When the Past Wears a Suit
Aurora had spent the better part of the night pacing the hardwood floors of her penthouse apartment. The city lights flickered through the massive glass windows behind her, casting golden streaks across the dark, polished wood. But her mind wasn’t on the view. It was on Damon.
Again.
She hated how easily he consumed her thoughts. Even after everything—after his family’s betrayal, her mother’s death, the secret she bore alone for years—he still had the power to rattle her. And that frightened her more than she’d admit.
A soft rustle from the bedroom broke her thoughts. Caleb. Her son. The reason she was here. The reason she’d never forgive herself if she failed.
She slipped silently into his room. The nightlight cast a warm glow, revealing his small form curled under the navy comforter. His breathing was soft, rhythmic. Innocent. She gently brushed a strand of hair from his forehead and placed a kiss there.
“You’re the reason I can’t lose,” she whispered.
Back in the living room, she grabbed her phone, scrolling through the gallery until she found it: the only photo she had of Damon and her together, from the gala five years ago. They were both smiling, young, unaware of the storm about to break.
She deleted it.
---
The next morning, Aurora arrived at Thorne Industries dressed in steel-gray silk and vengeance. Carla met her at the elevator.
“You’ve been summoned,” Carla said with a knowing look.
“Boardroom?”
“No. Damon’s office. And he sounded... off.”
“Of course he did,” Aurora murmured.
She walked into Damon’s office, her heels clicking against the marble floor, heart steeled. He stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, a cup of black coffee in one hand, shirt sleeves rolled just enough to show the veins in his forearms. He didn’t turn around.
“You’re late,” he said.
“I wasn’t aware we had a meeting.”
“You don’t need a formal invitation to speak to me, Aurora.”
She exhaled, careful to remain composed. “Then what’s this about?”
He finally turned. His eyes were unreadable, those dark pools that once mesmerized her now guarded like the gates of a fortress.
“You’re hiding something,” he said.
A beat passed.
“And here I thought this was about that contract dispute in Madrid.”
“I don’t like games.”
She stepped forward, calm. “Then don’t play them.”
He slammed the coffee cup onto the table, making her flinch before she could stop herself. His jaw clenched.
“Every time I look at you,” he said, “I feel like I’ve met you before.”
“That’s not a crime.”
“It is when that familiarity gets in the way of my judgment.”
Aurora arched an eyebrow. “Are you saying I distract you?”
“I’m saying I don’t trust you.”
“Then fire me.”
Their gazes locked. The challenge hung between them like electric current.
“I should,” he muttered. “But I won’t.”
“Because you need me.”
“No.” He walked around the desk, standing too close. “Because I want to understand you.”
Her breath caught.
He tilted his head slightly, his voice lowering. “You know something about my past. Something I’m not seeing.”
Aurora’s hand trembled slightly as she clutched her bag tighter. “Maybe you should stop looking at everyone like they owe you the truth and start asking why so many people lie around you.”
Damon’s mouth tightened, but he said nothing.
She turned and walked away, the air thick behind her, her heart hammering like a guilty drum.
---
Later that day, Aurora sat across from Gregory Thorne—Damon’s father—at an exclusive luncheon organized by the company for potential investors.
Gregory’s cold smile didn’t reach his eyes. “You’re making quite the impression, Miss Devereaux.”
“Just doing my job.”
“You’re not like the others. Damon hasn’t torn you apart yet.”
“Maybe I bite back.”
He chuckled, swirling his wine. “Women like you are dangerous.”
“Men like you call every intelligent woman dangerous.”
Gregory leaned closer, lowering his voice. “You have secrets, don’t you?”
Aurora’s blood chilled.
“So do I,” he continued, “and I’ve buried mine deeper than Damon ever will. Don’t think for a second you’re safe just because he likes the way you wear power.”
She held his gaze, refusing to flinch. “You should be careful, Mr. Thorne. The last time someone underestimated me, I walked away with everything they thought they owned.”
He laughed again, but there was something dark behind it. Aurora took a sip of her champagne to steady herself. The fire she felt wasn’t just revenge anymore—it was survival.
---
That night, Aurora went back home to find Carla waiting in her apartment, holding a file.
“I know I shouldn’t be here,” Carla said, nervous, “but you need to see this.”
“What is it?”
Carla handed her the file. “I found this in the restricted archive. It’s about your mother.”
Aurora’s hands trembled as she opened it.
Inside were documents detailing how her mother had once been an accountant at Thorne Industries—and how she had been framed for embezzlement two months before Aurora disappeared. The final page was a signed statement. Gregory Thorne’s name was there. So was a familiar signature: Damon’s.
Aurora staggered back. “He… he signed this?”
Carla bit her lip. “He was young. He probably didn’t know—”
“But he did sign it,” Aurora whispered. “He helped destroy my mother.”
Her chest ached. Her eyes burned. She dropped the file onto the floor.
“I’m sorry,” Carla whispered.
Aurora blinked fast. “Don’t be. You just gave me the final key to everything.”
---
The next morning, Aurora didn’t go to work. Instead, she stood at her mother’s grave for the first time in years. She traced her fingers over the headstone.
“They think they broke me,” she whispered. “But I’m going to make them pay. Every single one.”
She looked up at the sky, where the sun tried to pierce through the clouds.
“For Caleb. For you. For me.”
Her phone rang. Damon’s name flashed on the screen.
She stared at it for a long time before answering.
“Where are you?” he asked.
“Somewhere you can’t reach,” she said.
“Don’t shut me out.”
“You already did that, five years ago.”
Silence.
“You know who I am, don’t you?” he finally asked.
Aurora’s throat tightened. “You’ll find out soon enough.”
Then she ended the call.
---