Chapter 26:

Aurora didn’t flinch at the threat of exposure. She simply zipped her bag.

“Double the payment if she stays for dinner,” Elias challenged.

The offer hung in the air, heavy with implication. Two million dollars for a meal. For most people, it was a life-changing amount. For Elias Thorne, it was pocket change thrown onto the table to see how the other player would react.

Aurora didn’t even pause to consider it. She slung the bag over her shoulder.

“I have a cat to feed,” she said.

Elias recoiled physically, pressing himself back against the pillows as if she had just produced a live grenade. His nose wrinkled in genuine, visceral disgust.

“A… feline?” Elias asked, his voice tight. “In your living space? A vector for toxoplasmosis and dander?”

“My cat doesn’t question my methods,” Aurora retorted, ignoring his phobic reaction. “And he doesn’t try to buy my time.”

Julian had to turn away to suppress a laugh. He tapped furiously on his tablet, hiding his amusement behind the screen.

“Transfer initiated, Ms. Vance,” Julian confirmed. “Five million dollars. I adjusted for the… complexity of the procedure. Pending bank clearance, it should be in your account within the hour.”

Elias leaned back, still eyeing Aurora’s clothes as if searching for stray cat hair. He masked his revulsion with a layer of cold indifference, but his eyes were still tracking her every move. He wasn’t used to being told no. He wasn’t used to women who preferred a shedding animal and an empty apartment to his company.

“I am a bachelor by choice, Ms. Vance,” Elias said, his voice smooth but distant. “Don’t mistake my offer for courtship. I simply prefer intelligent conversation while I eat. It is a rare commodity.”

Aurora rolled her eyes internally. The man’s ego was large enough to have its own gravitational pull.

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“You’re not my type, Mr. Thorne,” she said, walking toward the door.

Elias stiffened. The heart monitor beeped a little faster for a second. “I do not require being someone’s ‘type’ to command their attention, Ms. Vance.”

Aurora paused at the door. She looked back. “Get rest. Don’t drink alcohol for forty-eight hours. No heavy lifting. And fire your chef if he uses MSG; it triggers your migraines.”

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a plain white business card. It had a number printed on it. Nothing else. No name. No title. She handed it to Julian.

“For emergencies only,” she said. “If he turns blue again, call me. If he’s just being annoying, deal with it yourself.”

Elias narrowed his eyes, tracking the card exchange with hawk-like precision. He wanted that card. He wanted to know why the paper looked cheap but the font was a custom typeface used by coders.

“Goodbye, gentlemen.”

Aurora walked out. The heavy oak doors of the Thorne estate closed behind her with a solid, final thud.

Outside, the air was crisp. The sun was setting, painting the sky in bruised purples and oranges. Aurora walked down the long driveway, past the manicured hedges and the fountains.

A black SUV was waiting at the gate. The engine idled with a low, powerful purr.

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