You think he sabotaged us?” The words tasted strange, bitter. “But why? I thought he just disapproved of me. That I was not polished enough. Not compliant enough.”

He nodded, slowly. “That is part of it. But also… you reminded him of someone. My mother, I think. She was strong, stubborn. He could never own her. He hated that. So when I married you…”

“He saw her all over again,” I whispered, finishing the sentence for him. The pieces started clicking in my head, one after the other. “So he decided to destroy what you loved before it could grow.”

Cassian exhaled hard, like something cracked inside his ribs. “He started pulling strings. Quietly. He pushed certain board members to question my leadership. He made sure every misstep I made was publicized.”

I stared at him. “But why make it look like you cheated? Why go that far?” My voice trembled. “Why not just confront you directly? Or convince you to walk away from me?”

He looked at me then, eyes shadowed. “Because hurting you would hurt me worse. And that is what he wanted. I was slipping out of his grasp. He could not stand that. So he found another way.”

I backed away, one hand gripping the edge of the table. “You are saying he helped frame you? That those photos… the press leaks… all of it… started with your father?”

Cassian nodded again. “Bastian gave him the seed. My father watered it. He paid the right people. Fed the right stories. I did not know until after he died. I found files. Messages. A whole damn trail.”

I swallowed hard, the room spinning. “You kept that from me,” I said. My voice was quiet. But the anger crept in like heat under my skin. “You found out and you said nothing.”

He winced. “Because I was ashamed. I had ignored every sign. I had defended him. Even after he was gone, I still tried to protect his name. But now… I cannot. Not anymore.”

My hands trembled. “So what now?” I asked. “What am I supposed to do with this? Just add it to the pile of everything else I have been trying to survive?”

“I do not expect you to forgive him,” he said, stepping closer. “Or me. But I wanted you to know. Because what he did… it was not just cruel. It was calculated. And it nearly broke us both.”

A beat of silence passed. My breath came shallow and uneven. “Do you think he ever loved you?” I asked suddenly. “At all? Or was it always about control?”

Cassian blinked, once. “I used to think he did. In his own way. But now? I think he only loved the version of me that obeyed him. The rest was just… noise he wanted to silence.”

My throat tightened. “That is what I was to him then. Noise.” My voice cracked around the word. “Something to be erased.” The ache inside me pulsed sharp and ugly.

He reached for me, but stopped short. “You were the only part of my life that was not fake. And I let him ruin it. I let my silence become his weapon. That will haunt me forever.”

I stared at him, heart pounding. “And what if he is not the only one?” I asked. “What if this goes even deeper? If he had allies, if others helped him… then who can we trust now?”

Cassian’s jaw flexed. “That is what I am trying to find out,” he said. “And I think Bastian’s sudden confession? It is not just guilt. It is fear. Someone else is still moving the pieces.”

I felt cold all over. Like someone had opened a door inside me and let the wind in. “Then we are not done, are we?” I said softly. “This is not over. Not even close.”

“No,” Cassian said. “It is not. And if we are going to protect Leo… protect you… we have to know exactly who else is involved. Every thread. Every hidden hand.”

I nodded slowly. “Then we dig. Even if it hurts. Even if it tears open everything again. We dig.” My voice was steadier than I felt. But the fire was back. Quiet, but alive.

Cassian looked at me with something unreadable in his eyes. “You are stronger than anyone I have ever known,” he said. “And I am sorry it took me this long to say that.”

I held his gaze. “I am not doing this for you,” I said. “I am doing it for Leo. And for me. Because I deserve to know the truth about the man who nearly ruined my life.”

His voice softened. “I know. And I will not get in your way.” He stepped back, giving me space again. But something about his posture said he would never stop watching my back.

There was a knock on the front door. Sharp. Crisp. Not hurried. Just… certain. Cassian’s brow furrowed. “Expecting someone?” he asked. I shook my head, heart thumping faster.

He moved to the hallway, but I reached the door first. I opened it, half-expecting Bastian again. But it was not him. It was Julian West, dressed like he had come from a funeral and a war at once.

“Hello, Aurora,” he said with a small smile. “We need to talk. And trust me… you are going to want to hear what I have to offer.” His eyes gleamed, too calm. Too knowing.

I stepped back before I even meant to. My voice came out rough. “What do you want, Julian?” My fingers curled around the edge of the door.

He tilted his head, still smiling. “Let us just say… I can make all your problems disappear. Including the ones named Viero.” He glanced past me, eyes cold.

Cassian appeared in the hallway behind me. Silent. Watching. Julian’s smile widened.

“Oh,” Julian said. “Perfect. You are both here. That makes this easier.”

I did not move. I could not. My pulse screamed against my skin.

Julian’s voice dropped, smooth and sharp. “I came with a deal. One that could change everything.”