Billionaire Redemption

Chapter 23

Aura’s POV

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My head felt like it was being split open from the inside. I groaned, lifting a shaky hand to my forehead. Everything was too quiet again. The kind of quiet that made my skin crawl.

Was I dreaming?

The last thing I remembered was... the door opening. Those steady footsteps. That familiar face. Those eyes I could never mistake.

Leon Kael.

I blinked slowly, trying to sit up. My body felt like it hadn’t moved in weeks. A dull ache ran through my arms, my legs... and my head was no better. I sucked in a breath through my teeth.

“Was that really him?” I muttered under my breath.

What if I imagined it? What if my brain was trying to protect me with a lie?

I’d been fainting and waking up so much lately, darkness still haunting my every blink. This place—whoever owned it—still hadn’t shown their face. Only maids who ignored me. Doctor who smiled but said nothing.

I looked around the room again. Same ceiling. Same soft sheets. Same cage disguised as comfort.

I bit my lower lip.

What if I was already bought?

The thought made my chest tighten.

But no... I saw him. I know I did. That presence. That moment where I mumbled “Hope” before blacking out again. It wasn’t a dream. It couldn’t be. Right?

Still... if it was really Leon, why hasn’t he come back? Why hasn’t he said anything?

I drew my knees up to my chest, pressing my forehead against them. My hands were trembling again.

Please don’t let it be another trick. Another illusion my broken mind created to cope.

I closed my eyes and whispered, “Please… let it really be you.”

I stood up slowly, ignoring the ache in my limbs, and made my way to the window. I pressed my palm lightly against the cold glass, staring into the wide compound. The silence outside wasn’t comforting—it was unsettling. Too perfect, too controlled.

Then I saw it.

Four sleek black cars rolled out through the tall gates. All tinted, all polished to perfection. My eyes followed them, unmoving... until the door of the second car opened. A man stepped out, just briefly, talking to someone before stepping back in.

I froze.

That profile. The sharp jawline. The way he moved. Even from this distance—there was no mistaking it.

Leon Kael.

Was I really... living with him?

Why? How? And why hadn’t he come to see me since that day?

I couldn’t pull my eyes away as the cars disappeared down the road. My stomach twisted. It felt too unreal. I stood there for hours, letting my mind spiral in every direction, until a glance at the digital clock on the wall snapped me out of it.

5 PM.

I let out a long sigh, about to pull away from the window when a knock came. I tensed instinctively, heart racing. But the nurse walked in calmly, clipboard in hand. She smiled at me gently.

“Feeling better now?” she asked, checking my vitals.

I nodded slowly, biting back the urge to blurt out, “Whose house is this?”

I opened my mouth… but closed it again. I didn’t know who to trust. My lips remained sealed as she packed up and left without another word.

Not long after, another knock came.

Different this time. Heels. Sharp. Purposeful.

The door opened to reveal a woman—not a maid, at least not any kind I’d ever seen.

She looked to be in her late twenties, wearing way too much makeup for anyone working in a house. Her lavender V-neck dress clung to her like second skin, stopping well above her thigh. Black stilettos. A Chanel bag hanging from her arm like a trophy.

I took a step back. Something in her eyes… something cruel and burning.

She stared at me with disgust before she finally spoke.

“So you’re the bitch.”

My breath hitched. “W-what do you mean?” I asked, stepping backward.

Then—SLAP.

My head jerked to the side from the impact.

Another slap followed. My body hit the floor. Pain bloomed across my cheek.

I looked up, stunned. Her lips curled into a smirk, and from her bag, she pulled out a small glass vial filled with something bright green.

No. No no no no no.

I’d seen this in a movie before—acid. Or something worse. A scene where the villain disfigured the heroine out of jealousy.

She’s going to ruin me.

Panic took over. I tried to run. She kicked my leg, making me trip. I landed on the floor, skin scraping against the tiles. She stood over me, raising the vial.

Act. Now.

I grabbed my slipper and flung it at her hand. The vial flew out of her grip and landed on the bed.

SIZZLE.

The sheets burned immediately. Smoke hissed up.

My eyes widened in horror. Hers widened in rage.

“You brat!” she screamed, charging toward me.

I bolted. Tears blurred my vision. “Help! Someone help me!” I screamed, but the house stayed silent.

No one came.

I turned into the nearest corridor and found an open room. I rushed in and slammed the door shut behind me, locking it with trembling hands.

Then I collapsed against it, sliding to the floor, my hands joined in prayer.

“Please… please…please…”

Silence.

I stayed completely still, body pressed against the cold door, my heart pounding so loud I was sure anyone outside could hear it. My breaths came out in short, shallow bursts. I strained my ears for the sound of footsteps — anything to let me know if she was still out there.

Nothing.

No footsteps. No more slamming. Just… silence.

I waited a few more seconds before I let out a shaky breath, slowly peeling my back from the door. My fingers were still trembling from how tightly I’d gripped the knob. I turned around and finally allowed myself to look at the room I’d stumbled into.

It was dark.

Pitch black.

No light crept in from the hallway. No window. No lamp. Just shadows pressing in from every corner.

A strange hollowness hung in the air. It wasn’t just the absence of light — it was the way the room felt… off. Like I wasn’t supposed to be here. Like this place held secrets not meant for me.

The darkness whispered to the edges of my mind, tugging at my old fears.

I hate the dark.

Always have.

Even as a child, I hated it. It made things bigger, scarier — like the shadows could swallow me whole. I wrapped my arms around myself, shivering despite the heat I’d felt just moments ago. My breathing grew uneven again.

Then —BANG!

The sudden knock against the door behind me made me jump. I flinched violently, eyes wide in panic.

“Either you come out and die in my hands, or die in Leon’s for entering that room,” the woman’s voice hissed through the door, laced with venomous mockery.

My blood ran cold.

Leon?

*Leon Kael?* Was she talking about him?

So I really was in his house?

No… it can’t be.

But that side profile I saw earlier — it looked just like him. Those sharp features, the stillness in his presence. I’d never forget Leon Kael’s face, no matter how blurry my memory was at the moment. I’d seen it once up close, and it was seared into my memory forever.

Still, a question twisted painfully in my chest.

If it really is Leon… why hasn’t he come to see me? Why am I being threatened inside his home?

And what did she mean by "die in his hand"? Why would he hurt me for entering a room?

My heart slammed against my ribs.

I reached for the wall, my hands sweeping blindly in search of a light switch. My lungs felt tighter. The air, too thick, too heavy, refused to go down properly. I gasped, stumbling forward, trying to feel my way through the suffocating darkness.

Each second that passed felt like hours.

I couldn’t breathe.

I couldn’t see.

I was drowning in this space.

Tears welled up in my eyes as panic wrapped around me like chains. My legs trembled, then buckled completely beneath me. I dropped to my knees, chest heaving, clawing at the floor like it might give me air.

Then came the dizziness.

My head spun. My fingers were ice cold.

This was it — I was going to pass out again. Alone.

My vision blurred until even the outlines of the door disappeared. A tear slipped down my cheek.

“Please… not here…” I whispered weakly.

Then, without warning—click.

Light.

The sharp sting of brightness made my eyes squeeze shut on reflex.

And then I heard it.

The door swung open behind me, not gently — forcefully. Like someone had broken in.

Footsteps. Calm. Heavy. Unhurried.

I blinked through the blur, my body too weak to sit up.

My gaze caught the outline of someone — tall, broad, dark hair. My eyes narrowed, trying to focus. I could barely make him out through the watery film clouding my vision. But something in me knew.

Leon?

Even without seeing him clearly, I knew it was him.

The stillness of his posture.

The quiet command in his presence.

It had to be him.

“Please… let this be real,” I mumbled, barely a whisper. “Please… let it be you… Leon…”

And then everything went black.