The Billionaire's Asset: Carrying His Heir

hroom of the Pierre Hotel was silent, save for the distant hu

li

istakable

he math in her head, counting backward. Four weeks. The dates didn't line up with the casual, sterile dates her family had arranged. They line

oak door c

nowhere to hide it. Her clutch was too small, too exposed. With trembling fingers, she shoved

y perfect blonde hair, catching Aurora's reflection with a gaze that was too sharp, too knowing. Kendall wasn't her sister, not by blood

Aurora," Kendall said. Her voice w

naged to say. Her voice

eren't on Aurora's face. They flicked down to the small, silver sanitary bin for a fraction of a second before meet

leaving a trail of expensive

applied her lipstick with a trembling hand, and forced her lu

s were blinding. Hundreds of people-New York's el

dsome, polished, rich. He was talking about synergy. About the merger of the Sterling and Hansen families. Aurora s

laced at a table in the back, next to the catering entrance

l walked on

upt," Kendall said, her voice bubbling with excitement.

d to vanish. She tried to catch Kendall's eye, to p

nto the stage. It was co

meras flashed, a strobe

er of the velvet. "To ne

ed the c

d, retrieved from the trash like a trophy. Next to it was a crumpl

changed. A camera zoomed in on the tray.

oom. It started low and swel

red. He froze, looking at Kendall in c

nocence, using a familial term that was pure performance. "I thought

ing into the shadows. His eyes were no longer the eyes of a potential ally. They

as amplified by the microphone he f

owd. She saw her stepfather, Senator Hansen, near the front. His

forward, breaki

father?" som

a Ste

along a

s mark. This wasn't just a scandal; it was a

e with fraudulent assets," he said. His tone was flat, business-li

ng at the crowd anymore. She was looking at

yes in the bathroom. The impossible speed of it

alked off the stage.

. Aurora stood alone in the back of the room, the heat of a

owd toward her. He didn't offer a han

a liability. Get out of my sight." There was no slap, only