Chapter Six
Aurora's POV
I stared at the man in front of me, my pulse hammering in my ears. His hand lingered near the gun at his side, a silent reminder of who had the upper hand here. My instincts screamed for me to run, but there was nowhere to go.
I took a shaky breath, trying to steady myself. "Why does Julian care about what I'm doing?"
"You've piqued his interest," the man replied coolly, his eyes scanning the room. "And that's not always a good thing."
"Piqued his interest?" I repeated, scoffing. "I'm not some pawn in his game. He doesn't scare me."
The man raised an eyebrow, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "If that were true, you wouldn't be trembling right now."
Damn it. He was right, but I wasn't about to admit it. Instead, I crossed my arms over my chest and took a step forward, even though my legs felt like jelly. "You barged into my room with a gun. What do you expect? Applause?"
He chuckled softly, the sound low and unsettling. "Fair point."
I narrowed my eyes, refusing to let him see how much he was rattling me. "If Julian sent you to intimidate me, it's not going to work. Tell him I'm not backing down."
The smirk vanished, replaced by a serious expression. "You don't get it, do you? This isn't about intimidation. It's about survival—yours, specifically."
A shiver ran down my spine, but I kept my voice steady. "What is that supposed to mean?"
He didn't answer right away. Instead, he moved to the rickety chair by the table and sat down, his posture relaxed yet alert. "Let me put it this way: you've stepped into a world you don't understand. Julian doesn't just control businesses or people—he controls outcomes. And if you keep digging, you'll force him to make a decision he doesn't want to make."
My stomach twisted. "You mean kill me."
The man leaned back, his expression unreadable. "He doesn't want that. If he did, we wouldn't be having this conversation. But there are… others who won't be so patient."
"Others?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
"You've already met them. You just don't realize it yet."
I thought back to the guards at Julian's headquarters, the way they had moved, their eyes cold and calculating. A knot of fear tightened in my chest.
"I don't understand," I said finally, shaking my head. "What is Julian so afraid I'll uncover?"
The man's gaze sharpened. "It's not about fear. It's about control. You're poking holes in a web that's been carefully spun for years. If it unravels, people die. People you care about."
I froze, his words hitting me like a punch to the gut. "Is that a threat?"
"It's a reality check," he said bluntly. "You think you're fighting some corrupt businessman, but Julian isn't your typical villain. If you're not careful, you'll set off a chain of events you can't stop."
I stared at him, my mind racing. Was he trying to scare me off, or was there truth to what he was saying? Either way, I couldn't stop now—not when I was so close.
I took a step closer to him, my hands clenched into fists. "Tell Julian I don't scare easily. If he has something to hide, I'll find it. And when I do, the whole world will know."
The man sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "You really are stubborn."
"I prefer determined."
"Call it what you want," he said, standing. "But don't say I didn't warn you."
He moved toward the door, but before he reached it, he paused. "One last thing."
I crossed my arms, glaring at him. "What now?"
"Lock your windows," he said, his tone surprisingly gentle. "And don't trust anyone—not even the ones who seem like they're on your side."
With that, he opened the door and disappeared into the night, leaving me standing in the middle of the room, my heart pounding.
The next morning, I woke to a loud knock on the door. For a brief moment, I thought it was the mysterious man from last night, but as I peeked through the peephole, relief washed over me.
"Claire?" I said, opening the door to reveal my best friend.
She stood there with two cups of coffee and a bag of pastries, her face a mixture of concern and frustration. "You didn't answer your phone last night. Do you have any idea how worried I was?"
I sighed, stepping aside to let her in. "I'm sorry. It's been… a long night."
Claire set the coffee and pastries on the table, her sharp gaze immediately taking in the state of the room. "Long night? Aurora, this place looks like the set of a crime drama. What's going on?"
I hesitated, debating how much to tell her. Claire was the one person I trusted completely, but I didn't want to drag her into Julian's dangerous world.
"It's nothing," I said finally. "Just work stuff."
She raised an eyebrow. "Work stuff doesn't usually involve armed men breaking into motel rooms."
My stomach dropped. "How did you—"
"Your face," she said, cutting me off. "You're terrible at hiding things. Spill."
I sank onto the bed, running a hand through my hair. "Fine. But you're not going to like it."
Claire sat beside me, her expression softening. "Try me."
I took a deep breath and told her everything—about my investigation into Julian Demarco, the mysterious man who had barged into my room, and the cryptic warnings he had given me.
When I finished, Claire stared at me, her eyes wide. "Aurora, this is insane. You need to get out of this before it's too late."
"I can't," I said, shaking my head. "I'm too close. There's something calling to me."
She looked at me like I had grown two horns "did you not say you were dropping the investigation?"
"I did but the other scope I saw led me to him. Its not a coincidence.....Something is calling me to him." I said out loud.
I had not called the office yet to tell them the news and Janet has been calling me for the longest time as I wanted to set my mind straight and there was something that had pecked my interest about Julian.
My phone rang for the sixth time this morning, I looked up up to see Janet on the caller id.
I picked up the call "Janet, I have made a decision!"