The mansion was unusually quiet that evening. Aurora sat by the window in her room, her thoughts wandering. Her encounter with Lily in the dungeon still weighed on her. The words Lily spat at her kept replaying in her mind. She didn’t choose to be here. She never wanted this life, yet here she was, stuck in a house full of secrets and darkness.
A sudden knock on the door startled her. She turned to see Raphael leaning against the doorway, his expression unreadable.
“You look lost,” he said, stepping into the room without waiting for an invitation.
Aurora stiffened. She wasn’t sure what to make of Raphael. He was different from Damian-quieter, but somehow more unsettling. His presence always made her uneasy.
“What do you want?” she asked, trying to sound confident even though her voice wavered.
Raphael smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I just came to check on you. You’ve had a rough few days, haven’t you?”
Aurora didn’t reply. She didn’t trust him, and she didn’t see the point in pretending otherwise.
He walked closer, his hands in his pockets, his gaze fixed on her like he was studying her. “You’re probably wondering why you’re here,” he said after a long pause.
Aurora tensed. “Damian bought me. Isn’t that all there is to it?”
Raphael chuckled, but there was no humor in it. “You think this is just about Damian buying you? That it’s all random?” He leaned down, his face close to hers. “You’ll find out soon enough why you were sold to him. And when you do, you’ll wish you were never born.”
His words sent a chill down her spine. She tried to keep her composure, but her hands trembled. “What are you talking about?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Raphael straightened up, his smirk growing darker. “You’ll regret ever stepping foot in this house. That’s all you need to know for now.”
He turned and walked out, leaving her frozen in place. Her mind raced with questions. What did he mean? Why would she regret being here more than she already did?
Meanwhile, in Damian’s study, the air was heavy with tension. Damian sat at his desk, going through some papers when his phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen and frowned. It was his father.
He hesitated before answering. “What is it?”
His father’s deep voice filled the room. “I’m coming to the mansion tomorrow. Be ready.”
Damian clenched his jaw. His relationship with his father had always been strained. “Why the sudden visit?” he asked, trying to keep his tone neutral.
“I don’t need to explain myself to you,” his father said sharply. “Just make sure everything is in order when I arrive.”
Before Damian could respond, the line went dead. He slammed the phone down, his frustration boiling over. His father’s visits were never pleasant. They always brought chaos and unearthed memories he’d rather forget.
Aurora barely slept that night. Raphael’s words kept haunting her. She didn’t understand what he meant, but the way he said it made her feel like something terrible was waiting for her.
The next morning, she was sitting in the garden, trying to clear her head, when Damian approached her. His expression was colder than usual.
“My father will be here today,” he said. “Don’t do anything to embarrass me.”
Aurora looked up at him, confused. “Why would I embarrass you?”
Damian’s eyes narrowed. “Just stay out of the way. Don’t speak unless spoken to. Understand?”
She nodded quickly, not wanting to provoke him.
As Damian walked away, Aurora’s thoughts drifted again. Who was his father? Why was his visit such a big deal? And why was everyone in this house so full of secrets?
Later that day, the atmosphere in the mansion shifted. The staff moved with urgency, cleaning and preparing for the arrival of Damian’s father. Aurora stayed in her room, not wanting to get in the way.
When the sound of cars pulling up reached her ears, she peeked out of the window. A black car with tinted windows came to a stop in front of the mansion. A tall man stepped out, his presence commanding and intimidating. Even from a distance, Aurora could feel the weight of his authority.
She moved away from the window, her heart racing. Something about this man’s arrival felt ominous, like it would change everything.
Downstairs, Damian greeted his father with a forced politeness. The older man looked around the mansion with a critical eye, his expression unreadable.
“Still keeping up appearances, I see,” his father said, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
Damian didn’t rise to the bait. “What brings you here?”
His father smirked. “We’ll discuss that later. For now, show me around. I want to see what you’ve been doing with my investment.”
Damian led him through the mansion, his jaw tight. He hated these power plays, but he knew better than to challenge his father openly.
That evening, Aurora sat in the corner of the dining room, watching as Damian and his father exchanged tense words over dinner. She wasn’t allowed to speak, but she could feel the hostility between them.
At one point, Damian’s father glanced at her, his eyes narrowing slightly. She looked away quickly, feeling like she was being sized up.
“Who’s the girl?” his father asked casually, though there was an edge to his voice.
“She’s none of your concern,” Damian replied sharply.
His father raised an eyebrow but didn’t press the issue. Still, Aurora could feel his gaze lingering on her, making her skin crawl.
After dinner, Damian’s father retired to the study with his son, leaving Aurora to retreat to her room. She sat on the edge of her bed, her mind spinning. The tension in the house was unbearable, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was at the center of it somehow.
As the hours dragged on, she couldn’t sleep. The shadows seemed to close in around her, and the silence was deafening.
Her thoughts went back to Raphael’s words. She needed answers, but she didn’t know who to trust. Damian was cruel and unpredictable, and Raphael seemed to enjoy tormenting her. And then there was Damian’s father, whose arrival had thrown everything into chaos.
Aurora felt trapped, like a pawn in a game she didn’t understand. But one thing was clear she needed to find out the truth before it destroyed her.
In the study, Damian’s father leaned back in his chair, a glass of whiskey in his hand. “You’ve done well for yourself, but don’t let your emotions cloud your judgment.”
Damian’s jaw tightened. “I know what I’m doing.”
His father smirked. “Do you? Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’re letting the past control you.”
Damian didn’t respond, but his silence spoke volumes.
“Remember,” his father continued, “revenge is a dish best served cold. Don’t let her get under your skin.”
Damian’s grip on his glass tightened, but he nodded. “I understand.”
His father stood and patted him on the shoulder. “Good. Don’t disappoint me.”
As his father left the room, Damian sat in silence, his mind racing. He wouldn’t let anyone see his weakness, least of all his father. But deep down, he knew this was just the beginning. The past he had tried to bury was starting to resurface, and Aurora was at the center of it all.