CHAPTER:4
1412 Words
Chapter 4
Aurora couldn’t take her eyes off the photograph.
It was old, its edges worn with time, but there was no mistaking the man smiling at the camera.
Her father.
He looked younger, healthier, happier.
Standing beside him was the same elderly man now looking at her with quiet patience.
Aurora’s fingers trembled as she turned the photograph over once more.
“Protect my daughter at all costs.”
The familiar handwriting sent a lump to her throat.
“My father…” she whispered.
The old man nodded.
“Yes, Miss Aurora.”
“You knew him.”
“I did.”
“Who are you?”
“My name is Alfred.”
“I served your father for many years.”
Aurora frowned.
“Served him?”
Her father had been a secondary school teacher.
He worked overtime just to pay her school fees.
There had been months when they survived on little more than rice and beans.
Nothing about their lives suggested anyone had ever served him.
“There must be a mistake,” she said, shaking her head. “My father wasn’t a wealthy man.”
Alfred’s expression softened.
“The man who raised you lived a simple life.”
“He chose that life.”
Aurora blinked.
“Chose it?”
“There are truths your father wanted to tell you himself.”
His voice grew heavier.
“But time wasn’t on his side.”
Alfred stepped aside and gestured toward the mansion.
“Please.”
“Everything will be explained.”
Aurora hesitated before following him inside.
The entrance hall stole her breath away.
Crystal chandeliers glittered overhead.
A sweeping marble staircase curved toward the second floor.
Paintings in ornate gold frames lined the walls.
Everything about the mansion spoke of unimaginable wealth.
None of it felt real.
“This way.”
Alfred led her into a large study.
Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves covered the walls, while a fire crackled gently in the fireplace.
On the desk rested a single wooden box.
It looked old.
Very old.
Alfred approached it with unusual care.
“Your father left this with us.”
Aurora’s eyes widened.
“For me?”
“Yes.”
“He instructed us never to open it.”
“Only you.”
Her heartbeat quickened.
She slowly lifted the lid.
Inside lay three items.
A sealed envelope with her name written across it.
A silver key engraved with the same eagle symbol she had seen on the mysterious card.
And…
A velvet jewelry box.
Aurora carefully opened it.
Inside rested a delicate necklace.
She gasped.
It looked almost identical to the one she had been accused of stealing.
“No…”
Her voice shook.
“This can’t be.”
Alfred looked at the necklace without surprise.
“That necklace belonged to your mother.”
Aurora’s head snapped up.
“My mother?”
She had grown up believing her mother died shortly after giving birth to her.
Her father had rarely spoken about her.
Whenever Aurora asked questions, sadness would cloud his eyes before he gently changed the subject.
“You… you knew my mother too?”
“I did.”
“Who was she?”
Alfred lowered his gaze.
“Someone many powerful people feared.”
Before Aurora could ask another question, the study door burst open.
A young man in a navy suit rushed inside, his face tense.
“Sir Alfred.”
“What is it?”
“We have a problem.”
Alfred’s expression darkened.
“They’ve found her.”
Silence filled the room.
Aurora frowned.
“Who has?”
The young man looked directly at her.
“The Blackwood family.”
Aurora felt the blood drain from her face.
Damian.
How could they possibly know where she was?
Alfred immediately stepped in front of her.
“They’re already on their way.”
Aurora’s pulse thundered in her ears.
She had only just arrived.
How had they found her so quickly?
Outside, the sound of several luxury vehicles pulling into the estate echoed through the mansion.
Alfred closed his eyes briefly.
“They’re too late.”
Then he looked at Aurora.
“Because this time…”
“They’re the ones who will have to ask for permission.
⸻
The deep rumble of powerful engines echoed through the mansion grounds.
Aurora instinctively stepped back.
Her heart hammered painfully against her chest.
“No…” she whispered.
“They found me.”
Alfred remained calm, his hands folded behind his back as though he had expected this moment all along.
“There’s no need to be afraid, Miss Aurora.”
“They cannot touch you here.”
Outside the study window, a convoy of black SUVs came to a stop.
One after another, suited bodyguards stepped out, scanning the estate with sharp, watchful eyes.
Then the rear door of the last vehicle opened.
A tall figure emerged.
Even from a distance, Aurora recognized him instantly.
Damian.
He looked nothing like the confident billionaire she had stood beside at the altar.
His expensive suit was wrinkled, as though he hadn’t slept.
His usually perfect hair was messy, and dark circles shadowed his eyes.
For a brief moment, their eyes met through the window.
Aurora’s breath caught.
A thousand memories crashed into her at once.
His smile.
His promises.
The ring he had slipped onto her finger.
The vows they never got to finish.
Then came the memory that erased them all.
Him standing silently while security accused her of stealing.
Her expression hardened.
She turned away before he could take another step toward the mansion.
“I don’t want to see him.”
Alfred nodded respectfully.
“As you wish.”
He picked up the telephone on the desk.
“Do not allow anyone from the Blackwood family beyond the main gate.”
A pause.
“Yes.”
“Even if it’s Damian Blackwood himself.”
He calmly replaced the receiver.
“They’ve been informed.”
Aurora stared at him in disbelief.
“You… refused them?”
Alfred smiled faintly.
“In this house, Miss Aurora…”
“Your word is law.”
Outside, Damian stood frozen as the estate’s head of security approached him.
After listening for a few seconds, Damian’s jaw tightened.
“What do you mean she doesn’t want to see me?”
His voice carried across the quiet estate.
“I need to speak with her.”
“I’m sorry, sir,” the guard replied politely.
“Our instructions are very clear.”
“You are not permitted to enter.”
Damian clenched his fists.
“I’ll wait.”
“As long as it takes.”
Back inside the study, Aurora heard every word.
A week ago, hearing him say he wanted to see her would have filled her with joy.
Now…
It stirred nothing but pain.
Alfred walked to the fireplace.
“There is something you should know.”
Aurora slowly looked at him.
“The day of your wedding…”
“The necklace was never stolen.”
She frowned.
“I know.”
“I didn’t take it.”
Alfred’s expression grew grave.
“No.”
“It was planted.”
Aurora’s eyes widened.
“What?”
“The entire incident was carefully orchestrated.”
Her knees nearly buckled.
“You mean…”
“Someone framed me?”
Alfred nodded.
“Yes.”
“And the person behind it…”
He paused.
“…was much closer to Damian than you could ever imagine.”
Aurora felt a chill crawl down her spine.
“If that’s true…”
“Then why?”
Alfred’s gaze settled on the wooden box still resting on the desk.
“Because your marriage was never supposed to happen.”
The room fell into a heavy silence.
Aurora stared at him, unable to process what she had just heard.
Someone hadn’t simply wanted to embarrass her.
Someone had wanted to make sure she never became Damian Blackwood’s wife.
But why?
And who would go to such lengths to destroy a wedding?
Before Alfred could continue, another knock sounded at the study door.
This time, it was urgent.
“Sir!”
“The chairman has arrived.”
Alfred straightened immediately.
A rare smile crossed his face.
“Good.”
He turned to Aurora.
“The man your father trusted more than anyone…”
“…is finally here.”
Aurora’s pulse quickened.
Whoever this mysterious chairman was…
She had a feeling that meeting him would change everything.
To be continued…
- Writer
