Chapter 7 Aurora Hale
ALEXANDER POV
I'm stunned.
I still can't wrap my head around the fact that my son is speaking. I watched them through the mirror.
They were lost in each other-Liam blabbing to her about his toys, about how bad his past therapists were. He was beaming, practically vibrating with energy the whole ride.
It pissed me off so fucking much.
He wouldn't open up to me for four years, but he has four years of words for a knockoff of his mother?
I couldn't help the anger surging through me. But no matter how much it burned, I was glad he was finally speaking. I thought I had lost him forever, too.
It's barely been two weeks since we moved back to New York, and the hits won't stop coming. I hate this city. I lost everything here, and now, my kid was almost snatched by suited men-men I have no doubt were sent by my father-in-law.
"Daddy, can I show Rory my toys when we get home?" Liam asked hesitantly.
I furrowed my brow and glanced back. "I thought you hated them?"
I could feel her eyes on me. Even though she was trying to be subtle, I caught her.
"I like them now. Rory said she'll teach me," he said.
"Fine. Do whatever you want. And promise me you're never going to sneak out of the house ever again."
He nodded frantically.
Good. I'd need to get him a new nanny, anyway. He'd probably complain about her like he did all the others, he'd hated every single one l ever hired. I turned back to the front, but not before noticing the way Aurora's chest was heaving in fear.
"How long until we get to the penthouse?" | asked Mike, my driver.
"Fifteen minutes, sir," he answered, checking the GPS.
I didn't trust myself to sit here for fifteen minutes without thinking of something formidable. Something dark.
Aurora. Anastasia. Two different names. They didn't even belong in the same world. They didn’t sound anything alike, But somehow, they shared the exact same face.
I sighed and rested my head back against the leather, closing my eyes to let the chaos of the last few hours settle.
"What's your name?" | asked, my eyes still closed.
"A-Aurora," she stammered after a few seconds of silence. She was probably wondering if I was even talking to her.
"I know. Your full name," I corrected.
"Aurora Hale."
Aurora Hale.
I took my phone and sent the name to my assistant.with a single command: Everything. Now.
I needed every single piece of information I could get about this imposter.
My phone vibrated in less than three minutes.
My assistant had delivered a digital autopsy of her life.
Twenty-seven. (Anastasia would have been thirty-one this year.) Jobless-fired yesterday from a dive bar. Mother suffering from a stroke, lingering on the edge of death. Every cent the girl made was being drained by hospital bills.
A smirk tugged at the corner of my mouth. A jobless woman with a dying mother was a woman who was easy to own.
I kept reading. A drunkard father. A cheating fiancé who had just married her best friend.On what was supposed to be her wedding day no less.
I could help her with that. l could erase that boyfriend from the earth if she cooperated.
"What's your boyfriend's name?" I asked, my eyes still closed.
"H-huh?" The confusion in her voice was thick.
"The loser who married your best friend," I clarified, my voice dropping to a cold, flat ledge. "Does he have a name, or is he as insignificant as he sounds?"
Silence stretched for a beat before she found her voice. "Why are you asking me that?"
My eyes snapped open. I turned my head slowly to look at her. "Don't ever answer me with a question again. I don't care if you saved my son's life. In my world, you speak when you're spoken to and you provide the answers I want."
"Dad!"
Liam's small voice cut through the tension. He stepped between us in the cramped backseat, his eyes flashing with a protective fire. "Don't be mean to her! She's my friend. Stop it!"
I stared at my son. He was using his voice to scold me again. For her. It felt like a physical slap.
"Liam, sit back," I warned, but the car was already slowing to a halt.
We had arrived. The penthouse rose above us, a monolith of glass and steel against the New York skyline. Mike killed the engine, and immediately, one of my guards stepped forward to pull the door open.
I stepped out first, the cool city air doing nothing to settle the fire in my gut. I turned back to the car. Aurora was climbing out carefully, looking up at the building with the expression of someone trying very hard not to look impressed and failing completely.
Then Liam was beside her immediately, his small hand finding hers before she had even straightened up properly.
He didn't even look at me, he just started tugging her toward the entrance.
"Liam. Inside. Now," I snapped.
He froze, looking back at me.
"Just because you've found your voice doesn't mean you've found a way to disrespect me," I said, my voice low and dangerous. "Go up with the guards. Now."
Liam's lip trembled, but he knew that tone. He let go of Aurora's hand reluctantly, casting one last worried look at her, making sure she was still there before he was led towards the private elevator.
I turned to the head of my security detail.
"Take her to the sitting room. Don't let her wander. And for God's sake, don't let her leave."
I watched them lead her away. She walked with her head down, her shoulders hunched-the perfect picture of a victim.
She had no idea that I had already read her life story. She had no idea that her mother's hospital bills were about to become the reason she belonged to me.