Her heart panged, "Son of a bitch!" She cursed loudly. She knew right away that Victor was responsible for this. Freezing her account? The money she worked for? She and Damian had a joint account, that's where she always put the extra money Damian gave her. "For future purposes." She always said. But the monies on her personal account were hers alone.

"How could they?!" She picked up her phone and looked for her lawyer's number. As she was about to dial it, the realization that she was pregnant hit her. She sat down and let out a sigh. "This is gonna take some getting used to." She murmured, "I'm sorry, my babies," She rubbed her stomach, "Mommy scared you, didn't she?"

Putting her phone down, she sighed. Knowing now that she's pregnant, facing Victor and Damian again would be hard for her because might just end up blurting out that she's carrying Damian's child out of anger. She picked up her phone again, dialing Maywell's number this time. She knew what to do.

Maywell answered, "Aurora!" She happily called, "Have you arrived?"

Aurora smiled, at least one person is glad to hear hear her voice, "Dr Caldwell, hi. Yes, I arrived about 2 hours ago. Sorry I didn't call right away, I was doing some unpacking."

"It's okay, as long as you got there safely." Maywell said, Aurora could tell that she was smiling. She cleared her throat, "Are you free right now?"

"Of course. Is everything okay?"

"About the car..."

"Oh yes!" Maywell said enthusiastically, "I took care of it yesterday."

Aurora's eyes lit up, "You found a buyer already?"

"Yes, I was going to wire you the money later today-"

"Wait! Don't do that yet!" She quickly said and turned to her laptop, "The Blackwoods froze my account. Can you believe that?"

"Seriously?!" The surprise in Maywell's voice could be felt by Aurora. She sighed, "Yes. So give me a moment to set up a new account with a different bank. Then I'll let you know when to wire it, okay?"

"Hah...okay. This is a jerk move on the Blackwood's part. Have they no sense of decency and shame?"

Aurora shrugged, "At least, this way I won't feel like I owe anything to them."

"But that's your money, Aurora!" Maywell said in frustration, "How can you feel like you owe them when it's your own money you're spending?"

"Well, Victor doesn't feel that way. I got my former job due to my status as Damian's wife anyways, so of course he would think that I owe them. Well, he's succeeded."

Maywell let out a sigh on the other side of the phone, "I'm sorry this is happening to you, Aurora."

"It's okay, Dr Caldwell. I'll call you later when I'm done." Aurora disconnected the call and leaned back on the chair rest. "I see you're letting your father do what he wants, Damian. Does it make you happy?"

It was a good good thing Aurora had an ace up her sleeve. Before she left the city, she took her car to Maywell and asked her to look for a buyer willing to pay a good price for it. Her car was pretty expensive and in perfect condition so she was expecting a good amount of money coming in soon.

The reason she sold the car wasn't really for monetary purposes. Rather, she wanted to erase every trace of her whereabouts so the Blackwoods wouldn't be able to find her. She was planning to buy another car when she got here but Victor pulled this nonsense on her. "Perhaps this is a blessing in disguise." She muttered. Thanks to her account being frozen, they won't be able to monitor her if they wanted to.

Blackwood enterprises had a partnership with the bank so all her history of transactions were not impossible for Victor or Damian to acquire, this would've given away her location and any city she was in. She smiled, "I guess everything does have its advantage."

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It took her almost an hour to set up a savings account, the paperwork was no joke but that itself assured her that her money would be safe. She then left Maywell a text containing the details of her new account, telling her to send the money.

She looked out the window, the sun had gone down and she was still yet to eat. She frowned and rubbed her stomach, "Sorry, babies. I'm not really used to being pregnant. I'll do better from now on, I promise."

She reached for the top drawer of her desk and brought out a wellness and nutritional manual for pregnant women, Maywell had given it to her as a little parting gift. Aurora glanced through it for a while and knew immediately what she wanted to eat.

Her phone buzzed. She picked it up and saw that the money had arrived, a flicker of hope flashed in her eyes. But she knew it wasn't over yet, while she's got enough money to last her for quite a while, she knew she had to get a job while she still can so she can prepare without fear for the arrival of her children.

She reached for her pocket and pulled out the card the handsome stranger gave her earlier, "Looks like I'll be reaching out to you sooner than later, Jaxon Reid. But first," She stood up, courage and cravings surging within her, "I need to get that whole bucket of fried chicken!"

She picked up her phone and opened the map app.

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Dubai.

At a 5 star restaurant. A live band was in the middle of the room, playing some smooth jazz. Couples seated at different tables, enjoy the music and chatting happily.

However, a certain set of newlyweds sat and ate in silence, the air was heavy. Selene was still offended by what he said that morning and hadn't spoken to him since. Damian was the one who took her out to dinner, he occasionally spoke to her, asking her how the food was and if she'd like some wine. But she always responded with a soft grunt. He sighed and looked at his watch.

Just then, a waiter walked up to them, holding an expensive designer box. He stopped in front of Selene, "These arrived for you, ma'am." He placed it on her side and calmly walked off.

Selene looked at him and asked, "Seriously? You're gonna apologize with this after saying something so insensitive this morning?"

Damian gave her a calm smile. She scoffed and proceeded to open the boy. Her eyes flew wide and she let out a soft gasp, "Honey!" She called happily as she lifted the red-soled sparkling designer heels she's been trying to get for weeks. A set of matching jewelry came along with it, "How did you know?"

"I pay attention to you, Selene. Believe it or not." Damian coolly said, his plan worked. He watched the joy on Selene's face as she talked about what dress would go perfectly with the pair of heels and kept nodding and smiling while she yapped on. "How exhausting..." he said in his head, "You're the daughter of a billionaire, how can something as valueless as this make you happy? I pretty much treated you like trash this morning, and you forgive me this easily? I guess money can't buy class. If it were Aurora, I know what she'd do. No. I would never treat Aurora like that in the first place..."

Selene put the shoes back in the box and smiled at him, "Fine. I'll forgive you this one time. I trust you've learned your lesson?" She asked with a smug smile, thinking she's the one who won.

Damian cracked out an amused chuckle, he took a sip of his wine and smiled back at her, lifting his glass, "I sure have."

She swept back a strand of her hair and leaned on the table, "You know... I have an interesting way to thank you for this gift."

His eyebrows raised slightly, "An interesting way?"

She only smiled.

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A few minutes later. At a 5 star hotel penthouse not that far from the restaurant. The door burst open with Damian and Selene kissing each other aggressively. Selene was in the lead, she undid his tie and began to unbutton his sleeve.

Damian broke the kiss and looked at her, "Is this the interesting way of thanking me?"

She breathed heavily as she continued with unbuttoning, "Yes. Why do you not want this?" Her eyes already indicated that she wouldn't take no for an answer.

Victor's words flashed in Damian's head, "Treat her well..." He bit his lips and closed his eyes, "Fine, Father. I'll do what you want." He said inwardly and unzipped her dress from the front, he then pulled her in for a kiss and carried her to the bed. After landing roughly on the bed, he continued to kiss her and pull on her dress until it was no longer in the way.

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Aurora finished the final piece of chicken and sat back. She let out a sigh of satisfaction after chugging down a whole glass of freshly-made orange juice. She laughed at herself when she looked at the bucket that now contained only leftover bones. She couldn't help but feel liberated.

Back when she was at the Blackwood mansion, she always tried to keep an image. She was never allowed to be herself whenever Victor was around. Aurora was not devoid of elegance, she was rich in charm and was almost as charismatic as Damian. However, she wanted to be free every once in a while and have as much fun as she wanted but Victor would always call her free-spirited side "Careless", "image-tarnishing" and "not ladylike"

She sighed, "None of that anymore, Victor Blackwood. I live by my own rules now."

She went to bed that night feeling liberated and excited for what the next day would bring.

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Her eyes slowly opened. She looked at the wall clock, 10am on the dot. The first thing she did was get up and did a stretching exercise that she read about in the wellness and nutritional manual.

After she was done, she spread the curtains and let the sunlight hit her, she inhaled while closing her eyes to soak it all in.

Aurora had a lot of activities for the day; She needed to register with a hospital closest to her for maternity care. Afterwards, she'd reach out to Jaxton Reid. Not to hire him as her business consultant, but to apply to be a business consultant.

Aurora worked in marketing before, despite her status favouring her at work, she still did her job really well and her colleagues loved her... too bad all of them turned out to be back-stabbing traitors who attended Damian and Selene's secret engagement party. She quit by mail immediately after leaving the party that evening.

Her last activity for the day depended on if she got the job as a consultant or not. She wanted to buy a car, one way less expensive than the last one, in good condition and capable of getting her to work, the hospital, to get groceries and run other errands.

She felt proud of herself after scribbling the activities on her notepad, "I can do this." She told herself. After wishing Maywell a great day through text, she headed to the bathroom.

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Dubai

Damian watched the setting sun from the hotel balcony. He closed his eyes and allowed the evening breeze to swirl around him.

Selene was inside, asleep against the silk sheets after an exhausting round of "passion". Even after sharing a bed with her, Damian felt a recognizable sense of emptiness gnawing at him.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, cutting through the silence. He glanced at the screen, and the name flashing across it made his expression harden.

Victor Blackwood.

Damian took a breath and answered. "Father."

"How's the honeymoon?" Victor's deep voice held its usual authority.

"Everything's fine," Damian replied smoothly, "Selene is happy. I was thinking of cutting the trip short, though. Returning the day after tomorrow."

There was a slight pause on the other end before Victor spoke again. "And have you spoken to Selene about this?"

Damian's fingers drummed against the railing. "Not yet, but-"

"Then don't make decisions without consulting your wife first," Victor cut in. His voice was firm, leaving no room for argument. "She's the daughter of the Davenport family, Damian. She sacrificed her reputation to marry you, a divorcee, after that lowlife wench left. The least you can do is make sure she's satisfied."

Damian clenched his jaw. Sacrificed? It almost made him laugh. Selene had gotten exactly what she wanted. And as for Aurora...

He exhaled through his nose. "If she's against it, I'll stay."

"Good." Victor's tone softened slightly. "This marriage is important for both families. You've done well so far, don't ruin it."

The call ended, leaving Damian standing there, the weight of expectations pressing down on him.

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Aurora stepped out of the hospital, the cool breeze brushing against her skin as she took a deep breath. Registering for maternity care had been a big step,one that made everything feel even more real.

She brought out her notepad and checked it out. The next on her list was to meet up with Jaxon Reid. She took a deep breath and dialed his number. It rang for a bit and he picked up.

"This is Jaxon." His confident voice echoed

"Mr. Reid, it's Aurora Sinclair," she said, keeping her voice steady.

"Aurora," he repeated, as if testing the way her name sounded on his lips. "I was wondering when you'd call."

"I'd like to meet up. There's something I want to discuss."

"Right now?"

"Yes, is that okay?" She asked in consideration.

Jaxon remained silent for a bit before he responded. "Of course, I'm always available for business."

Aurora sighed in relief.

"There's a café downtown. The Grand Bean. Do you know it?" Jaxon asked.

Aurora nodded, even though he couldn't see her. "I do." She had passed by the café on her way to the hospital.

"Great. Meet me there in thirty minutes."

"Alright. See you soon."

She ended the call, gripping the phone tightly for a second before slipping it back into her bag.

This was it. The first step toward creating a new life,one where she didn't have to depend on anyone.

Jaxon stared wide-eyed at Aurora, "Uhmm, could you please say that again?"

Without faltering, Aurora repeated, "I'm applying to be a business consultant."

Jaxon was perplexed, it was his first time seeing someone apply for the job straight up, her confidence kept him interested. He leaned forward and asked with an amazed smile lingering on his lips, "What made you think it was that easy to apply?"

"I never said it was," Aurora firmly answered, "I am just confident that having me work with you and your team will boost your ratings."

He chuckled, "You really are an interesting woman, aren't you? No one has ever done this before."

Aurora brought out a file envelope from her bag and handed it to him, "Here are my credentials to prove that I'm perfect for the job."

Jaxon sighed, "I guess it can't be helped." He took the files from her and opened it, "Even if I do find your credentials impressive, I don't exactly have the power to give you the job."

Aurora watched in silence and he flipped through the files. Her facial expression emitted confidence, however, she was feeling a bit uneasy on the inside. She never thought she'd be this desperate to get a positive review from someone regarding her work.

Jaxon blinked multiple times, his brows furrowed as he whipped his head towards her, "Blackwood? As in the Aurora Blackwood? Damian Blackwood's wife? Hold on..." He leaned on the table and asked in a low voice, "Isn't there a rumor that he got married recently? Does that mean...?"

"It was on the damn news. It's no rumor."

His eyes widened slightly, "And you're okay with that?"

She looked away, her hands tightening on each other, "So what if I am? I'm done with that family anyways."

Jaxon let out a soft gasp. He had watched several events hosted by Blackwood enterprises on live television before, and every few minutes, his eyes would dart towards the fine lady that always sat next to Damian Blackwood. But on most occasions, he wouldn't be able to find her simply because she didn't attend.

Blackwood enterprises was a really popular and powerful company after all, of course anybody associated with them would be easily recognizable. But Aurora was an exception, she attended only a few social events with the Blackwoods and even when she did, her face would be heavy with makeup because Victor preferred it that way. She knew why, of course. So that she wouldn't be recognizable outside these events by reporters, so they wouldn't approach her and ask any sensitive questions. Aurora didn't know whether to be happy or angry about it, while she liked the peace of being able to mix in with the public, she still would've been able to handle the attention.

Looking back, there were a lot of signs leading up to the separation of her and Damian which indicated that the Blackwoods had been planning it for quite a while. She scoffed and looked back at Jaxon, "Damian Blackwood and I are no longer married. I am not tied to Blackwood enterprises anymore or anyone else in connection with them. So I would appreciate it if you left out the part about me being Damian's former wife when putting in a good word for me to your boss."

Jaxon put the files down and let out a soft laugh, "Oh? And what makes you think that I'd put in a good word for you?"

Aurora calmly took a sip of her drink and smiled, "Because you've seen my work and you're impressed by it. And then decided to take a proper look at my name because you skipped that part at the beginning thinking it was a waste of time. You almost didn't believe that I'd be this qualified but those files proved you wrong."

Jaxon remained silent for a bit, "I think you're the fortune teller here, Ms Sinclair." (Reference to chapter 5 where Aurora first called him a fortune teller) He leaned back, "You're right, you do have great work credit. But my boss will have to know your background to see if you earned those credits genuinely or with your former status."

Aurora bit her lips, at the end of the day, the Blackwood name still had her on a chokehold. It would take a lot of convincing and close observation for them to believe that she was indeed a hard worker. She huffed, running low on options, she finally agreed. "Very well, do your investigation."

Jaxon smiled, "Great. You'll hear from me in 3 days. I'll be taking these with me, if you don't mind." He tapped on the files and Aurora nodded in agreement, they were photocopies anyways.

"Now that business is out of the way, why don't we talk more comfortably now?" He asked with a calm smile, his voice and expression now softer. "Can I call you Aurora?"

She took a deep breath, maybe small talk wouldn't be a bad thing. The only person she had been talking to was Maywell, thank goodness for that or her descent into madness would've been brutal, having someone else around would be good for her, mentally. "Sure. You can call me Aurora."

His eyes brightened up so much that Aurora almost noticed it, "Great, so...divorce, huh? Must've been hard."

"It wasn't that hard. All we did was sign a few papers." She answered with a shrug, trying her best to play it off but Jaxon wasn't having it, however, he didn't push further. He already observed that Aurora was a reserved person, she didn't look like the type to converse without filter after just meeting a person twice, especially if those meetings were initially for business purposes. He only laughed at her answer and asked a question, "Tell me, what do you plan to do with this newfound freedom of yours?"

Aurora smiled, she took a quick glance at her own stomach and answered, "Satisfy a lot of cravings. Oh, I've always wanted to..." As she talked about the activities she'd like to try in the city, Jaxon's smile involuntarily began to widen.

"Aurora Sinclair..." He called in his head, "So Damian Blackwood actually let someone like her go? Someone this beautiful? Just look at her, she's so angelic. A little on the tough and no-no sense side but still angelic. Hell, if she were mine, I'd never do anything to make her look at anyone else." He blinked and tilted his head, "If she were...mine." His heart couldn't help but beat in a whole new way.

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Dubai.

Damian and Selene were curled up on the plush couch in their luxury suite, watching a late-night movie. The massive TV cast a soft glow over the dimly lit room, and the sound of crashing waves outside their balcony blended with the movie's background music.

Selene rested her head against Damian's shoulder, lazily feeding him popcorn every now and then, even though he wasn't exactly in the mood. He played along, letting her press a piece to his lips as he absentmindedly chewed, his mind elsewhere. He was silently rehearsing how he would bring up the idea of cutting their honeymoon short. He knew she wouldn't like it, but he needed to get back. The longer he stayed away, the more restless he felt...and the more the whereabouts of Aurora became more of a mystery.

But before he could even open his mouth, Selene suddenly spoke. "Honey, should we just go home tomorrow?"

Damian blinked, turning to look at her. "What?"

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