The Fall Before The Rise
1006 Words
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Episode 10: The Fall Before the Rise
Word Count: ~2,000**
7:42 a.m. – Newsroom Buzz
The morning started with a bang.
Every major outlet, blog, and gossip column flashed the same headline:
> “CEO Damian Wolfe Confirms Romance with Assistant—And She’s His Half-Sister?”
Aurora’s face was everywhere.
So was the photo.
The kiss.
A still image, taken at an angle that should have been private. That was private. But now... it had been leaked to the world.
Damian’s lips on hers. Her hands gripping his shirt. Nothing inappropriate, but everything intimate.
She gasped when she saw it. “Who—how did they get this?”
Damian stared at the screen, jaw locked. “Clara.”
Clarissa appeared in the doorway of his office, face grim. “We traced the leak. She bribed a junior intern from the facilities team. Had him smuggle out hard drive footage.”
Aurora looked at them both, trembling. “I have to go. I can’t be here.”
“You’re not alone in this,” Damian said firmly.
She pulled her hand from his. “This is your company, Damian. You can’t protect me and run an empire at the same time.”
“I will do both.”
“No,” she said softly. “You can’t protect me from me.”
Then she turned and walked out.
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9:00 a.m. – Wolfe Enterprises Lobby
Aurora pushed past the reporters flooding the lobby. Cameras flashed in her face.
“Are you his mistress?”
“Are you trying to sue for inheritance?”
“Is this a calculated affair?”
“Are you really the love child of Christopher Wolfe?”
She kept her head down, arms crossed tight across her chest. The security guard tried to help her through the crowd, but the voices chased her like bullets.
“Are you in love with Damian Wolfe?”
She paused—just a second too long—and that hesitation became the next headline.
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11:15 a.m. – Tasha’s Apartment
Aurora sat curled on the couch, wearing one of Tasha’s oversized hoodies. The TV was off. Her phone on silent. She stared into nothing.
Tasha handed her a bowl of hot custard. “You need to eat.”
“I need to disappear.”
“You’re not the villain here,” Tasha said gently.
“Tell that to the internet,” Aurora whispered. “They’re calling me a seductress. A schemer. A gold-digging half-sister.”
“You’re not even sure you’re related to him!”
“Doesn’t matter. They believe it. And Damian…” she paused. “He’s risking everything.”
Tasha sat beside her. “So risk something too. Don’t run. Fight.”
Aurora looked down. “What if I ruin him?”
Tasha shrugged. “Then he’ll have to be ruined with you. That’s love, babe.”
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Meanwhile – Clara’s Private Interview
Clara sat poised on a luxurious armchair, legs crossed, the camera lights flattering every angle.
“The public deserves to know the truth,” she said smoothly. “I’ve known Damian since we were teenagers. His father was powerful. But reckless. We all knew he had secrets.”
The interviewer leaned in. “So you believe Aurora is the result of an affair?”
Clara’s red lips curved into a smile. “I believe the facts speak for themselves. The resemblance. The timing. The files I provided.”
“And the romance?”
Clara let out a pitying sigh. “Damian’s always been impulsive. He lets his heart cloud his mind. But I believe, in time, he’ll come back to the truth.”
“And the truth is?”
“That he belongs with me.”
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3:00 p.m. – Wolfe Enterprises, Boardroom
The board sat in tense silence.
Damian stood at the head of the table, sleeves rolled, tie discarded. He looked exhausted—but unbroken.
“This company is mine,” he said. “Built with my hands. My name. My legacy. And I won’t let rumor dictate how I run it.”
Mr. Malcolm Gray folded his hands. “We’re getting pressure from investors. They want a clean narrative. A future. Right now, you’re the face of a scandal.”
Damian’s eyes narrowed. “You want me to remove Aurora.”
“No,” Malcolm said. “We want you to choose. Her… or the company.”
The room held its breath.
Damian stared out the window, jaw tight.
Then he said softly, “I can rebuild the company.”
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5:15 p.m. – Aurora’s Phone Buzzes
A message.
> From: Damian Wolfe
"Meet me. Rooftop. 6 p.m. No press. No lies. Just us."
Aurora’s heart raced.
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6:00 p.m. – Wolfe Enterprises Rooftop
Aurora stepped into the wind.
Damian stood by the edge, coat open, hair tousled by the breeze. For once, he didn’t look like the unreachable CEO. He looked like a man undone.
“I thought you’d choose them,” Aurora said.
“I did,” he replied. “I chose the future. And that future is you.”
She swallowed. “They’ll destroy you.”
“They already tried.”
He turned to her.
“I’ve spent my life in control. But you… you unraveled me. And I never want to be put back together.”
Tears filled her eyes. “Damian—”
“I don’t care if we share blood. I care if we share truth. And I want mine with you.”
He stepped closer.
“This time, I’m not kissing you to forget the storm. I’m kissing you to survive it.”
And then, with the city below them burning in gossip and betrayal, he kissed her.
Not as a boss. Not as a scandal.
But as a man who finally found his heart.
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To Be Continued...
📌 In Episode 11: A DNA test reveals the shocking truth. Clara retaliates with a final strike. And Aurora is forced to decide—will she protect Damian… or herself?
- Writer
