Chapter 571: Kneel
Fuck off!
That was all she had sent.
For a moment, he blinked, then let out a low chuckle. "So she’s finally scared."
Without hesitation, he sent more images, doctored, twisted fabrications designed to look disturbingly real.
In every picture, Aurora’s face was flawless, her expression almost natural, making the edits nearly impossible to detect at first glance.
Anyone seeing them might believe they were genuine.
Back in her room, Aurora stared at the screen, her eyes turning colder with each passing second.
’Disgusting.’
A quiet resolve settled deep within her chest. ’Once I deal with him... I’ll make sure he pays for this.’
Her fingers tightened slightly around the phone. ’How can someone like him even exist...? Does he not feel even a shred of shame? Blackmailing someone his own sister’s age...’
Another message arrived.
"I’ll give you some time. But to start with... send me what I asked for. Nudes!"
Aurora’s gaze turned icy.
Instead of replying directly, she moved silently, her fingers flying across the screen. Without hesitation, she began hacking into his phone.
Within moments...access granted. A faint chuckle escaped her lips, low and dangerous.
Meanwhile, Jim leaned back in his chair, waiting.
Seconds passed. Then minutes. Still nothing.
His irritation slowly turned into boredom. Clicking his tongue, he opened Instagram, intending to scroll aimlessly.
But the moment the app loaded, his screen exploded with notifications.
Comments. Messages. Mentions. Dozens...no, hundreds of them.
"What the...?"
At first, his heart leapt with excitement. ’Did something go viral?’
He quickly opened his profile, his grin widening... Then freezing completely.
One of his posts had indeed gone viral. But not for any reason he would have wanted.
His breath hitched.
The image attached to the post was unmistakable... compromising, humiliating, and entirely exposed.
His own nude! For a split second, his mind went blank. Then...
"Who the hell did this?!"
His voice cracked with fury as he shot up from his chair, the room echoing with the sheer force of his anger.
Just as that thought crossed his mind, he stared at the photo on his screen, his fingers trembling slightly against the cold glass of his phone.
A strange familiarity crept into his chest, tightening it. Soon, realization struck him like a sudden jolt.
’This... I’ve seen this before...’
The photo that had been uploaded from his phone looked almost identical to something he vaguely remembered.
His breathing grew uneven as another realization followed immediately after... what was appearing on his Instagram feed mirrored exactly the same image he had Aurora sent earlier.
Before he could process it further, his phone buzzed sharply in his hand.
A message. From Aurora.
His throat went dry as he opened it.
"I can take even further action if I want to. I’m holding back for now. I’m giving you a chance to fix your mistake. If you dare to do anything worse... then whatever happens next, you’ll have no right to complain."
The words felt cold, almost suffocating. For a brief moment, silence filled the room, broken only by the faint hum of electricity and the distant ticking of a clock.
Then anger surged through him like fire.
’Who does she think she is...?’
His jaw clenched tightly, and his eyes darkened with fury. The mere idea that someone like Aurora dared to threaten him... no, to challenge him, made his blood boil.
Without hesitation, he began to hack her phone.
His fingers moved rapidly across the keyboard, the faint clicking sounds echoing in the tense air. Lines of code flashed across the screen, reflecting in his sharp, focused eyes. He tried once... twice... again and again.
Nothing. His movements grew more aggressive, more desperate. Still nothing.
As time passed, sweat began to bead on his forehead, slowly rolling down the side of his face. His breathing grew heavier, uneven, as frustration crept deeper into his bones.
’Why isn’t this working...?’
Just as he was completely immersed in his attempt, his phone suddenly rang.
The sharp, shrill sound cut through the silence like a blade. He glanced at the screen. Father. Oslo.
At first, he ignored it, his attention still fixed on the failed hacking attempt. But the call kept ringing, over and over again, relentless and intrusive.
Clicking his tongue in irritation, he finally turned on the speaker. "What is it?" he muttered coldly.
From the other side, Oslo’s voice came, low and heavy. "Stop hacking whoever you’re trying to hack."
The words froze him instantly. A chill ran down his spine. ’How does he know...?’
In that moment, everything clicked into place. There was a high chance that Aurora’s backer had already contacted his father. The thought settled heavily in his mind, making his chest tighten.
"Come to the main house. Now."
The call ended abruptly. Jim stood there for a moment, his instincts screaming at him.
’Something’s wrong... something very wrong...’
A bad premonition crept into his heart, thick and suffocating.
..............................
When he arrived at the main house, the atmosphere felt unusually heavy.
Oslo was already waiting.
To his right sat Shay, her expression unreadable. To his left stood Lilly, her face pale, her hands trembling slightly at her sides. A few others lingered in the background, silent, watchful; most of them were servants.
The moment Jim stepped inside... Crash!
A dirty teacup flew straight toward him. It shattered near his feet, fragments scattering across the polished floor.
"Have you figured out what you did wrong?!" Oslo’s voice thundered through the hall, sharp and unforgiving.
Jim frowned, his brows knitting together.
"I don’t know why those pictures were uploaded," he replied, trying to steady his voice. "Whoever the enemy is... she’s very strong."
At those words, Shay narrowed her eyes slightly, a knowing glint passing through them.
Oslo, however, didn’t care. His face darkened further, and he stepped forward, his presence oppressive.
"You still don’t understand?" he barked.
He didn’t wait for an answer.
"If the enemy is someone you can’t afford to offend, then why are you still acting like this?!" His voice grew harsher with each word. "Do you think rebellion will save you?!"
Jim’s fists tightened at his sides. Oslo continued, his tone sharp as a blade.
"Do you even realize that the Brown family’s business depends entirely on others?!" he shouted. "If they start pulling back orders one by one, what do you think will happen to us?!"
His voice dropped slightly, but the weight of it became even heavier. "We’ll go bankrupt."
Those words struck Jim like a hammer.
His eyes widened.
"W-What?" he stammered. "Has someone in the country already started taking our clients?"
Oslo looked at him, disappointment evident in his gaze. That alone was enough.
Jim’s lips pressed tightly together. ’So it’s true...’
"How is this possible...?" he murmured under his breath. "From everything I knew, Aurora was just the daughter of an ordinary, wealthy family... nothing more..."
He looked up, confusion and disbelief written all over his face.
"How can her family possibly be powerful enough to take clients away from us...? We’re the richest in the country..."
Oslo suddenly chuckled, but there was no humor in it. "That’s because your hacking skills are pathetic," he sneered.
Jim stiffened.
"If you were even slightly competent, you would have figured it out long ago."
Oslo’s eyes turned cold. "Aurora... is Alex’s half-sister."
Jim’s breath hitched.
"And Alex?" Oslo continued, his voice steady but heavy. "He’s a rising star. His business is already diversified across multiple industries."
He paused, letting the words sink in. "He will be richer than all of us combined in future."
Silence fell. Jim’s throat tightened.
"I... I’m sorry," he forced out, his voice barely above a whisper.
Before he could react... Thud!
Oslo’s foot slammed into his chest.
The impact knocked the air out of him as he staggered back, pain spreading through his ribs.
"Sorry?" Oslo’s voice was icy. "Do you think ’sorry’ will fix anything?"
Jim clenched his teeth, enduring the pain.
"If you want to fix this," Oslo continued, his tone merciless, "then go and contact Aurora."
He leaned closer, his gaze piercing. "Tell her you were wrong."
His voice lowered, turning almost threatening. "If necessary... kneel in front of her."
Jim’s heart dropped. "As long as she forgives us, we might survive," Oslo added. "Otherwise... we’re finished."
A suffocating silence followed. Jim slowly nodded, his hands trembling as he took out his phone.
......................
Meanwhile, Oslo turned toward Lilly. She instinctively stepped back, fear flashing across her eyes.
Just as she tried to steady herself... Smack!
Oslo’s hand struck her face violently. The sound echoed loudly in the hall.
Lilly staggered, her head snapping to the side as blood slowly seeped from the corner of her lips. Her eyes filled with shock and fear, but she didn’t dare resist.
Oslo glared at her.
"This is all because of your stupidity!" he roared. "If you had contacted Aurora earlier, we wouldn’t be in this situation!"
His voice grew colder. "Go. Kneel outside the mansion."
Lilly trembled violently.
"Now."