AURORA

Today was supposed to be perfect. My birthday, a party at the company I’ve dedicated years to, and the night I was certain Matteo would propose. I could already picture the moment: the way he’d kneel before me, the warmth in his smile, the applause echoing around us. Five years of secrecy, of stolen moments, would finally be worth it.

I slipped into the red dress Matteo had given me. The silk clung to my body, elegant and alluring—his favorite. I turned in front of the mirror, imagining his reaction, the way his dark eyes would light up when he saw me. He’d always said I was beautiful, but tonight, I wanted to be unforgettable.

I picked up my phone, snapping a photo to send to him, but before I could type the message, a notification lit up my screen.

"The Youngest CEO in the city, Matteo Romano, owner of Romano Group of Companies, is now engaged to the beautiful CEO of Cross Estate, Bianca Cross."

The words blurred as I stared at the photo attached to the article. Matteo, my Matteo, stood beside Bianca Cross, holding her hand as she flaunted an engagement ring. My stomach dropped. That ring—it was the one I’d found on his desk last week. The one I’d been daydreaming about. The one that was supposed to be mine.

I couldn’t breathe. My phone slipped from my trembling hands, clattering against the floor. My knees buckled, and I sank down, gripping the edge of the bed to steady myself. The room spun as reality crashed down around me.

This couldn’t be happening. Matteo wouldn’t do this. He wouldn’t betray me like this.

He wouldn’t…

Tears blurred my vision, but I wiped them away. I refused to believe it. There had to be an explanation. Matteo owed me that much.

I grabbed my keys and stumbled out the door, my pulse pounding in my ears. The drive to his office felt like an eternity, every second stretching into an agonizing lifetime. I replayed the image of him with Bianca over and over in my mind, each time cutting deeper into me. By the time I reached his building, my hands were shaking so violently I could barely grip the steering wheel.

I stormed into the office, ignoring the curious glances from the late-working staff. Matteo’s office door loomed ahead, but as I reached for the handle, voices stopped me cold.

“Now that you’ve announced your engagement with Bianca, what’s your next move?” a familiar voice—Alec—asked casually.

My heart sank, but I pressed closer, listening through the crack in the door.

“I have plans,” Matteo replied, his voice calm, calculated. It sent a chill down my spine. “Ricardo Herrera is still alive, and I’m not done with him yet. The assassination attempt failed, but I’ll deal with him soon enough.”

Ricardo Herrera. My father. His name hit me like a gunshot, and I clung to the doorframe to keep myself upright.

“And Camila?” Alec asked with a hint of amusement. “Your little secret girlfriend?”

My blood froze.

“I’ve used her enough,” Matteo said, his tone cold, indifferent. “But I’m not done with her yet. She’s the key to Herrera. I’ll keep her close until the job is done. Once I take over the Herrera Clan, the entire mafia world will be mine.”

The words echoed in my head, each one more devastating than the last. Used me. He’d used me. From the very beginning, he’d known who I was. My father, the man I thought I’d escaped, the man I thought had been left behind in a life of blood and violence, was at the center of it all.

And Matteo… the man I loved… had orchestrated it all.

I stumbled back, barely able to breathe. My vision blurred, and hot tears streamed down my face. Every moment we’d shared, every kiss, every whispered promise—it had all been a lie.

The door creaked as I leaned against it, and Matteo’s voice snapped me back to the present.

“Who’s there?” he called sharply.

I turned and bolted, my heels echoing against the marble floor. I didn’t stop until I was outside, the cold night air hitting me like a slap. My chest heaved as I tried to catch my breath, my mind racing.

Matteo wasn’t just a liar. He was part of the world I’d fought so hard to escape. The mafia world. My world. And now, he was trying to destroy everything my father had built—everything my mother had died to protect me from.

I should have been furious, but all I felt was numb. Matteo had played me, twisted my heart into a weapon against my own bloodline. And I’d let him.

A single thought pierced through the haze of my pain: He won’t get away with this.

My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I pulled it out with shaking hands. An unknown number flashed on the screen, followed by a message:

[Miss Herrera, it’s time to come home. He knows who you are. Your father needs you now more than ever.]

Aurora Herrera. The name I’d buried years ago. The name that tied me to a life I thought I’d left behind. But tonight, there was no denying it.

Matteo thought he’d won. He thought he could use me, discard me, and take everything.

He was wrong.

I clenched my jaw, shoving the phone back into my pocket. If Matteo wanted to play games, he’d just met his match.

I barely remember the drive home. My mind was a storm of emotions, each one fighting for dominance—betrayal, fury, disbelief. By the time I reached my apartment, my hands were still shaking. Matteo’s voice replayed in my head like a broken record.

I’ve used her enough. But I’m not done with her yet. She’s the key to Herrera. I’ll keep her close until the job is done.

AURORA

The moment I closed the door behind me, the dam broke. I slid down to the floor, gasping for air, tears streaking my face.

How could I have been so blind? I gave him my love, my trust, my future. And all along, he had been orchestrating my downfall.

But the pity party didn’t last long.

I wiped my face and stood, determination hardening my resolve. I couldn’t allow myself to drown in despair. There were too many questions that needed answers. My phone buzzed again, the mysterious message from earlier still glaring at me:

[Miss Herrera, it’s time to come home. He knows who you are. Your father needs you now more than ever.]

I stared at the words, my heart pounding. Who had sent this? And how did they know where to find me?

I hadn’t been Aurora Herrera since I was ten years old. For eighteen years, I had lived as Camila Alvarez, carefully erasing every trace of my past. Yet here it was, clawing its way back into my life.

I tapped on the message, my fingers hesitant. After a moment’s pause, I typed a reply:

[Who is this? How do you know who I am?]

The response came almost instantly:

[This is Gabriel. Your father’s lieutenant. He’s dying, Aurora. You need to come home.]

Gabriel. The name stirred something deep in my memory—a tall man with a gruff voice who had always stood by my father’s side. My mother used to whisper about him, calling him Ricardo’s shadow. If Gabriel was reaching out, it could only mean one thing: the Herrera Clan was on the brink of collapse.

My fingers hovered over the screen. I wanted to ignore it, to shut the door on this part of my life forever. But Matteo’s voice echoed in my mind again.

Ricardo Herrera is still alive, and I’m not done with him yet. The assassination attempt failed, but I’ll deal with him soon enough.

I couldn’t ignore this. Not anymore.

I typed another message:

[Where should I go?]

The reply came quickly:

[There’s a car waiting outside. We’ve been watching over you. It’s time to come back.]

I froze, my pulse quickening. They had been watching me? For how long? And why now?

My instincts screamed at me to run, but I knew there was no escaping this. If I wanted answers, I would have to face the past I’d been avoiding.

With shaky hands, I grabbed a duffel bag and threw in a few essentials. Jeans, a jacket, my mother’s necklace—the only thing I had left of her. As I stepped out of the apartment, the weight of what I was about to do hit me like a freight train.

A sleek black car idled at the curb, its tinted windows gleaming under the streetlights. The driver stepped out as I approached, a stern-looking man in a tailored suit. He opened the door without a word, and I slid inside, clutching my bag like a lifeline.

The ride was silent, tension thick in the air. The city lights blurred as we sped through the streets, heading toward a destination I couldn’t begin to predict. I tried to steel myself, but nothing could prepare me for what was waiting.

We pulled up to a gated estate, the kind of place I hadn’t seen in years. The wrought-iron gates swung open, revealing a sprawling mansion that loomed like a shadow against the night sky.

Memories flooded back—running through these halls as a child, my mother’s laughter echoing in the distance, my father’s stern but loving gaze. It all felt like a lifetime ago.

Gabriel was waiting at the entrance, his face as weathered as I remembered. He nodded as I stepped out of the car, his expression unreadable.

“Aurora,” he said, his voice gravelly. “You’ve grown.”

I didn’t respond. Words felt impossible in the face of everything. Instead, I followed him inside, the weight of the past pressing down on me with every step.

The mansion was just as I remembered—grand, imposing, and filled with an air of power. But there was something different now, a sense of decay and desperation that hadn’t been there before. It was a kingdom on the brink of collapse.

Gabriel led me to a dimly lit room at the end of a long corridor. The air was heavy with the scent of antiseptic and something else—something metallic and faintly sweet. My stomach churned as I stepped inside.

There he was. Ricardo Herrera. My father.

He looked nothing like the man I remembered. The powerful, unyielding figure who had ruled over the Herrera Clan with an iron fist was now frail and pale, his once piercing eyes sunken and clouded. A nurse hovered nearby, adjusting an IV, but she quickly stepped aside as Gabriel and I entered.

“Aurora, my baby…” my father rasped, his voice barely above a whisper. “You came...”

I swallowed hard, my throat tight. For a moment, I didn’t know what to say. The last time I saw him, I was ten years old, clutching my mother’s hand as we fled in the dead of night. And now, here he was, a shadow of the man he used to be.

“Why did you call me?” I finally managed, my voice trembling.

His lips curved into a faint smile, one that didn’t reach his eyes. “Because you’re the only one who can save us.”

Save us. The words hung in the air, heavy with expectation and dread. My heart pounded as the reality of what I had stepped into began to sink in.

This wasn’t just about Matteo’s betrayal or my father’s impending death. This was about reclaiming a legacy I had abandoned.

And I wasn’t sure if I was ready for what that would mean.

AURORA

My father’s words echoed in my mind long after I left his room. You’re the only one who can save us.

It felt like a verdict, a burden heavier than the gilded walls of this mansion. The Herrera estate, with its sprawling grounds and decadent halls, was no sanctuary—it was a battlefield dressed in silk and gold. And now, it was my prison.

I stood on the balcony, the cold night air biting my skin as I stared into the darkness. Somewhere out there, Matteo was plotting my family’s downfall, dismantling the Herrera legacy piece by piece. My fists clenched at the thought of his betrayal, his lies, his audacity to think I’d let him win.

A sharp buzz from my phone broke my spiraling thoughts. Gabriel’s message lit up the screen:

[We need to discuss the next steps. Meet me in the study in ten minutes.]

I exhaled slowly, letting the cold steel of resolve settle in my veins. There was no room for doubt anymore. I had to be stronger than my grief, smarter than Matteo, and far more ruthless.

The study smelled like power and history—dark wood polished to perfection, the faint scent of cigars clinging to the air. Gabriel sat behind the massive desk; his sharp features illuminated by the dim glow of the chandelier.

“Aurora,” he said, gesturing for me to sit.

I sank into the chair across from him, my hands resting in my lap to steady their trembling.

“Your father’s condition is worsening,” Gabriel began, his voice measured but grave. “He doesn’t have much time left. When he’s gone, the Herrera Clan will need a leader. That leader must be you.”

I opened my mouth to protest, but he raised a hand to stop me.

“Don’t say you’re not ready,” he said firmly. “You’ve been ready since the day you were born. The blood of Ricardo Herrera flows through you. This is your empire, your destiny, whether you want it or not. If Matteo succeeds, everything your father built—everything your mother died to protect—will crumble.”

“Do you think I don’t know that?” I shot back, my voice rising. “But how am I supposed to lead a clan I haven’t been part of for over a decade? I’m not the same girl who left this world. I don’t know if I can…”

“You can,” Gabriel interrupted, his tone softer now. “And you won’t be alone. Your father anticipated this. He had someone to guide you.”

Before I could ask what he meant, the heavy oak door creaked open. My breath caught as a tall, commanding figure strode into the room. He was impeccably dressed in a tailored black suit, his presence exuding a quiet authority that made the air crackle. Dark hair slicked back, piercing green eyes that seemed to see straight through me—he was impossible to ignore.

Gabriel stood, a faint smile curving his lips. “Aurora, meet Vincenzo Donovan. Vince has been acting as your father’s right hand in your absence, keeping the clan intact. And now, he’s here for you.”

Vincent Donovan, his name alone sent a shiver down my spine.

Vince stepped closer, his voice smooth but edged with steel. “Aurora Herrera. It’s been a while. Nice to see you here.” He extended his hand, and I hesitated before taking it, his grip firm and unyielding.

“Why are you here?” The words tumbled out before I could stop them, laced with suspicion.

A flicker of amusement crossed his face. “They haven’t told you yet, have they?” His eyes locked on mine, unflinching. “I’m here to help you claim your empire, Aurora. And to marry you.”

The room spun. “What?” I stammered, pulling my hand back as if his touch burned.

Gabriel stepped in, his expression unreadable. “Your father’s condition has forced us to act quickly. Vince is here to guide you and protect you, but more importantly, to solidify the clan’s future. That begins with marriage.”

“Marriage?” My voice rose, disbelief crashing over me. “You’re joking. I can’t marry him! He’s my ex-boyfriend’s uncle! Matteo’s uncle for God’s sake!”

“Aurora, this isn’t about your past with Matteo,” Gabriel said, his voice low but firm. “This is about survival. The clan is vulnerable, Aurora. Your father’s near-death left us exposed. Matteo’s clan is closing in, and the only way to strengthen our position is through a powerful alliance. Vince offers that.”

I turned to Vince, my heart pounding. “And you? What do you get out of this?”

He leaned in, his gaze steady and unrelenting. “The satisfaction of watching Matteo Romano together with his clan burn into ashes.”

His words sent a chill down my spine, but there was no denying the fire in his eyes matched my own.

“This is insane,” I whispered, shaking my head.

“No,” Vince said, his tone deadly serious. “This is war. And if you don’t fight, Aurora, you’ll lose everything. Are you ready to let Matteo win?”

The question hung in the air like a dagger poised to strike. My jaw tightened, and I forced myself to meet his gaze.

“I won’t let him win,” I said, my voice trembling but resolute.

Vince nodded, satisfaction flickering across his face. “It's a deal, then.”