Billionaire Redemption

Chapter 15

Aura’s POV

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I left Mama Tee’s shop with the quiet hum of the city around me. The sun was low, brushing the streets in soft golden light, but I couldn’t feel any of its warmth.

My legs still ached from standing so long at Mama Tee’s workshop, and the dull pain from the hospital reminded me that I wasn’t as invincible as I sometimes pretended. I clutched my bag tightly, half-hoping no one would notice me on the streets.

Every step I took toward home was heavy with dread. Not that I intended to go inside yet, I’d learned better than that. I had a system now. I could sneak out early, spend hours at Mama Tee’s, read, and come back only after everyone had settled into their illusions of control. And yet… the thought of what could happen if I misstepped, even once, made my stomach churn.

I paused at a quiet corner, taking a deep breath. Focus, Arya. Just focus. My mind wandered, as it always did, to Leon. His face popped into my mind, calm, unreadable, yet somehow powerful.

I remembered the first time I had seen him not in person, but on my phone and how impossible it had seemed to even imagine meeting someone like him. And now… somehow, he had become a thread in the messy tapestry of my life.

I shook my head, muttering under my breath, “Stop daydreaming. Focus.” But my thoughts betrayed me. That day at the building, the way he had moved, his gaze locked on his tablet, his quiet authority… it had left a mark.

If only I could be brave enough to talk to him properly. My cheeks warmed at the memory of my own foolishness falling, choking, and bolting before I could even say a word. Twice, he had noticed me, and twice, I had made a fool of myself.

I arrived at my usual spot outside the library near school, the shadows of late afternoon stretching across the courtyard. No one was around yet—perfect. I took a seat on the stone bench, carefully placing my bag beside me. Pulling out a notebook and a pen, I began sketching out ideas for my next steps: college options, possible scholarships, and… maybe trying to find some way into KaelCorp. Anything to escape the walls of my father’s world.

Hours slipped by as I wrote and rewrote, scribbled and erased. I checked my phone repeatedly, glancing at Aurelian’s number one more time.

Still one tick. Maybe he’s busy.

By the time the library doors opened and students began to trickle in, I had lost track of the sun. My legs ached more now, reminding me I hadn’t rested properly. Still, I picked up my bag and moved inside, choosing a seat near the window where the last rays of light could touch my pages.

Even here, the whispers started. I felt eyes on me as students walked past, judging, speculating. But I refused to look up. I refused to let them see that their words hurt. I focused on my books, my notes, the words in front of me. The only light in my head came from the glow of determination and from that tiny spark of hope named Leon.

A smile crept onto my lips, small and fragile, as I thought, Maybe, just maybe… I don’t have to stay trapped forever.

**

I hissed a tired breath and slumped against the cold metal gate of my father’s house. My body ached in every joint, but I didn’t care. My exams were finally over, and now all I could think about was surviving another night without running into my father or Marla.

My phone buzzed lightly in my hand, and I scrolled through the newsfeed almost absentmindedly—until a headline made me freeze.

*“KaelCorp Project in Phoenicia Complete — New Faces Recruitment to Begin. Leon Kael to Personally Oversee Auditions for Months.”*

I blinked. My heart slammed against my chest. Months? Here in Phoenicia? Personally recruiting new faces himself?

My knees buckled slightly, and a strangled scream tore itself from my throat. I pressed my face into my hands, trying to steady my breathing.

I had seen him before, yes. I had tripped and choked and run away before him like a fool. I thought no one would remember that, that I could remain invisible in my own life.

But now… the idea that Leon Kael, the man I had only glimpsed in passing, would actually be here, in the same city, overseeing the auditions himself made me feel like the world had just tilted.

I pressed myself against the gate, heart racing. My phone fell to my lap as I muttered under my breath, “Leon… he’s really coming… and he’s staying here for months?”

My hands shook. I had mentally prepared to audition if the chance came, but I had never imagined it would be like this.

And then—footsteps. Slow, deliberate. My body froze. I pressed myself flat against the shadowed metal of a neighbor’s parked car, holding my breath. My father’s voice cut through the air, sharp and angry. My heart jumped to my throat.

“Who is there?”

I swallowed hard, my chest heaving, and tried to steady myself. The thought of Leon being so close, so real, made the fear and excitement tangle in my stomach.

And as I crouched there, shivering in the night air, listening to the faint sounds of my father scanning the neighborhood, I knew one thing for certain: my life was about to change forever.

I pressed myself behind the neighbor’s car, heart pounding so loud I was sure he could hear it from a mile away. My hands shook, my legs threatening to give out, and I murmured under my breath, “Why did I have to scream out? Why now?”

The sound of heavy footsteps echoed down the street, and my chest lurched. My father was coming. My stomach churned as his voice cut through the night air.

“I can see whoever is out there. Come out!”

A tear slid down my cheek, and my mind hammered relentlessly. This is the end. This is it. I’m done for… The memory of his threat—selling me to men in the neighborhood, made my chest pound harder, suffocating me in fear.

Then, faint footsteps approached, softer than his, and I froze.

“Hon, come check something in the backyard,” Marla’s voice rang out, syrupy and precise.

My father muttered something and followed her, boots thudding across the floor, moving farther away from me.

I exhaled shakily, letting my body relax just a fraction. The danger had shifted—luck had chosen today to favor me.

Carefully, I tiptoed toward the house, every step measured so as not to make a sound. Peeking around the corner, I saw them heading into the backyard. My chest heaved in relief, and I darted inside, silently locking my room door behind me.

I let out a shaky sigh and sank onto the bed, letting the tension leave my body in slow waves. “Luck shined on me today… Marla saved me, unknowingly.” I whispered, a small, trembling smile forming on my lips.

Falling back against the pillows, I clutched my knees to my chest and smiled. A genuine one you can say.

“I almost died today because of you, Leon Kael—indirectly, yes, but I still almost got caught after that headline made me scream… So you have to save me from this hellhole.”