Bloodlines and Battlefields
856 Words
---
Episode 11: Bloodlines & Battlefields
Word Count: ~2,000**
7:42 a.m. – Private Medical Lab, Lagos Island
The sterile silence of the clinic was louder than any press conference.
Aurora sat on a cushioned bench, her fingers twisting the edge of her sleeve. Across from her, Damian paced the small room like a lion in a cage.
“Why is it taking so long?” he muttered.
“They said twenty-four hours,” Aurora reminded him.
“It’s been twenty-five.”
She gave him a small smile. “You counted?”
He stopped pacing. “Of course I did.”
Their eyes met—and for the first time, neither of them looked away.
“This test,” she said quietly, “whatever it says, I need you to know... I didn’t ask for any of this.”
He walked to her slowly, kneeling in front of her.
“I know,” he said. “I’m the one who asked for you.”
---
10:10 a.m. – Clara’s Hotel Suite
Clara Monroe sat by her floor-to-ceiling window, sipping imported wine. Her assistant hovered nearby, phone in hand.
“They’re at the clinic,” the assistant said.
Clara smirked. “Of course they are. DNA swabs, drama, soul-searching stares—it’s all so... noble.”
“Should I prepare the press release?”
Clara rose, her robe flowing behind her like a villainess in a romance novel. “Prepare both versions. One if they’re related. One if they’re not.”
“What about Plan C?”
Clara smiled coldly. “Ah yes. Plan C…”
She picked up a small black box from the table.
A flash drive.
“The one thing that could ruin Damian Wolfe forever.”
---
1:22 p.m. – Wolfe Enterprises, CEO Office
Back at headquarters, the building buzzed with tension. Some employees avoided eye contact with Aurora. Others gave her pitying glances. The whisper network was alive and brutal.
Aurora stepped into Damian’s office to find Clarissa already there, laptop open.
“Good. You’re both here,” Clarissa said. “We’ve got the lab email.”
Aurora’s heart thudded.
Damian nodded. “Read it.”
Clarissa opened the document, scrolling through the official report.
Silence.
Aurora squeezed Damian’s hand.
Then Clarissa looked up.
“Negative,” she said.
Aurora blinked. “What?”
“You’re not siblings. Christopher Wolfe is not your father.”
Aurora gasped—and laughter burst out of her. A single, giddy, relieved laugh.
Damian exhaled sharply, pulling her into his chest.
Clarissa grinned. “You’re clear.”
Aurora looked up at him. “You’re sure you’re not disappointed? That you don’t have a long-lost sister to boss around?”
Damian leaned in, kissed her forehead. “No. But I do have a woman to protect.”
---
5:45 p.m. – Clara’s Final Strike
The press lit up again.
This time, it was a financial scandal.
> “Wolfe Enterprises Linked to Illegal Offshore Accounts?”
Attached was a PDF full of supposedly leaked transactions. Several under Damian’s name.
Clarissa slammed her laptop shut. “This is fake. And I know exactly where it came from.”
She stormed into Damian’s office. “Clara just activated Plan C.”
Aurora froze. “What’s Plan C?”
“She’s trying to tie you both to fraud. Make it look like you embezzled money together during the scandal. Fake receipts. Doctored accounts.”
Damian stood. “Then we go public. We show the DNA test. And we file charges for defamation.”
Clarissa hesitated. “There’s one problem.”
“What?”
“She’s not the only one who has the documents now.”
---
7:20 p.m. – Aurora’s Apartment
That night, Aurora returned home to find her apartment door unlocked.
She stepped in cautiously.
“Hello?”
Silence.
Her breath caught—until she saw a piece of paper on her kitchen table.
Just one.
Typed.
> “You think the DNA test ends this? You think love protects you? You’ll never be safe with him. Walk away—or I’ll burn what’s left.”
No name.
But she didn’t need one.
Her hands curled into fists.
“Then let it burn,” she whispered.
---
Final Scene – Wolfe Enterprises, Rooftop Again
Damian stood at the edge of the roof, skyline twinkling behind him.
Aurora joined him, wind in her hair, coat buttoned up to her throat.
“They know we’re not related,” she said. “But they’ll never let us rest.”
“I don’t want rest,” he replied. “I want you.”
She slipped her hand into his. “Then let’s fight.”
Damian turned to her, eyes full of something fierce.
“We fight together.”
And below them, as Clara prepared her final war, Aurora and Damian finally stopped running—and began the war to protect what was theirs.
---
To Be Continued...
📌 In Episode 12: Clara’s last card is revealed. A betrayal from inside the company shakes the board. And Aurora must decide if love is enough—or if she’ll have to leave Damian to save him.
- Writer
