Riya and Susan exchanged tense glances as they reached Aurora's cabin.
"Ms. Adkins…" Riya began, her voice cautious.
"What?" Aurora arched a brow, her expression unreadable. "Didn't get the appointment?" A faint smirk tugged at her lips, as if she'd predicted the rejection.
"They just won't let us in," Riya said, frustrated. "We've tried everything" "...calls, emails, even walking in. The receptionists act like we don't exist."
"That Isabella witch…" Susan hissed under her breath, fists clenched.
Aurora showed no reaction. She looked utterly calm, almost like she was expecting this.
Riya chewed on her lower lip, stealing a glance at Susan. The silence in the room was deafening. Their empire.... everything they'd built..... was slipping like sand through their fingers. And yet, Aurora sat there, calm as a still lake. How?
A knock on the door interrupted them. Riya and Susan turned, puzzled.
Daniel entered with a strikingly young man at his side.
"Aurora… babe…" the man greeted with a wide grin.
Aurora raised her brows. "You never change."
"Of course not. Otherwise, someone might snatch away my Roro," he teased.
"Cut it out," she said flatly, before glancing at the others. "Everyone, meet Ethan Wang. Childhood friend. A cyber wizard."
"Aww… that's the highest compliment I'll ever get from my darling," Ethan cooed.
Aurora rolled her eyes.
Everyone stood speechless. Daniel's eye twitched. That bastard was flirting with his goddaughter and naturally, he was fuming.
"Mr. Wang," Daniel said dryly, stepping in between. "You can flirt with our CEO later. Right now, we've got bigger problems."
Susan and Riya stifled their laughter at Daniel's possessive reaction.
"Let's go, Ethan," Aurora said, standing.
"Sure, Roro…" Ethan reached to throw a playful arm around her shoulders.....
Only for Daniel to swiftly step between them. Ethan's hand landed on his shoulder instead.
"Of course, Mr. Wang. Let's go," Daniel said with a strained smile as he steered Ethan away. Ethan rolled his eyes.
Ethan rolled his eyes dramatically, as chuckles broke out around the room.
"Ethan, this is George, our head of tech. Join forces. You know what to do," Aurora commanded.
Ethan grinned, mischief lighting his face. "George, huh? Let's get messy."
Aurora turned to Daniel. "Uncle, I need Theron's appointment schedule. Especially those within the Drakos head quarters."
Riya and Susan leaned in, listening, brows raised.
"On it," Daniel nodded.
"I bet they're running meetings on the top floor right now. Probably to bury us."
The team's panic was palpable. But Aurora remained serene, her lips curling slightly.
"Uncle, I want someone useful to get me into that top floor. Quietly. Make it happen."
Daniel nodded with a knowing smirk "Leave it to me." And left.
Riya and Susan stared at each other, baffled. They had no idea what their CEO was planning... but damn, it was awe-inspiring how she stayed composed even when their empire was on the verge of collapse.
George's POV
He showed up out of nowhere, introduced as a cyber expert, looking like a Greek god with the devil's smile. But it wasn't his looks that got me. It was the way he worked.
The moment he stepped into our server room, his energy changed. Focused. Deadly.
He dove into our systems, logs, errors, firewall breaches, plugin tampering, even insider trails. Stuff we'd already checked, but his method… it was surgical.
He didn't just type. He orchestrated. Every keystroke had purpose, precision, confidence. I'd never seen anyone dance with code like that like he owned it. Like the damn machine obeyed him.
There was something hauntingly familiar about it.
No. It can't be. That guy was just a myth in the hacking world.
Then he started delegating tasks to my team, breaking down complex issues like they were Legos. Within minutes, we were back in action.
For the first time in days, there was hope.
Drakos Corporation
Theron slammed his desk.
"She backstabbed me?!"
He grabbed his phone. "Find out who this Aurora Adkins is. I want every detail."
"But sir… she's a woman—"
"I don't give a damn. Since when do I show mercy? Especially to women."
"I...I'm sorry, boss."
"Anyone in my way gets destroyed.... financially, socially, or physically. Clear?"
"Yes, sir."
"And look into Aetos. Drag them into this hell."
His voice dropped to a low growl. "I've crawled and clawed my way here. Nobody gets to ruin it. That bitch... just wait, Aurora. You'll regret breathing."
Isabella's Office
Lena burst in, grinning. "Madam, your plan was flawless. Adkins is crumbling."
Isabella laughed, loud and unhinged. "Of course. That bitch thought she could beat me? Once Theron steps in, her little empire will vanish. And her entire team? its over."
"Ms. Wilson," her assistant called, entering. "You're summoned to the top floor conference room."
"Oh… perfect." Isabella stood, eyes gleaming.
"She won't find anything, right?" Lena asked nervously.
"Even if she does, she'll target Theron, not me. She has no clue."
As she walked out, she whispered, "Aurora… I can't wait to see you fall. You'll drown in shame."
The top floor buzzed with chaos. Legal teams threw accusations. The tension thickened like smoke.
No one breathed. The room fell into a strange vacuum of awe and terror. Even seasoned executives lowered their gazes. Something primal stirred.... this wasn't business anymore. This was war.
Theron watched everything unfold, unblinking. His hunting mode.
When he locked in like this, it meant only one thing: he was going in for the kill.
And once he did, no one got away.
Aurora's end was sealed.
Isabella smirked like she'd already won.
Jason, silently watching, clenched his jaw. He had a feeling she had something to do with this.
Suddenly, the doors burst open with a resounding bang.
Heads turned.
Click. Click.
The sound of heels echoed across the marble.
"What the he—" Theron began, but stopped cold.
Gasps erupted.
There she stood... commanding the entire room with her presence even Theron's.
Red blazer. Black heels. Jet-black hair. Sharp eyes. Regal stance.
She wasn't just beautiful. She was lethal.
Even Theron gulped.
Her gaze landed directly on Isabella.
Aurora smirked..... slow and wicked.
And in that moment… Isabella felt like she'd died and descended straight into hell.
She wasn't facing a rival.
She was facing judgment.