Aurora stumbled out of the lawyer’s office after yet another unsuccessful meeting.
The sky was already completely dark over Los Angeles.
She clutched her arms around her torso to shield herself from the cold breeze of the evening air, the attorney she just met had finished explaining everything to her.
The first problem was money, of course.
Just the lawyer’s down payment was $8,000.
The lawyer had then introduced her to the second problem, which was her chances of winning against the blacks.
“The Black family has unlimited resources,” he said.
“They can drag this case out for years. And even if your brother was in the right, a case against people like them would be a losing battle.”
Aurora closed her eyes, thinking of her brother, who was sitting alone in a cold cell, waiting for her to save him, while she also thought of their grandmother, who was in the dark about the situation.
Everything was slipping out of her control, and she knew she only had one option left.
Turn to the only person who could make all of this go away: Cassian Black.
She was going to go beg a man who already branded her as a gold digger and a slut, but she had no other choice.
She turned towards the road and waved down a cab.
“Black Corporations,” she said when she settled in the back seat.
The driver pulled away from the curb, not needing any more directions.
A few minutes later, Aurora arrived at Black Corp Headquarters, the tallest building in Warner Center that overlooked the San Fernando Valley.
The security guard at the front desk authorized her entry after she told him she was from the car dealership.
She went straight for the elevator and pressed the executive floor button.
holding her breath as the elevator doors trickled away till they finally opened into the open-plan hallway.
Jaxson looked up from his monitor as Aurora approached Cassian’s office.
His expression was that of surprise and confusion as he instantly recognized her face.
“Aurora? What are you—”
“I need to see Cassian,” she said.
Her voice was steady even though her hands trembled by her sides.
“I need to talk to him. Now.”
“He’s occupied at the moment.”
“I don’t care.” She stepped past him, and before he could stop her, she had pushed the large mahogany door into Cassian’s office.
Cassian was standing by the window.
His back was turned to her, and he slowly turned around to face her when she entered, a smug smile on his face like he was already expecting her.
“Aurora,” he greeted like she was a long-lost friend.
“You came sooner than I expected.”
“I need your help,” she said the words without thinking.
“I know you already know this, but my brother is in jail for assaulting your brother, and I know he was wrong for taking it that far, but he was only trying to protect someone. He overstepped. So please, I’m begging you to drop the charges and let him go.”
When she finally finished, she looked like she had been stabbed with a knife.
That was how it felt to beg Cassian Black.
Cassian just stared at her a long moment, an unreadable expression, but his eyes held a satisfied gleam.
He was pleased to see her beg.
“I agree. Zachary was completely in the wrong, and your brother did the right thing. And I already ordered the charges to be dropped, but…”
Aurora blinked her eyes wide in surprise that Cassian Black had a conscience after all, but there is a ‘but.’
“I told them not to release your brother yet,” he stated the rest of the statement, pushing Aurora back to square one.
Aurora drew her brows together.
She didn’t understand.
“Because what you do next will determine whether your brother gets released or I double down on the charges.”
Aurora’s heart stuttered, not getting a hang of Cassian’s sick game.
“What are you talking about?”
“Last time you told me, no amount of money would be enough to make you interested in me, but it seems you’re already going back on your words.”
Aurora swallowed, her eyes avoiding Cassian’s sharp gaze.
She squeezed her eyes shut before she gritted out, “I was wrong. I shouldn’t have…”
“That’s not the problem.” Cassian cut her off, stepping closer, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous tone.
“Calling me arrogant or slapping me was not the problem.
The problem,” he said slowly, “is the fact that you think you can humiliate me in front of my father and then come crawling back when you need something from me.”
“I didn’t come crawling. I came to—” Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
“To what? Ask me nicely? Flaunt your looks and make me release your brother because you have no other options?”
Cassian snorted a laugh at Aurora’s pale face.
“You really have no idea how the world works, do you, Aurora? Do you do this often with other men? Push them away and then expect them to help you?”
Aurora’s hands ball into fists as she glared at Cassian’s smug face.
She wanted to turn around and walk out of his office, but her brother was still in that cold cell.
“What do you want from me?” she gritted out.
“Tell me what you want, and I’ll do it.”
Cassian stared at her for a short moment, studying all the details he hadn’t before.
The soft curve of her face, her perfectly arched brows, and those dark brown eyes that stared back at him hopelessly.
His fingers twitched, begging to be run through her luscious brown curls.
“If you really want to save your brother,” he said, as he stepped closer.
So close to her that she could feel the heat radiating off his body.
“Then spend a night with me.”
Aurora’s blood went cold.
She stared at him like she was trapped in a daze, hoping she had misheard him.
“What?”
“You heard me,” he said.
“Just one night. That’s the price for your brother’s freedom.”
“Is this a joke?” she asked, her face contorting to horror.
“I don’t joke with the likes of you.”
Aurora was flabbergasted, her mind trying to grasp the situation.
She couldn’t believe what he was demanding of her.
“Those are my terms,” he said, finally stepping back to give her a thinking space.
“Take it or leave it.”