The late afternoon sun dipped behind the skyline, casting a warm golden hue over the towering windows of the Aurora estate. Once a beacon of wealth and pride, the grand mansion had grown quiet in recent weeks. The walls, though gilded and elegant, seemed to echo with uncertainty, as if even they could sense the decline of the legacy they had witnessed for decades.
Dina Aurora stood alone in her bedroom, wrapped in a cream-colored silk robe. Her delicate frame leaned against the window as she looked out into the vast grounds that used to bustle with staff and dignitaries. Her reflection in the glass was almost ghostly: long jet-black hair framing her flawless oval face, large brown eyes filled with quiet thoughtfulness, and lips pressed in a fine line of worry. At twenty-four, Dina had always been poised, the perfect heiress—reserved, soft-spoken, and loyal to her family.
Below, muffled voices rose from her father's study. She quietly descended the winding staircase, pausing just outside the heavy oak doors.
"It's worse than I thought," Harrison Aurora said, his voice rough with frustration. "Our stock prices are plummeting. Investors are pulling out. The distribution channels are drying up."
His wife, Elena, sat with her hands clasped tightly, as if praying for the weight of their collapsing empire to vanish. "What about the partnership with Carter Global? Can we salvage it?"
Harrison paced. "We might. If we offer them something they can't refuse."
Dina knocked softly and stepped in. "Offer them what?"
Elena startled. "Dina, sweetheart, you should be resting."
"I heard everything," Dina said gently. "Tell me the truth. Please."
Harrison hesitated, then exhaled. "Our company is being outmaneuvered. We've become vulnerable. But the Carters… they still hold sway. If we can secure an alliance with them, we could save everything."
"An alliance?" Dina asked. "What kind of alliance?"
Her father looked her in the eyes. "A marriage. You and Raymond Carter."
Time seemed to stop.
Dina's throat dried instantly. She had never even met Raymond Carter. She had only seen him from a distance during business galas. He was infamous for being cold, calculating, and ruthlessly brilliant. At twenty-eight, he was already managing director of Carter Global and known as the youngest billionaire in the country. His looks were the stuff of fashion magazines: tall, broad-shouldered, with an angular jaw, sharp cheekbones, and storm-gray eyes that saw through people.
He was power in human form. And terrifying.