At Adkins Real Estates...
Aurora reached the office without uttering a single word. Something in her had shifted. What happened earlier at Drakos still weighed her down like an anchor. She wasn't angry. She wasn't sad. She just didn't want to speak.
Not even to Susan, Ria, Daniel, or Ethan.
Just as she stepped into her private corridor, she said, "Ria, cancel all the meetings for today. I don't want to meet anyone. Even if someone's dying."
Ria froze. Her fingers stiffened over the tablet in her hand.
She blinked. Had she heard that right?
Aurora never refused work. Never shut people out. Not even once in the years Ria had worked with her. In fact, she always told the team to call her at any hour even if it was midnight if they needed her. But now...
This was new. Unsettling.
Ria could only nod. She watched her boss's back disappear into her cabin and the door click shut. The aura Aurora left behind was cold, heavy, and distant.
Meanwhile, in the main conference room of Adkins Real Estate, Susan was narrating the entire Drakos showdown to the rest of the leadership team in her dramatic style.
"She was lethal," Susan said with widened eyes, "I swear, even Theron Drakos didn't know how to breathe after that."
The room was in awe. Mouths parted, eyes popped. If a mosquito flew into someone's ear and out through the mouth, they wouldn't have noticed.
Once the room cleared out, only Susan, Ethan, Daniel, Dev, and George remained, seated at the table, discussing further plans.
Just then, Ria walked in. She looked pale and worried.
Daniel noticed immediately. "What happened?" he asked.
Ria hesitated but then sighed. "She canceled all her meetings. Told me not to let anyone disturb her... even if someone's dying."
Daniel's eyes widened in disbelief.
He had known Aurora for four years. Never once had she shut down emotionally. No matter what happened, she was always composed, clear-headed, and professional. His goddaughter had seen worse and still smiled through the pain. But today? This... this felt different.
Ethan leaned back, crossing his arms. "Now I understand," he said quietly. "Let's give her space."
Everyone turned to him.
Dev raised an eyebrow, silently asking Ethan to continue.
Ethan exhaled, his tone soft. "You all know her as Ms. Adkins. But I knew her before that. Back when she was just Roro..a cheerful, clumsy, bright girl full of laughter. Theodore, Hazel, and I…we were always around. We thought nothing could break her spirit."
He paused.
"But then she met Sebastian."
The room tensed.
"She changed. Bit by bit, the light dimmed. She quit grad school to support his dream of becoming a neurosurgeon. She even distanced herself from her parents when they disapproved of the marriage. They saw what we didn't..how selfish he truly was. But she loved him. She believed he loved her back."
Daniel clenched his jaw.
Ethan continued, "Even after marrying him, she tried to make it all work. But Sebastian wasn't just selfish… he was greedy for power, money, influence. And when Ayla was just six months old fighting for her life in critical care.. Aurora found out Sebastian was cheating on her… with the hospital director's daughter."
The room went dead silent.
Ria's eyes filled with tears. Dev lowered his gaze, his fists clenched on the table. Susan covered her mouth. George stared ahead, stunned.
"She didn't break down," Ethan said quietly. "She just… hardened. She buried every emotion and built Adkins Real Estate from scratch. And she handpicked each one of you not based on degrees or resumes, but because you were survivors. Because you'd understand what it meant to be loyal."
Ethan's voice cracked, leaned back against the wall, his arms crossed, eyes shadowed with emotion. "You all think she's being cold, shutting herself in like that?" he asked, his voice low but steady. "You have no idea what today meant to her. It wasn't just Henry. It was betrayal...again. Just like four years ago."
The room fell into a tense silence.
"She made a family out of this company," Ethan continued, his gaze sweeping across the team. "So when Henry betrayed her today...it was like reliving that old wound. Only this time, it could've taken all of you down with her."
"What Henry did today..." Ethan shook his head. "It wasn't any different from what she faced back then. This time, it wasn't about a failed marriage or being left in the dark by the person she trusted. It was about watching someone she believed in..someone she gave power to...stab her in the back, again."
He glanced down, voice thick with restrained emotion. "Back then, she suffered alone. But this time… if she hadn't been quick-witted and had backup plans, what Henry did could've cost the entire company."
He looked up again, this time at George and Daniel. "And not just Adkins it would've also hurt Drakos, leading to our collapse."
Ria's breath hitched.
"Losing you all..her family..would be her worst nightmare," Ethan said quietly. "She doesn't fear losing money or reputation. She fears losing the people she brought together."
He exhaled, stepping away from the wall. "So let her have some time. Please."
Daniel stood up, pacing. "I always knew that bastard Sebastian hurt her. But this... this is unforgivable."
Dev's voice was low. "She was like a sister to me. I always admired how she created this team… gave all of us a second chance. I never realized she was doing all that while carrying so much pain."
George stood up suddenly, eyes burning with emotion. "I will never let anyone hurt Ms. Adkins again."
His voice echoed in the room.
Everyone looked at him.
He wasn't joking.
Ria, through her silent sobs, nodded. "Me neither."
Susan stood. "Count me in."
Dev, Daniel followed, voices firm. "We stand with her."
Together, they echoed:
"We will never let anyone hurt Ms. Aurora again."
Ethan gave a faint smile.
Suddenly, a voice interrupted them.
"Include me too."
Everyone jumped, turning toward the door.
There, leaning casually against the frame, stood Theodore.
His eyes were soft, touched by the sight before him. "It's good to see you all understand what she's been carrying."
He walked in, looking at each of them. "She doesn't need sympathy. She needs strength behind her. People who will shield her when the next wave hits."
He smiled faintly. "Let's become that shield."
And for the first time in a long time, Aurora's team wasn't just a team.
They were an unshakable family.