Chapter 418:
“Aurora,” Sterling spat the name. “She must have got to Grandmother. She must have told her lies. Aurora is the only one who benefits from us being outcasts.”
His delusion crystallized. It was easier to blame a nemesis than to accept his family thought he was an idiot.
“She’s here,” Sterling muttered, spotting a black armored SUV pulling out of a side road that led to the Sterling Estate’s private annex. He recognized the license plate immediately. “She came to watch. She came to gloat.”
He swerved the McLaren, blocking the narrow country lane. The SUV screeched to a halt.
“Sterling, what are you doing?” Tiffany asked, alarm in her voice. “That’s an armored car!”
“I’m ending this,” he growled.
He stormed out of the car. Tiffany scrambled to follow, limping on her one good shoe.
The rear window of the SUV rolled down halfway. Aurora sat inside, her face pale and drawn, an oxygen mask resting around her neck. She looked exhausted, her violet eyes heavy, but the steel in her gaze was unbroken. She wasn’t drinking tea; she was recovering from an assassination attempt.
“Move your car, Sterling,” Aurora said, her voice raspy and weak. “I don’t have time for your theatrics. I have a medical team waiting and a full security detail. Go home before Marcus interprets you as a threat.”
Marcus had stepped out of the driver’s seat, his hand hovering near his holster. He didn’t speak; he just stared at Sterling with the calm focus of a man deciding where to aim.
Aurora’s gaze shifted to Tiffany. She looked at the broken shoe, the disheveled hair, the desperate grip on Sterling’s sleeve.
“Karma looks good on you, Tiffany,” Aurora said softly. “Though I see you’re still accessorizing with other people’s money. Be careful, Sterling. Parasites don’t stop feeding until the host is dry.”
“You took everything from me!” Tiffany shrieked, playing the victim for Sterling’s benefit.
C𝓞mplєtє 𝒸o𝓷tєnt 🅐t g𝓐lnovєls.𝓬0𝓶
“I took nothing,” Aurora said. “You lost it when you joined the conspiracy to kill Julian. Now, move the car, or Marcus moves it for you. And he won’t use the keys.”
Sterling looked at Marcus, then at the heavy reinforced bumper of the SUV. He realized he was outmatched. He grabbed Tiffany’s hand.
“Come on. She’s not worth it. We’ll build something bigger than she ever could.”
He dragged Tiffany back to the car. As they got in, Tiffany reached over and touched his hand.
“You’re the only one who sees the real me,” she cooed.
Sterling felt a surge of validation. He was her protector. He was the hero.
Tiffany’s eyes, however, weren’t on his face. They were fixed on the backseat, where Sterling’s leather briefcase lay. The gold embossing on the side read: Celestial Dominion – Project Alpha.
The scene opened with a split screen of contrasting realities.
Cut to New York. Sterling Thorne’s private office in the Sterling subsidiary building.
It was a modern glass box overlooking the city. Sterling was dragging a second chair to a small desk in the corner.
“You can be my personal assistant,” he told Tiffany, gesturing to the cramped space. “Until I get my trust fund unlocked, we have to work. But we’ll do it together.”
Tiffany looked at the desk with hidden disgust. Work? She hadn’t worked a day in her life. But she smiled, a brave, wobbly smile.
.
.
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