Chapter 4: The Invitation
895 Words
The city was wrapped in a blanket of grey clouds.
Aurora stood behind the café counter, but her thoughts were miles away.
She had replayed yesterday's encounter with Damien Blackwood over and over again.
The way he had looked at her.
The way his expression had changed when he saw her necklace.
And the way he had lied.
"I've mistaken you for someone else."
No.
He hadn't.
She was certain of it.
"Coffee for table seven," Lily called from the kitchen.
Aurora blinked.
"Oh... right."
She picked up the tray and forced herself to smile as she served the customers.
To everyone else, it was another ordinary morning.
To Aurora...
Nothing felt ordinary anymore.
---
At Blackwood Group Headquarters...
Damien sat alone in the conference room.
The board members argued over contracts and profits, but he wasn't listening.
His thoughts were fixed on one person.
Aurora.
Three years ago, he had watched a coffin lowered into the ground.
He had believed she was gone forever.
So who was the young woman serving coffee across the street?
His phone vibrated beneath the table.
A message from his assistant.
The investigation is complete.
Damien excused himself and walked into his private office.
His assistant was already waiting.
He placed a thick brown file on the desk.
"We found everything we could."
Damien opened it.
The first page contained Aurora's hospital record.
Patient: Unknown Female.
Age: Approximately twenty-three.
Condition: Severe head trauma.
Memory Loss: Complete retrograde amnesia.
He turned another page.
There was no birth certificate.
No fingerprints on record.
No missing person's report.
Nothing.
It was as though Aurora had appeared from nowhere.
"That's impossible," Damien murmured.
His assistant nodded.
"There's something else."
He handed Damien a second file.
"This came from the orphanage."
Damien opened it.
His eyes narrowed.
The admission form listed the person who had brought Aurora there after the accident.
The name had been covered with black ink.
Someone had deliberately erased it.
"Who had access to these files?" Damien asked.
"We're still trying to find out."
Damien closed the folder slowly.
"No."
"They're trying to make sure we never find out."
---
Across town...
Aurora finished her shift shortly after noon.
She was about to leave when Lily ran after her.
"You almost forgot this."
She handed Aurora a small white envelope.
"It was delivered this morning."
Aurora frowned.
"There wasn't a stamp."
"No."
"And the delivery man refused to give his name."
A chill crept down Aurora's spine.
She thanked Lily and stepped outside.
Standing beneath a tree, she carefully opened the envelope.
Inside was a single invitation.
The card was elegant, made from thick black paper with silver lettering.
Blackwood Charity Gala
Tonight - 7:00 PM
At the bottom, written in handwriting instead of print, was a message.
Come alone.
The truth begins tonight.
Aurora's pulse quickened.
There was no signature.
No explanation.
Only a small silver raven printed in the corner.
The same raven she had seen on the mysterious photograph.
---
Miles away...
The woman inside the black sedan smiled as another message appeared on her phone.
She received the invitation.
She typed a reply.
Good. She'll come. Curiosity is stronger than fear.
She looked through the windshield at Blackwood Group.
"Let's see who reaches her first..."
"You..."
"...or Damien."
---
By evening, the ballroom glittered beneath crystal chandeliers.
The city's wealthiest families filled the hall.
Journalists crowded the entrance.
Aurora hesitated outside.
She didn't belong here.
Her simple navy-blue dress was beautiful, but modest compared to the designer gowns around her.
Maybe she should leave.
Before she could turn around, a familiar voice spoke behind her.
"I knew you'd come."
Aurora turned.
Damien Blackwood stood only a few feet away.
He looked different tonight.
Less like a ruthless CEO.
More like a man carrying a burden no one else could see.
"I didn't come for you," Aurora said quietly.
"I came for answers."
A faint smile crossed Damien's face.
"So did I."
For the first time...
They entered the ballroom together.
Hundreds of eyes followed them.
Whispers spread through the crowd.
"Who is she?"
"Why is Mr. Blackwood with a waitress?"
"She looks familiar..."
An elderly woman suddenly dropped her champagne glass.
It shattered across the marble floor.
Her trembling hand pointed directly at Aurora.
"No..."
Her voice cracked with fear.
"It can't be..."
"She's dead."
The music stopped.
Every conversation died.
Aurora stood frozen as dozens of confused faces turned toward her.
Before anyone could speak...
The grand ballroom doors burst open.
A masked man rushed inside.
He wasn't carrying a weapon.
He was carrying a folder.
Ignoring everyone else, he ran straight toward Aurora.
He thrust the folder into her hands.
"Don't let them destroy this," he gasped.
"They lied to you about everything."
Before Aurora could ask a single question...
A loud gunshot echoed through the ballroom.
The man staggered.
Blood spread across the front of his white shirt.
He looked directly into Aurora's eyes.
With his final breath, he whispered,
"Don't..."
"...trust..."
His body collapsed before he could finish the sentence.
Silence filled the room.
Aurora stared at the folder in her shaking hands.
Inside...
Was a marriage certificate.
One signature belonged to Damien Blackwood.
The other...
Looked exactly like hers.
But before she could read another word...
Someone snatched the folder from her hands.
The lights went out.
And a woman screamed.
- Writer
