The sharp sound of Aurora’s palm connecting with Cassian’s cheek still echoed through the conference room, and the clear water still dripped from his jawline and onto the sleek marble floor.
His cheek was now red, outlining the clear shape of her palm.
Everyone was frozen for a long moment, Cassian’s eyes were wide, his brain refusing to process what just happened.
Then his hand slowly rose to his red cheek, his finger brushed the sore skin, and his jaw tightened, the veins around his neck strained.
His eyes were now dark and filled with disbelief as they glared at her.
Aurora didn’t back down even as he cut her a murderous look.
Her breaths came in shallow heaves like she had just run a marathon, and her hand hurt from the impact of the slap.
She could feel Silas and Jaxson’s shocking look from across the room, but she didn’t look away from Cassian’s eyes.
“I’m sure you’ve heard the saying,” she started, her voice shaking slightly, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” She took another step closer, leaving just a few inches between them.
“No amount of your filthy money will ever make me be interested in you or your attention. I don’t want anything from you except for you to stay the hell away from me.”
Cassian’s jaw tightened further, his arms shot out, grabbing Aurora by her arms.
She yelped as he pulled her forward, breaking her brave mask.
His fingers dig into her skin, probably going to leave a bruise, but he didn’t care.
His eyes were red with anger as he dropped his voice.
“You have no idea what you’ve just done, do you?”
“I do.
I just taught you a lesson,” Aurora fired back, “and I’ll teach you another one if I didn’t have anything better to do.” She pushed at his chest with all her strength, breaking out of his grip.
She didn’t waste another second before she spun around and walked out, leaving the three men to gawk at her retreating figure.
Aurora didn’t look back until she was completely out the doors of Black Corporations and into the Los Angeles evening.
The sun was finally setting behind the clouds, and the sky was painted in streaks of reds and oranges.
She stood on the sidewalk, breathing, trying to steady her racing heart from what she had just done.
She had just slapped Cassian Black after throwing water in his face and insulted him in front of his own father.
Before she could think further, her phone buzzed in her pocket.
She ignored it, trying to catch her breath, but it kept buzzing incessantly.
Aurora groaned as she pulled the device out, glancing at the screen.
It was an unknown number.
She almost declined the call, but something made her hesitate, making her finger swipe up to answer instead.
“Hello?”
“Is this Aurora Bennett?” The voice on the other end sounded bored yet professional.
“Yes, who is this?”
“I’m calling from the Los Angeles Police Department. We have a Jude Bennett in our custody. He’s been arrested for assault following an incident at a bar on Wilshire Boulevard.” Aurora’s stomach dropped.
“Jude? Is he okay? What happened? Is he hurt?” She threw all the questions at once, eyes going wide.
“He’s been held at the central precinct. You can come down and speak with the officers handling his case.”
The line went dead before she could reply.
Aurora just stared at her phone like it would explain to her what was going on.
The loud traffic in front of her faded away as the words sank through her head: Jude arrested for assault.
That doesn’t make any sense.
Her brother was a good kid.
Sure, he worked part-time at the bar, but he would never cause trouble on purpose.
She also knew that Jude was a stubborn kid who didn’t know when to back down.
She shook off the thought; this wasn’t time to be thinking.
She shoved her phone back inside her pocket before running down the sidewalk, waving down a taxi that had just come into view.
The yellow vehicle slowed to a stop in front of her, and Aurora jumped in.
“LAPD central precinct,” she ordered.
“Go fast, please,” she yelled when the driver didn’t immediately start the vehicle.
He glanced at her through the rearview mirror.
“Are you okay, miss?”
“Just drive, please.” The man ignited the cab, weaving through the LA traffic, while Aurora wrapped a shaky arm around herself, trying to figure out a way to solve the problem before she even knew what was going on.
She arrived at the precinct in 20 minutes, pushing through the front doors into the chaotic atmosphere.
Officers walked in and out of their offices, and people yelled words that she couldn’t bother to understand, while a phone was ringing incessantly in the background without anyone taking it.
She pushed forward, her heart beating hard as she walked and stopped in front of the front desk where a tired-looking officer sat typing something into a computer.
“I’m here for Jude Bennett,” she said, her voice cracking.
“He was brought in earlier for assault? ” The words sounded wrong as she said them.
The officer finally looked up, his droopy eyes assessing her for a second before he turned back to his computer and typed something.
“Relationship to the suspect?”
“His sister. I’m his sister. Please, I need to know what happened. Is my brother okay? Can I see him?”
The officer listened to her speak before he turned back to his screen and started reading the information.
“Jude Bennett, 22 years old, brought in from a bar in Wilshire. Assault charges. The victim was transported to Cedars Sinai Hospital with multiple injuries: fractured ribs, a possible concussion, and facial lacerations.”
Aurora let out a small gasp.
“The victim is Zachary Black.” She knows that surname.
She’s hoping it’s not the same Black she knows.
There have to be other families with the name Black in Los Angeles.”
Her hope was cut short when the officer spoke again.
“The victim is the youngest son of the Black family, as in the Black Corporations.”
Aurora’s legs suddenly felt like jelly, and she gripped the edges of the front desk so she wouldn’t collapse to the floor.
“If I’m going to be honest, your brother is being charged with not only a misdemeanour but also felony assault,” the officer continued.
“And the victim’s family has already made it clear that they are pursuing this to the fullest extent. Bail is not a possibility at the moment.”
“No,” she choked out.
“No, that’s not… He would never… He’s a good kid! My brother has never been in trouble before. This… this has to be a mistake. Please.”
The officer sighed like she was giving him more trouble than he already had.
“Look, I’m just telling you what I know, ma’am. Charges are pretty serious because the victim was badly injured to the point of losing consciousness. There is nothing we can do.”
“Can… Can I see him?” Aurora asked, her voice breaking.
“Please, I need to see my brother.”
The officer hesitated for a second before he nodded.
“I’ll have someone take you through the back, but you should prepare yourself because it’s not going to be easy.”
Aurora just nodded along as she followed a young officer who led her through the back, where the holding cells were located.
They finally stopped in front of one.
“You have 10 minutes,” he said as he pushed the door open for her to pass.
Jude was sitting on a small bench with his head in his hands.
The blood on his knuckles had dried, but they still looked red and raw.
His shirt had tears, and there was a large bruise forming on his jaw.
His head shot up when Aurora walked inside the cell.
His eyes turned sadder as he slowly got up from the bench.
“Aurora… I’m sorry, I didn’t…”
She cut him off as she rushed forward, pulling him into her arms.
His tense shoulders slowly relaxed against her.
“What the hell happened?” she whispered.
“Jude, what happened? Tell me! Why are you sitting in jail…?”
“I saw him recording a woman in the bathroom, Rory,” he said as he pulled back.
He was filming her without her knowledge.
And when I told him to stop, he got violent with me, so I…”
He stopped, clenching his jaw as he remembered the moment.
“I couldn’t just let him get away with it because he would have done it again. Or maybe he would have hurt her.”
Aurora’s heart squeezed, knowing how protective her brother got.
“Jude, I know you did it with a good intention, but they’re charging you with felony assault! The man you beat up is a Black. He’s Cassian Black’s brother!”
Jude’s face went white with both fear and confusion.
“Black? Who’s Cassian? I’ve heard of them, but who’s Cassian Black?”
Aurora closed her eyes.
She didn’t even know where to start.
“Let’s just say he’s as horrible as his brother, but we’re going to fix this, Jude. I’m still not sure how, but I will find a way, I promise.”