Aurora had never imagined she would willingly return to the marble steps of the Blake Corporation headquarters. Once, she had glided up them in heels worth more than a month’s wages for most people, her arm looped through Damien’s, paparazzi cameras flashing like starlight. Back then, she had been the diamond heiress—untouchable, adored, envied.

Now, she wore a simple blazer and flats. Her hair was pinned neatly, but without the shimmer of professional stylists. No chauffeur opened the door for her; Ethan had driven her in his battered pickup truck, parking it two blocks away.

The irony did not sting as much as she expected. In fact, she felt strangely grounded.

At her side, Ethan carried a slim folder and a USB drive—their evidence. The footage of Damien’s associate sabotaging the strawberry rows. The chemical report confirming illegal toxins in the soil. It wasn’t enough to destroy Damien yet, but it was enough to shake him. Enough to show him they weren’t afraid.

“Ready?” Ethan asked, his voice low.

Aurora drew in a steadying breath. “More than ready.”

They walked through the glass doors, past a receptionist who frowned at their modest attire, and straight to the top floor. Aurora had spent enough years in this building to know how to bypass the gatekeepers. She pushed open the heavy mahogany doors of Damien’s office without knocking.

Damien Blake looked up from his desk, his expression startled for only a second before sliding back into cool detachment. He was immaculate as ever—tailored suit, gold cufflinks, the faintest smirk playing at his lips.

“Aurora,” he drawled, leaning back in his chair. “What a surprise. I was beginning to wonder if farm life had swallowed you whole.”

Aurora didn’t flinch. She placed the folder on his desk with a soft thud. “You should be more careful about the company you keep.”

Damien arched a brow, glancing at the folder but not touching it. “And what’s this?”

“Proof,” Ethan said flatly, stepping forward. “Of your people trespassing on our farm. Poisoning our crops.”

For the first time, Damien’s smirk faltered—barely. He flipped the folder open, scanned the printed stills from the security footage, the chemical analysis, the witness note from the store owner. His jaw tightened for half a heartbeat before he chuckled.

“Adorable,” he said, closing the folder. “Truly, Aurora, I almost missed this side of you. The little girl playing detective. But do you really think this... paper trail will hold against me in court? Against my lawyers?”

Aurora’s eyes narrowed. “Maybe not yet. But it’s enough to raise suspicion. Enough to tarnish that perfect name you hide behind. You don’t own every eye in this city, Damien. You can’t silence every voice.”

Damien rose from his chair, circling the desk with a predator’s grace. He stopped just inches from her, lowering his voice.

“You’ve forgotten something,” he murmured. “You’re alone, Aurora. Your family name is ashes. Your fortune gone. And this... this farmer—” He cast Ethan a dismissive glance. “—is no shield. You think the world will choose you over me?”

Aurora lifted her chin, refusing to back away. “I don’t need the world. I just need the truth. And the truth doesn’t belong to you.”

Ethan stepped between them then, his presence solid, steady. “We’re not afraid of you, Damien. Not anymore.”

For a moment, tension crackled like static in the air. Damien’s eyes flickered between them, calculating. Then he gave a low laugh, cold and sharp.

“Very well,” he said. “Play your little game. Just know—every move you make, I’ll be watching. And when you fall, Aurora, I won’t be there to catch you.”

Aurora felt the weight of his words, but this time, they didn’t cut as deeply. Because beside her, Ethan’s hand brushed hers—light, grounding.

She turned, walking out without another word. The doors closed behind them with a decisive thud.

Outside, in the crisp city air, Ethan finally exhaled. “He didn’t deny it.”

Aurora nodded, her mind still racing. “That means we hit a nerve.”

Ethan glanced at her, his expression a mixture of admiration and concern. “You stood your ground in there. I’ve never seen anyone stare Damien Blake down like that.”

Aurora allowed herself a small smile. “He doesn’t scare me anymore. Not the way he used to.”

But as they made their way back to the pickup truck, Aurora knew Damien’s warning wasn’t idle. He would strike harder now, more ruthlessly.

And yet, for the first time, she wasn’t trembling.

Because now, she wasn’t fighting alone.

That night, back at the farmhouse, Aurora stood at the edge of the strawberry fields, gazing at the rows glistening under the moonlight. She could almost hear her younger self laughing, a basket of berries clutched to her chest, Ethan’s hand brushing hers as he shared half his harvest.

She whispered into the night, as if speaking to that little girl:

You’re not weak anymore. You’re not afraid.

The future was still uncertain, but she felt the shift deep in her bones. The war with Damien had truly begun.

And Aurora Williams was ready.