hapter 85 Aurora, You’ll Never Escape
As soon as Charles finished speaking, the men in black who had followed him immediately surrounded me.
Their guns were trained on me, and it was clear that even the slightest movement on my part would prompt them to pull the trigger without hesitation.
Cadell’s pupils shrank sharply Because he still saw value in me, he couldn’t tolerate such treatment.
He quickly turned to Charles and said, “Grandpa, I swear Aurora is truly devoted to me. Even if she’s seen all this, she won’t tell anyone!”
Charles scoffed, his eyes full of disappointment. “When you paid off Lorna’s debts, you told me the same thing–that she genuinely loved you, that she’d never betray you. And what happened? She stole our trade
secrets, causing enormous damage to the Hartman family! Cadell, what makes you think you have any right
to say that again?”
Mentioning the past made Cadell falter. He seemed momentarily shaken and remained silent for a few
moments.
After a brief pause, he gritted his teeth and said, “That was her. Aurora is different. They’re not the same! Grandpa, I’ve learned my lesson. I won’t make the same mistake twice.”
He maneuvered his wheelchair to face Charles directly, speaking in a tone tinged with pleading, Aurora and I have been in love for seven years. In all that time, we’ve never had a single fight. If she was only after my money, she would have demanded access to the operation long ago. Why would she wait until now?”
“Grandpa, don’t overthink this. Aurora can be trusted. Isn’t seven years enough to prove that?”
Cadell’s tone was remarkably resolute. Hearing him, I couldn’t help but feel a trace of bitter amusement.
In some ways, Cadell was a fool to trust me so completely.
Charles, however, was infuriated by Cadell’s insistence. The veins on his forehead bulged
“***” he snapped harshly.
Then his eyes locked onto me, his gaze becoming icy and sharp. “What are you waiting for? Grab her!”
The men in black instantly closed in. I feigned panic, looking at Charles. “Charles, why won’t you trust me?
promise not to say a word about what I’ve seen today. Cadell and I are about to get married. Why make things
so ugly?”
Charles’s cold gaze bore into me. “Cadell believes you’re an innocent girl. I don’t. Aurora, you’re far too
cunning.”
I said nothing. I had deliberately let Charles discover me and had come to plead with him on purpose.
Otherwise, with Charles’s sharp mind, he would certainly have grown suspicious, making it much harder for
me to achieve my goal.
Continuing to appear frightened, I pleaded, “Charles, didn’t you say you wanted me to help clear up those
online rumors? If you let me and Cadell get married, those rumors will naturally disappear. Wouldn’t that be better for the Hartman family?”
Charles sneered coldly. “Aurora, stop struggling pointlessly. Compared to the Hartman family’s jewelry
business, this secret operation is far more important. Even if our reputation is ruined, I won’t let you leave!”
At his command, the men in black grabbed me
Cold gen barrels pressed against my head, radiating a chilling, heart–stopping menace.
Their actions were rough. When they grabbed my arm, I could hear the joints crackling. The pain shot through me, but I managed to endure it.
Seeing me in such a sorry state, how could Cadell possibly stay calm?
He hurriedly pleaded, “Grandpa! Don’t act impulsively–can’t we just discuss this calmly? If you’re truly worried Aurora might talk, why not give her a pill? She’ll become confused and won’t remember anything. Wouldn’t that solve the problem?”
I lowered my head, my body trembling slightly
That pill must be the reason for my mother’s current condition, isn’t it?
As I suspected, all of this is connected to the Hartman family. My intuition wasn’t wrong.
Cadell knew about my mother’s illness. During our closest times, he had visited her frequently. He was
well–acquainted with the operation, so he must have known the true cause of her illness.
But he said nothing. Even when he saw me in pain over my mother’s condition, he offered no help.
Seven years of affection–now it all feels like a cruel joke.
Fortunately, I had already freed myself. If I still loved Cadell, how could I bear the pain of learning the truth?
My trembling, in Cadell’s eyes, must have seemed like fear taken to the extreme.
His tone grew more urgent. “Grandpa, you have better methods. Why do this? I can’t lose Aurora!”
My mind was full of scorn. Should I feel moved by his desperation to protect me?
How pitiful–his true motive was all too clear.
Cadell wasn’t genuinely trying to protect me. He’simply hadn’t gotten hold of my shares yet, and he couldn’t
bear the thought of giving up.
He had already made a massive mistake by leaking trade secrets, and now he had brought an outsider into the secret operation and gotten caught. In Charles’s eyes, Cadell was quickly becoming useless as an heir.
If he couldn’t secure the shares, he would completely lose his claim to the Hartman inheritance. There’s no
way he could accept that
Yet he couldn’t openly admit he was after the shares. After all, if Charles remembered this issue, there was no guarantee the shares would end up in Cadell’s hands.
So he had no choice but to go all out to protect me.
I played along, saying to Charles, “Charles, if you don’t trust me, we can sign an agreement. I’ll guarantee that
I won’t reveal a thing.”
“What good is a contract!” Charles barked, his anger directed solely at me. “Aurora, stop struggling! You won’t escape today!”
