Chapter 570: Blackmailer Jim
A faint smirk appeared on his lips. "Got in."
What he didn’t know... was that this success wasn’t entirely his own.
From the very moment he initiated the hack, Aurora had already been alerted.
Sitting calmly, Aurora’s gaze flickered slightly as she reviewed the intrusion. Within seconds, she traced the source.
’Underworld connections... so it’s him.’
Beside her, Spencer leaned over slightly, his eyes scanning the data. Ever since they had decided to pursue this lead, he had arrived in New York City and stayed by her side, planning every move together.
When he confirmed Jim’s identity, he spoke quietly, "Let him in."
At the same time, he embedded an additional layer of security into Aurora’s phone, silent, undetectable.
Truthfully, Spencer had long realized something unsettling.
Aurora’s existing security system... was far superior to his own. ’When did she become this good...?’
But Aurora never gave him an answer. Following his suggestion, she allowed the breach to proceed
And just like that, Jim walked straight into a trap... without even realizing it.
On his end, Jim leaned back with satisfaction, a hint of arrogance creeping into his expression. "Looks like my skills have improved."
Inside the system, he activated Aurora’s camera. The screen flickered. There she was.
Aurora sat quietly, scrolling through her phone, her expression calm... almost innocent.
He was almost stunned.
The woman on the screen... this so-called imposter, Aurora, was breathtakingly beautiful.
Her crimson hair spilled across the soft sheets like liquid fire, strands glinting under the dim light.
Her eyes, slightly lowered, were fixed on her phone with an intensity that made her seem almost... vulnerable, as if she were completely absorbed in that small glowing screen.
Jim inhaled slowly, the air catching in his throat. ’What is this feeling...?’
A strange, unfamiliar impulse stirred within him, but he clenched his jaw and forced it down. ’Focus.’
Shaking off the distraction, Jim began scanning through Aurora’s phone. His fingers moved swiftly, his eyes darting across files, messages, logs.
Nothing. No suspicious contacts. No hidden files. No strange activity. Everything was... painfully normal.
His brows furrowed. ’That’s impossible.’
Instead of withdrawing immediately, he lingered. A calculating glint flickered in his eyes as a new idea formed.
Carefully, he adjusted the camera settings, embedding a hidden command deep within the system. Aurora wouldn’t be able to disable it... not for the next five days.
A faint smirk tugged at his lips. ’Let’s see what you’re really hiding.’
For a fleeting moment, a darker thought crossed his mind, twisted, impulsive. ’Maybe I could blackmail her... have a little fun before everything collapses for her.’
After all, she was just an imposter walking toward inevitable punishment.
But even he knew better than to push too far.
’If I overstep... she might notice.’
Reluctantly, he pulled back, though not before extracting several files and folders from her device.
.............
Meanwhile, across the city, Spencer stared at his screen, his expression turning stormy as he monitored Jim’s every move.
"What the hell..."
His voice dropped, sharp and furious, as his hand instinctively clenched.
For a moment, he almost lost control, his anger surging to his head like a violent tide. But he forced himself to stop.
Beside him, Aurora remained calm... too calm.
"It’s fine," she said quietly, her voice steady like still water. "I will act against him myself. You don’t need to worry."
Spencer turned to her, disbelief and anger mixing in his eyes. "It’s not about revenge."
His voice tightened. "He dared to think like that about you."
Aurora met his gaze, unshaken.
Spencer exhaled sharply, then warned, "Be careful. Don’t rush anything. And don’t let him push further."
Aurora nodded slightly.
A day passed.
Time flowed quietly, almost deceptively so.
Spencer stayed in Aurora’s room, the two working in silent coordination. Whenever a family member approached, Aurora would send him downstairs through the connected apartment beneath her room, a hidden convenience that made everything seamless.
At one point, Aurora glanced at the space thoughtfully. ’I should just gift Emily an apartment.’
The idea lingered, tempting and effortless. But she held herself back. Instead, she simply spent time with him.
The next day, a notification appeared on her phone.
An attachment.
Aurora barely spared it a glance at first. But then another message followed:
"If you don’t open this, you’ll regret it."
Her eyes narrowed slightly. She opened the file. The moment the images loaded, her expression darkened.
They were vulgar images, fake, crudely fabricated, yet disturbingly realistic. Clearly edited to depict her in compromising ways.
A cold silence settled around her. ’Pathetic.’
Another message came almost immediately: "If you don’t want these leaked, do as I say."
Aurora’s gaze turned icy. She didn’t need to guess. ’Jim.’
Disgust flickered faintly in her eyes, but she remained composed. Taking a slow breath, she turned her phone toward Spencer, careful to show only the messages.
Spencer didn’t need to see the images. He already understood.
His jaw tightened violently, his teeth grinding together as rage surged through him.
Knock. Knock.
The sudden sound cut through the tension.
Aurora frowned slightly. Spencer reacted instantly, slipping into hiding without a sound.
Only after he disappeared did Aurora move to open the door. Standing outside was Alex.
She smiled faintly. "What brings you here?"
Alex chuckled lightly. "Just a small visit."
His gaze lingered on her. "Do you have some time?"
Aurora nodded. They sat down, the atmosphere easing slightly.
"So," Aurora began, "what did you want to talk about?"
Alex leaned forward a little. "Theodore and Olivia’s birthday is coming up soon. I was thinking... we should celebrate it here."
Aurora’s eyes brightened, and she gave a quick thumbs up. "I’m in."
Alex smiled. "Good. Then I’ll leave the surprise preparations to you."
Aurora nodded without hesitation.
Just as Alex was about to continue, a sudden cough escaped him... sharp and persistent.
Aurora immediately stood up. "Wait, I’ll get you some water."
She reached for the jug... empty. Frowning slightly, she stepped out to fetch some.
Meanwhile, Alex slowly recovered, his breathing evening out. He stood up, intending to stop her... Ding.
Aurora’s phone lit up. At first, he didn’t pay attention. But the unfamiliar number... and the preview text caught his eye.
"...if you don’t want these photos leaked..."
His expression froze. A chill crept up his spine.
Without thinking further, he picked up her phone. He already knew the password; Aurora had never hidden it, trusting them openly.
A flicker of guilt crossed his mind. ’She trusted us...’
But concern overpowered hesitation. He opened the messages. Then the images. For a second, everything went still.
Then his expression darkened... completely. Rage exploded within him. ’How dare they?’
His grip on the phone tightened, his knuckles turning white. He looked as if he might crush it in his hand.
’Whoever did this...’
Without wasting time, he forwarded the number to himself. By the time Aurora returned with a glass of water, Alex had already composed himself... barely.
She smiled lightly. "What happened? Feeling better now?"
When Alex nodded, Aurora gently handed him the glass of water, her fingers brushing lightly against his as the cool surface met his palm.
"Just drink it," she said softly. "You need it."
Alex forced himself to steady his breathing. Inside him, something dark churned violently, rage, disgust, and a suffocating hatred that threatened to spill out.
’Not now... I can’t let her see this side of me.’
He tilted his head back and drank, the water doing little to calm the storm raging within him. Lowering the glass, he forced a faint smile onto his face. "Thank you."
Aurora chuckled lightly, her tone warm. "It’s nothing."
Her gaze lingered on him, curiosity flickering in her eyes. "So... what else did you want to say?"
Alex hesitated for a fraction of a second, then abruptly stood up. "I just remembered something important. I’ll talk to you later."
Aurora blinked, momentarily caught off guard, but she simply nodded, her expression softening slightly. "Alright..."
As he turned to leave, she watched his back, her brows knitting faintly. A quiet murmur escaped her lips, barely audible. "Strange... why did he act so differently just now?"
The moment Alex stepped out of the room, the warmth vanished from his face.
His expression hardened, his jaw tightening as the air around him seemed to grow colder. He paused for a second, exhaling sharply before muttering under his breath, "I’ll deal with this."
..........
Elsewhere, Jim stared at his phone, irritation flashing across his face. No reply.
His fingers tapped impatiently against the screen. ’How dare she ignore me?’
His expression darkened further, pride swelling into anger. ’Does she even realize who I am? I can crush her completely if I want to.’
Grinding his teeth, he decided coldly, ’Ten more minutes. If she still doesn’t reply... then whatever happens next will be her own fault.’
Just as that thought settled, his phone vibrated. A message from Aurora.
His lips curled into a smug grin. "Finally."
He opened it eagerly... Two words.