My Boss's Hidden Heir (Elara and Marcus) novel Chapter 121

Chapter 121

Aurora’s POV

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Aurora was lounging on the couch in the guest house, flipping through a fashion magazine she wasn’t really reading, when her phone buzzed with a text from Penelope.

Penelope: Come upstairs. Now. We need to talk.

The tone was sharp, and very urgent. Not Penelope’s usual carefully controlled communication style. Something was wrong.

Aurora set down the magazine and stood up, smoothing her silk blouse and checking her appearance in the mirror by the door. Her hair was perfect, makeup flawless as always. She grabbed her phone and headed out.

The walk from the guest house to the main building was short, and the elevator ride up to Penelope’s penthouse even shorter. When Aurora knocked on the door, it swung open almost immediately.

Penelope stood there looking completely unlike herself. Her hair was slightly messed up, her makeup smudged around the eyes like she’d been rubbing them. She was still in her expensive clothes but something about her whole appearance screamed distress.

“Come in,” Penelope said, stepping aside.

Aurora walked into the penthouse and immediately noticed the chaos. Papers were scattered across surfaces, drawers were hanging open, there were clothes piled on furniture that definitely shouldn’t be there.

“What happened here?” Aurora asked, genuine concern in her voice. “Are you okay? Did someone break in?”

Penelope laughed bitterly. “Yes, actually. Someone did break in.”

“What? Did you call the police?”

“No. And I’m not going to.” Penelope walked over to her bar cart and poured herself a generous glass of whisky.

She didn’t offer one to Aurora. “Because I know exactly who did it and calling the police would create more problems than it would solve.”

Aurora sat down on the edge of the couch, watching Penelope carefully. “Who was it?”

“Marcus. Or Dante. Probably both of them together, the sneaky bastards.” Penelope took a long drink. “They came in here while I was out with you at dinner and they stole something from me. Something very important.”

“What did they steal?”

Penelope hesitated, clearly debating how much to reveal. “Evidence. Evidence I had against Marcus that would have given me leverage over him and control of the company.”

16:50 Mon, May 11

Chapter 121

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Aurora’s interest sharpened immediately. This was the most Penelope had ever shared with her about whatever scheme she was running. “What kind of evidence?”

“The kind that doesn’t matter anymore because it’s gone.” Penelope drained her glass and poured another. “But that’s not why I called you up here.”

“Then why did you?”

Penelope turned to face her fully, her expression calculating despite the disheveled appearance. “Because I need to know if I can trust you, Aurora. Really trust you. Not just as a casual ally but as someone who’s actually committed to helping me take Marcus down.”

Aurora felt her pulse quicken. This was it. The moment she’d been waiting for since she moved into the guest house. The moment where she could either align herself fully with Penelope or strike out on her own path.

“Of course you can trust me,” Aurora said smoothly. “I want Marcus back. You want control of the company. Our goals aren’t mutually exclusive.”

“No, but they might require different strategies.” Penelope sat down in the armchair across from Aurora.

“Tell me something. When we talked before, when I suggested you could drug Marcus and seduce him, remind him what he’s missing… were you serious about that? Or were you just humoring me?”

Aurora remembered that conversation vividly. The way Penelope’s hands had wandered, the kiss they’d shared, the sexual tension that had crackled between them. The plan had sounded insane at the time, reckless and dangerous.

But now, looking at Penelope’s desperation, Aurora realized something important. Penelope was weakened. Her leverage was gone. Which meant she needed Aurora more than Aurora needed her.

And that shifted the power dynamic significantly.

“I was serious,” Aurora said carefully. “But I think the approach needs to be more subtle than just drugging him. Marcus is too smart for that. He’d see it coming.”

“Then what do you suggest?”

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