Romance

Part 2: The Truth Veronica Tried to Bury

Aurora was escorted into a private executive suite overlooking the Pacific.

Doctors arrived.

Security arrived.

Corporate attorneys arrived.

Within thirty minutes, the atmosphere inside Solmere had completely changed.

No one was protecting Veronica anymore.

They were protecting Aurora.

The examination revealed bruised ribs.

A mild concussion.

Deep cuts on her knees and palms.

Evidence of recent physical assault.

When the physician finished, he looked directly at Aurora.

"Who did this to you?"

Aurora remained silent for several moments.

Then she answered.

"My stepmother."

The room froze.

Daniel exchanged a glance with corporate counsel.

Everyone knew Veronica Hale had married Charles Bennett three years earlier after the death of Aurora's mother.

Publicly, she portrayed herself as a devoted wife and charitable socialite.

Privately?

Rumors were everywhere.

But rumors were not proof.

Aurora reached into her bag again.

This time she removed a flash drive.

"I have proof."

The attorneys immediately connected it to a secure laptop.

Video files appeared.

Audio recordings.

Bank records.

Corporate documents.

The room grew quieter with every file opened.

One recording captured Veronica speaking to an attorney.

"We need Aurora declared mentally unstable before Charles changes the trust."

Another revealed attempts to transfer assets from accounts belonging to Aurora's late mother.

Then came the final file.

The one that made even the lawyers stop breathing.

A video recorded two nights earlier.

Veronica stood inside the Bennett estate library.

Smiling.

Holding a document.

"If Aurora disappears long enough," she said casually, "everything transfers automatically."

The room went silent.

One attorney closed the laptop.

Daniel whispered:

"She wasn't trying to remove you from the company."

Aurora nodded.

"She was trying to erase me."

At that exact moment, an emergency call came through from the Bennett estate.

Charles Bennett had just learned everything.

And he was already on his way to Solmere.