Chapter 42
With nothing but silence coming from the other end of the line, Rocco anxiously paced back and forth, his thoughts racing. He just couldn’t settle down.
After a long while, the same unfamiliar female voice came through the phone again. “Caleb’s not available right now. If you’ve got something to say, say it to me.”
Sensing something was off, Rocco asked cautiously, “Who are you to Caleb?” The other end went silent again, and before he could ask more, the call was cut off.
Listening to the beeping tone in his car, his anxiety shot through the roof. Taking a deep breath, he grabbed his coat and headed to the parking garage. He had to see what was going on for himself.
Meanwhile, over at the warehouse, Aurora crossed her arms, pleased with the sight of a few people sprawled out on the ground. Her smooth, delicate fingers tapped lightly against her arm, her entire body exuding a sense of satisfaction.
“It’s getting dark. I should head home,” she said coldly, her voice ringing through the quiet warehouse, clear for everyone to hear.
Maura, lying on the ground and barely clinging to consciousness, struggled to lift her head. Through her dirt- and sweat–covered hair, she could make out Aurora standing in the middle of the warehouse, completely unharmed.
Behind Aurora was the pitch–black sky, and the harsh light from the overhead lamp stung Maura’s eyes, but she kept them wide open, determined to see Aurora’s expression.
Aurora noticed Maura’s stare, walked over, and looked down at her, who looked like she’d been rolling around in the dirt, her blood and sweat mixing together.
Aurora finally managed to say something that sounded normal, “Weren’t you teaming up with Caleb and the others to take me away? Well, now you can stay with them. I’m going home.”
Hearing that, Maura gritted her teeth fiercely. Even as tears streamed from her eyes, irritated by the harsh light of the bright lamp, she kept her head up and locked a fierce gaze on Aurora.
“Aurora…” Maura gasped from where she lay, her voice weak and ragged. But the hatred in her tone only grew stronger as she forced out every word. “I won’t let you get away with this!”
Blood streaked across her face like writhing worms. Her head was throbbing, her body shifting between hot and cold, and even the movement of a finger made her sweat.
‘I won’t let you off, Aurora, Maura thought resolutely. ‘I’ll remember today, and if I ever get the chance, I’ll make you suffer a hundred, a thousand times worse than this!”
Aurora gave an ambiguous smile, neither agreeing nor denying, and casually tossed the phone aside. With a loud clang, it hit the floor, the screen cracking instantly. The light flickered for a brief moment before going completely black, rendering it useless.
“I look forward to it,” she said before turning on her heel and walking out.
Just before stepping out into the darkness, Aurora glanced back at Maura lying on the ground, feeling an overwhelming sense of satisfaction.
‘So even the high–and–mighty princess of the Crawford family will have a day like this, huh? Just you wait, this is only the beginning. I haven’t forgotten every single thing you did to me in the past life. I’ll return every bit of it, piece by piece. Let’s just hope you can handle it when the time comes, Aurora thought, letting out a soft scoff.
By then, the moon had hidden behind the clouds, leaving only the stars hanging in the sky. The hustle and bustle of the day had faded away, and all of Terranex had fallen into a deep sleep.
For some reason, Stacy felt an odd tightness in her chest. She kept tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep. An inexplicable sense of anxiety gripped her as if something terrible was about to happen.
Next to her, Jaxon’s breathing was steady and even. After a long day of work, he was already deep in a peaceful sleep. Stacy couldn’t sleep but didn’t want to wake him either, so she just lay there with her eyes open, staring blankly at the painting on the wall.
Just then, the phone on the nightstand began to buzz, the vibration immediately catching Stacy’s attention.
When she saw Rocco’s name flash on the screen, she sat up halfway, quietly pulled the blanket aside, and slipped out of bed. She grabbed the phone and headed to the balcony to take the call.
As soon as she hit the answer button, Rocco’s urgent voice rang out. “Stacy, something’s happened! Caleb and those idiots fell right into Aurora’s
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Chapter 42
hands, and she injected Maura with the stuff we had specially prepared for her!”
“What?” Stacy cried out in shock. She knew all too well what that stuff was. She had gone through a lot of trouble to get it, specifically to use on
Aurora.
Never in her wildest dreams did Stacy imagine that, in the end, it would be Maura who got injected with it. She knew full well that stuff would destroy Maura.
Stunned by the news, Stacy’s eyes widened, and her fingers clenched tightly onto the marble railing so hard that her nails split, though she didn’t
even notice.
‘Maura is the daughter I raised with all the love and care in the world,’ she thought. ‘She was supposed to get into a prestigious university, have a grand wedding with the Newton family’s heir, and live a life of luxury without a worry in the world. How could she get mixed up with something like that? How could this happen?‘
Rocco’s voice came through the phone again, snapping Stacy back to reality. “I’m at the hospital now. The doctor says it’s not looking good. You’d better come over.”
A cold sweat broke out all over her body, and the veins on her neck stood out. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to stay calm.
Maura was in trouble, and Stacy knew she needed to get to the hospital right away. “Yes. I need to go to the hospital now,” Stacy muttered, gripping her phone tightly as she turned and hurried into the room.
As soon as Stacy turned, her legs gave out beneath her, and she collapsed to the floor with a thud. Her elbow slammed into the glass window, making a dull noise.
The sound woke Jaxon from his sleep. He rubbed his eyes and reached out to the space beside him. It was empty.
He turned on the lamp on his right, his tone a bit annoyed. “Why are you up in the middle of the night and standing out on the balcony?”
Stacy didn’t have time to focus on the dull pain in her arm. She stumbled toward the bed, her eyes bloodshot and her face drenched in cold sweat. Speaking in a rushed and frantic voice, she said, “That little bitch Aurora escaped! She injected what I had prepared for her into Maura’s body. Maura’s at the hospital now.”
“What?” Jaxon’s whole body tensed as if he had been struck hard in the head. His drowsiness vanished in an instant. “How’s Maura doing now?”
He threw off the blanket and grabbed the clothes hanging on the coat rack, quickly getting dressed while calling the driver, instructing him to get ready immediately. He and Stacy needed to go to the hospital.
The light in the master bedroom was on, illuminating the wall on one side.
In their panic, neither of them paid attention to how loud they were being. Several of the night staff were woken up by the commotion. They didn’t know what was going on, but seeing the heads of the family in such a rush, they nervously stood by, waiting for possible instructions.
As they passed the second floor, Stacy couldn’t help but push open the door to the first room, silently praying that Rocco’s call had been nothing more than a nightmare and that Maura was still lying in bed, fast asleep.
Stacy flicked on the light, but the room was completely empty. The bed was neatly made, without a single sign of anyone having slept there.
It hit her then, the horrifying truth–Rocco’s call had been real. Everything he said was true. “Aurora!” she yelled.
