Chapter 135: The Decision
Aurora’s POV
Raymond was the reason James was in this bed. Raymond was the reason my parents were in a grave. He had destroyed my world and walked away without a scratch. He was out there right now, living his best life, wearing his mask and playing his games, while my brother’s heart was giving up.
The grief in my chest began to harden. It turned into something sharp, something cold.
If I didn’t stop him, he would do this to someone else. He would leave another sister crying in a hospital room. He would keep inflicting pain on more people. I couldn’t save James, but I could make sure Raymond never took another soul.
I wiped my tears with the back of my hand, my breath hitching. I pulled my phone out of my bag. My fingers were steady now, fueled by a new, dark determination.
I dialed his number.
It rang once. Twice. Five times. He didn’t pick up. I felt a surge of rage and dialed again immediately. Still no answer.
I was about to throw the phone against the wall when it started to vibrate in my hand. He was calling back.
I took a deep breath, looking at my brother’s pale face, and answered.
"Raymond," I said, my voice cold and flat.
"You’re persistent today, little bitch," his voice came through the line—that familiar, dark silk that made my skin crawl and my heart race. "What do you want?"
"I have made my decision," I said, staring at the heart monitor. "I’m calling about your offer. I accept."
There was a long silence on the other end. I could almost hear him shifting, perhaps leaning back in a leather chair, surprised that I had made my decision so quickly.
"You accept?" he repeated, his voice dropping into that authoritative, low tone.
"Yes," I said, my jaw clenched. "I will be your sub. But only for three months. That was the deal."
He was silent again. The tension through the phone was suffocating. I waited, my heart hammering against my ribs, wondering if he could hear the sound of the hospital machines in the background.
"Three months," he finally said, his voice sounding satisfied, like a predator that had finally cornered its prey. "I didn’t expect you to see reason so soon. What changed your mind, Aurora? Did the king not give you enough attention last night?"
I closed my eyes, a single tear falling onto James’s bedsheet. "It doesn’t matter. I’m doing this on my terms."
"Your terms?" He let out a dark, mocking chuckle. "You’re an amateur. You don’t have terms anymore. You have rules. My rules."
I swallowed the bile in my throat. "Do we have a deal or not?"
"Meet me at the club tonight," Raymond said, his tone suddenly businesslike. "7:00 PM. We will sign the contract and begin your training. Don’t be late. I don’t like to be kept waiting."
Before I could say another word, the line went silent.
I looked down at the phone, then back at James.
"I’m going to finish this, James," I whispered to his quiet room. "I’m going to get close to him. I’m going to find his weakness. And then, I’m going to send him to hell where he belongs."
I stood up, smoothed out my dress, and walked out of the room. I didn’t look back. The girl who cried was gone. I had three months to become a monster’s shadow, and I was going to make every second count.
As I walked back to the million-dollar car Oliver had given me, I realized I was living in two different nightmares. In one, I was the beloved girl of a king. In the other, I was the property of a killer.
Getting into the car, my phone buzzed again. My heart nearly jumped out of my chest, thinking Raymond was calling back to twist the knife, but the name on the screen made the blood drain from my face.
Oliver.
I stared at the screen, my heart sinking and my palms sweating.
I clicked answer, my voice trembling as I tried to force my tone into a normal one. "Hey."
"There she is," Oliver’s usual warm voice sounded over the phone. "I’ve been thinking about you all morning. I want to treat you tonight, Aurora. Properly. I’m taking you to dinner at 7:00 PM. Wear that blue dress I like."
7:00 PM.
The exact moment I was supposed to be signing my life away to Raymond at the club. Panic, sharp and jagged, sliced through my chest.
"I... I can’t, Oliver," I stammered, my mind racing to find a believable exit. "I can’t do tonight."
"Why not?" His tone shifted instantly, that authoritative edge creeping in. Oliver wasn’t used to being told no. "Cancel whatever it is. I’ll make it worth your while."
"It’s the club," I lied, easily slipping off my lie. "I have a shift. I’ve been away for too long, and they’re already threatening to replace me. I need the money, Oliver."
"Aurora, don’t be ridiculous," he scoffed, though I could hear the underlying frustration. "You don’t need that job. Tell them you’re sick. Tell them your car broke down. I’ll pay your salary for a year just to have you across the table from me tonight."
"No," I said, a little too quickly, a little too sharply. "I can’t keep leaning on you for everything. I need to do this. I’ve been away from work for days because of the crash, and if I don’t show up tonight, I don’t have a job to go back to. Please... just let me do this one thing."
I hated how easily the lie came. I hated that I was using our accident as a shield to protect a secret that would likely destroy us both.
There was a long pause. I held my breath, watching a stray leaf drift across the windshield.
"Fine," Oliver finally said, his voice clipped and cold. "Work your shift. But I don’t like this, Aurora. You’re hiding behind a waitress apron when you should be at my side."
"I’ll make it up to you, I promise," I whispered.
"You’d better. I’ll have the driver drop you off at the club, then."
"No!" I shouted, then winced at my volume. "I mean... I already have the car you gave me. I’ll drive myself. It’s fine, Oliver. Really."
"Don’t go home after your shift, Aurora," he said, accepting my protest. "Come straight to the mansion."
The line clicked shut.
I slumped against the steering wheel, my forehead resting on the cool leather. I was walking a tightrope over a pit of fire.