Billionaire’s Regret After Losing Her (Aurelia) novel Chapter 15

Chapter 15 Just the Beginning–1

As soon as she hung up, the phone rang again.

Since it was Chloe’s phone, Aurelia hadn’t blocked anyone. But she sure as hell wasn’t answering.

The phone kept ringing. Over and over. Aurelia’s expression turned to ice.

Gareth approached. “Ms. Smith.”

“Well?”

“The divorce papers have been delivered. Right now, all of New York is tearing into Lauren—and her mother too.”

A cold smile curved Aurelia’s lips.

Marilyn was getting dragged too?

Perfect. All these years, Marilyn had been playing the “self–made powerhouse” card.

Well, now her daughter had ripped that facade wide open.

All those dirty little secrets everyone had politely ignored?

Now they were out in the open, getting torn to shreds.. 19:51

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<Chapter 15 Just the Beginning–1

“Good. It’s exactly what they deserve.”

They’d gotten away with trampling all over her because they thought they could silence her.

Time to pay the piper.

“Mr. Hawthorne and Ms. Drake are trying to suppress it, but we’ve already countered. The heat’s not dying down,” Gareth reported.

Aurelia nodded, satisfied.

Her brother’s people really were top–tier–they’d anticipated

every move.

“From now on, have the lawyers handle everything between me and Dominic.”

“Yes.” Gareth bowed respectfully.

The phone finally went quiet.

Half an hour later, Chloe called again.

Aurelia picked up.

“Auri, you work FAST,” Chloe said immediately.

See? This was what having backup looked like.

Before, when Aurelia was alone, the entire Hawthorne family thought they could push her around.

Lauren especially had loved stepping on her–publicly and behind closed doors.

But now? Aurelia had grown thorns. And she was using them to stab every single Hawthorne.

“You didn’t see the news coverage today–Lauren’s getting absolutely destroyed.”

“This is just the beginning,” Aurelia said coolly.

“They’re definitely plotting revenge right now.” Chloe’s tone turned serious. “Block the entire Hawthorne family. All of them.”

“Already done.”

“Good. And listen–when you divorce Dominic, don’t be stupid and walk away with nothing.

“I know your brother’s the richest man alive, but you spent three years with the Hawthornes. You deserve your cut.”

Before, when Aurelia had been alone, Chloe would never have dared suggest this.

She’d been terrified of Eleanor and Marilyn’s retaliation.

But now? Things were different.

Now, Aurelia had the entire Smith family behind her.

“I know,” Aurelia said.

What was hers, she’d take back. Every last piece.

Whether it was her share of the marital assets or everything Lauren had stolen from her.

******

Lauren woke up to her entire world collapsing.

The internet was flooded with photos of Dominic and Aurelia’s marriage certificate.

That certificate was the spark that ignited an explosion–all of New York turning their rage on her.

Eleanor was losing her mind.

Seeing Lauren’s face drain of color as she stared at her phone, Eleanor rushed over and snatched it away.

“Lauren, stop looking at that.”

“Mom, how can they say those things about me?” Lauren’s voice cracked. “Why is Aurelia doing this to me?”

“Dominic and I–there’s nothing between us. I just… I just…”

Her voice broke off. Tears streamed down her face.

She choked out the words, suffocating on her own pain.

“I just miss Adrian so much.”

Eleanor pulled her close, trying to soothe her.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. Don’t think about it. Mom will deal with her.”

Meanwhile, she furiously dialed Aurelia’s number.

Again. And again. Each time, nothing but a cold automated

message.

It made Eleanor want to explode.

Damn it—if Aurelia were still at this hospital, she’d march over

there and end her…

Then, she called Oakridge Estate. The staff said Aurelia hadn’t come home.

She completely lost it.

“Are you KIDDING me? Not at the hospital, not at home–she’s out partying at a time like this?!”

She couldn’t get her hands on Aurelia when she needed to most. It was maddening.

Desperate, she borrowed a nurse’s phone and tried again.

This time, Aurelia picked up.

The second the call connected, Eleanor unleashed everything.

“Aurelia, are you trying to burn this family to the ground?!”

“Who gave you permission to go public with your marriage to Dominic? Did I say you could?!”

Damn it! They’d agreed from the beginning that this would be a secret marriage.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. I’ll call Dominic and have him handle this. I’ll make sure she knows her place!”

Eleanor tried to soothe Lauren while angrily calling Dominic.

At that moment, Dominic was at his office, having just blown up over Lauren being caught in this media storm.

Before he could even arrange damage control, Aurelia had divorce papers delivered to him.

Instantly, he felt like he’d been plunged into an ice cellar. He tried calling Aurelia, but couldn’t get through.

The woman he’d seen just yesterday had vanished into thin air today.

Not at the hospital, not at the Evergreen Residences, not at

Chloe’s either.

His explosive anger had nowhere to go, making the veins in his forehead bulge.

“Jason.”

“Yes, Mr. Hawthorne.” Jason stepped forward respectfully,

Dominic tried to suppress his rage but couldn’t. “Call her.”

He meant Aurelia.

His calls weren’t going through–clearly, Aurelia had blocked him.

And she’d done this right when Lauren had just given birth to twins, exposing their marriage certificate.

Then she’d sent him divorce papers.

One calculated move after another… and at this crucial moment, she was playing games, blocking him.

This was getting way out of hand…

Jason dialed Aurelia’s number.

A moment later, he reported with a grave expression, “Mr. Hawthorne, Mrs. Hawthorne has blocked my number too.”

Dominic was speechless.

The oppressive atmosphere in the room grew even more suffocating.

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What exactly was she trying to do? She’d blocked his number and Jason’s too.

Did this mean she’d blocked every Hawthorne family number?

So she was hiding in the shadows, launching one attack after another against Lauren, while they couldn’t even find her…?

Dominic was shaking with rage. “She still hasn’t returned to the Evergreen Residences?”

Today, the only time he’d managed to reach Aurelia was through Chloe’s phone, and she’d hung up after barely two sentences.

He hadn’t even found out where she was.

Thinking about Aurelia’s current attitude toward him made Dominic’s temples throb.

Jason nodded. “That’s right. She hasn’t gone to Ms. Taylor’s place either.”

“Then find out where the hell she is!”

Exposing their marriage certificate, sending divorce papers- was she really gonna make this impossible to resolve?

And now she was hiding… making it so they couldn’t even find 6/7 a place to negotiate?