But it lasted only a second.

"From next time," Aurora continued, her tone turning distant, almost detached, "I won’t bother you."

Theodore froze.

"After all... family knows how to excuse things," she added with a faint, unreadable smile.

Theodore’s expression stiffened, and the small smile on his face crumbled instantly.

"No, that’s not what we meant," he said quickly, his voice laced with urgency. "We were just worried about you. If you kept stressing over this, it would only make things worse."

Aurora said nothing.

She neither agreed nor denied his words. She simply stood there, her face completely impassive, her eyes unreadable like a still lake hiding something deep beneath.

Seeing that expression, Theodore’s heart sank.

’We’re in trouble...’ he thought, a chill creeping down his spine.

He began speaking again, trying to soften her mood, his tone almost pleading now as he continued to explain and reassure her.

Their quiet exchange was suddenly interrupted by the sharp vibration of a phone.

Aurora glanced down. Emily.

She picked up the call. "Hello..."

Her words cut off abruptly.

Her eyes widened, and the color drained from her face as if someone had pulled the life out of her.

For a split second, her phone nearly slipped from her trembling fingers.

"What?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.

The next moment, she was already moving.

Her footsteps were hurried, almost unsteady as she rushed out of the room.

"Aurora, what happened?" Theodore called after her, his voice filled with confusion and concern.

Aurora paused just long enough to respond, not even turning back.

"It’s nothing... just a small matter," she said quickly. "Focus on your recovery."

And then she was gone.

Theodore stared at the empty doorway. He opened his mouth as if to stop her, but no words came out.

All he could do was sigh.

The sharp scent of antiseptic hit Aurora the moment she stepped into the hospital. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Her heart pounded as she rushed forward.

It didn’t take long for her to learn the truth.

Mary had been arranging a bookshelf when it suddenly collapsed, crashing down onto her with a deafening thud.

The impact had fractured her bones, leaving her legs severely injured, while her upper body bore multiple wounds.

Aurora’s hands clenched tightly into fists, her nails digging into her palms.

’This... is too much of a coincidence.’

Her breathing grew heavier.

’Is this the plot...?’ she questioned internally, but almost immediately, she dismissed it.

’No... the plot alone doesn’t have this kind of power.’

She recalled everything she knew.

The plot could be altered. It wasn’t absolute.

Which meant...

’Someone is forcing it to happen.’

Her eyes darkened.

She contacted Emily instructing her to arrange top-tier assassins to guard her family members at all times.

Money no longer meant anything to her.

She could spend hundreds of millions without even blinking.

And yet...

’What’s the use of all that wealth if I can’t protect them?’ she thought bitterly.

Just as she turned to leave, lost in her thoughts, someone suddenly crashed into her.

A nurse.

Papers scattered across the floor, fluttering like frightened birds.

"I’m so sorry!" the nurse exclaimed hurriedly.

Aurora crouched down without hesitation, helping gather the scattered files.

When Aurora stood up, the nurse pressed something into her palm.

A note. Aurora frowned slightly and unfolded it.

Her eyes scanned the words.

Then, her expression changed. She immediately turned around.

"The nurse..."

But she was gone. Vanished. As if she had never been there.

Aurora’s grip on the note tightened as she read it again.

’This is just a warning. If you continue to meddle in the plot, you will face consequences. And if you dare to harm Shay again... there will be more.’

Aurora slowly closed her eyes.

A surge of rage rose within her, hot and suffocating, clawing at her chest.

This was the first time she felt such pure, unfiltered anger.

’Disgusting...’ she thought, her jaw tightening. ’Whoever you are... you’re absolutely disgusting.’

Her fingers crumpled the note slightly.

’I’ll kill you myself.’

While Aurora’s life spiraled into chaos, far away, Spencer stood in a completely different world.

The underworld.

Spencer had finally secured his foothold.

The reason was simple.

He had avoided media attention entirely, severing visible ties with everyone. Now, at just seventeen, he had risen to become the leader of one of the largest gangs.

Though he had never wanted this life... he had no choice.

’If I want to protect Aurora... I have to erase this world first,’ he thought coldly.

He knew the consequences.

Without the underworld, the surface world would collapse into chaos.

But that didn’t matter. Aurora mattered more.

Because as long as the underworld existed, those connected to the institute could reach her.

And he wouldn’t allow that.

The first thing he did after gaining power...was eliminate his second uncle.

The very man who had tried to assassinate him multiple times.

Gunshots had echoed through the night. Blood had splattered across walls. Bodies had fallen one after another.

Now, Spencer stood amidst the aftermath, his entire body drenched in blood, some his, most not. His breathing was heavy, uneven, each inhale sharp with pain.

He wasn’t unscathed. Three bullets had struck dangerously close to his heart.

It was nothing short of luck that he was still alive. Yet, even in that state, he continued walking.

Step by step.

Towards the final room.

Inside, his second uncle, Charlie, hid behind a cupboard, his body trembling, blood seeping out and pooling beneath him.

When he saw Spencer enter, a hoarse laugh escaped his lips.

"I never thought..." Charlie rasped, his voice breaking, "that my end... would come at my own nephew’s hands."

Spencer let out a low chuckle, though there was no humor in it.

"What can I do?" he replied coldly. "This world is nothing but a dog-eat-dog battlefield. If I didn’t act... I’d be the one lying there."

Charlie laughed again, though it was bitter, filled with regret.

"If there’s one thing I regret..." he muttered, his gaze darkening, "it’s letting you live."

His eyes locked onto Spencer.

"I should have killed you back then... when your father was abusing you... when your mother abandoned you."

Spencer let out a low laugh, the sound hollow and devoid of warmth.

"How unfortunate," he said, his voice calm, almost indifferent. "You won’t get the chance to kill me now."

Without another word, he slowly raised the gun in his hand.

His gaze remained steady, unwavering, as he pulled the trigger.

A sharp gunshot shattered the silence.

The bullet pierced straight through his second uncle’s heart.

Charlie’s body jerked violently before going still, his lifeless eyes frozen in disbelief.

Spencer watched him for a moment.

There was no anger. No satisfaction. No grief. Nothing.

Letting out a quiet sigh, he walked over and dropped heavily onto a nearby chair.

Memories surged forward like a flood.

Each fragment clawed at his mind, refusing to let him rest.

As darkness slowly crept into his vision, threatening to pull him under, a single image surfaced, Aurora.

His lips parted slightly as he murmured weakly, "...I can’t give up... not yet... not for her."

His breathing grew shallow, uneven.

"I can’t... give up so soon..."

..............

By the time his team members arrived, Spencer was barely conscious.

"Boss!" one of them shouted, rushing forward as panic spread through the group.

They carefully lifted him, his body limp yet still warm, and hurried him to the infirmary.

"Quick, prepare for extraction!" a female doctor ordered, her tone sharp and focused.

The bullets were removed one by one, each extraction drawing out fresh blood.

Finally, after what felt like hours, the procedure was complete.

The doctor removed her gloves, her expression serious as she turned toward Spencer’s subordinates and lawyer.

"He’ll survive," she said firmly, "but it will take time. At least a month before he fully recovers."

She paused before adding, "During this period, he must not move unnecessarily. If he does, it could worsen his condition."

The subordinates exchanged glances, their expressions grim as they nodded.

......................

Meanwhile, Aurora had already begun tightening the defenses around her family.

And this time,she didn’t hesitate.

The backup solution came through Olivia’s boyfriend, Louis, who agreed to lend his elite protection team without delay.

On the surface, Louis appeared to be nothing more than someone who had opened a company that takes in military veterans, giving them a platform to share their stories.

But behind the scenes...

He was something far more influential.

He ensured that those same veterans received top-tier medical care, rehabilitation, and resources.

Under his support, these already battle-hardened individuals became even more formidable.

They weren’t just soldiers anymore. They were weapons.

They took on missions others wouldn’t dare to touch... tracking down top-ranked assassins, dismantling underground mafia networks, and eliminating threats before they could even surface.

Their reputation alone was enough to instill fear.

No one in the underworld dared to provoke Louis.

Ironically, Louis had built this network to avoid ever stepping into the darkness of the underworld again.

Yet now...that very system was being used to protect Olivia.