ld brick walls, contrasting with the warm sighs of two bodies exploring one another. Rafael stood at the edge of the

her face to force her to look into his eyes. Aurora held her breath, her body trembling between fear and longing for something she couldn't explain. Rafael appro

ission. And as their fingers gripped one another, as their breaths combined in a single suppressed sigh, the te

m Aurora's, staring at the window covered by a thin curtain. Her breathing was ragged, n

her still misty gaze fix

Why did y

y. His eyes were dark, but n

oarse, barely audible.

and put it on in silence. Aurora sat up, pulling the blanke

hing wrong?" sh

k his head.

ying to say something that had been held ba

orgot the reason wh

ing Aurora in a silence that had now

*

danced in absurd graphs, and everything was wrong. The loopholes wouldn't have been visible to the naked eye, but Rafael

he last twelve months," Rafael ordered

d. It contained gradual transfers, money flowing slowly but surely

as they cut the ribbon for the new building six months ago. Rafael didn't believe it un

mpty meeting room, looking out at the city slowl

peared like a coward. Leaving behind his good name, his

still clean, the lawn still manicured, but there was no real life inside,

er hanging on the wall. Edgar's serene smile behind the golden frame was now unfamiliar. S

e phone was dead. Emails went unanswered. Aurora didn't understand why her father suddenly cut

re you?" she

r, the sound of a car engine could be heard outside. Through the window, she saw

e door before th

?" she ask

n eyes instantly locked onto Aurora's face. His ga

velo?" he a

es

fael Va

father's phone conversations or perhaps from a business article she had vaguely r

portant man. Som

a knew he wasn't com

el continued as he stepped in uninvite

house-or rather, her father's house. She followed Rafa

ase tell me," Aurora finally said. "

mocking her. "Of cour

confused look. "

e. "Your father stole my money. Left me devastated. And he disappeared

hat do you mean

be foolish about your father's business. He cheated me. Took millions of dollars from our compan

on't know anything about that. I was never involve

, now facing her directly. Only a few inches separate

Aurora. "I don't hav

ed softly, d

ay. And you'll find out o

man's aura was like a storm-cold and unpredictable. But Aurora was not the type of woman who was e

asked, her voice low but

that Aurora really didn't know anything. Then slowly, his smile grew, but it wasn't

oice low, almost a whisper but echoing like a boom.

_