Chapter 30

Dominic POV

Dominic wasn’t expecting the tap on the shoulder.

Mid-conversation with one of the guards stationed near the church’s entrance, going over final placements and timing, when he felt one of the younger wedding staff, shaky and pale with nerves, approach him.

“Mr. Guerrero,” she said. “Um… the bride is requesting your presence. I-in the bridal suite.”

That was… unexpected.

They’d hadn’t spoken since the rehearsal dinner. Aside from that text he sent her in the middle of the rehearsal dinner, she hadn’t so much as looked in his direction since he’d fucked her inside that tiny bathroom and marked her up with his cum.

Requesting his presence now of all times? It seemed suspicious.

He nodded slowly, readjusting one of his cufflinks before stepping away from the guard. “Lead me.”

She nodded quickly before spinning on her heel and marching down the hallway.

He had a good idea on what this was about. Outside of the wedding jitters that was normal among even willing brides, he had a feeling Aurora wanted to talk to him about something outside of her upcoming nuptials.

If she was calling him now, it meant she’d pieced something together. That made things... tricky.

Not unmanageable but trickier than he’d prefer on the day he planned to kill his father. He didn’t need unnecessary complications getting in the way of his goal. Not so close to the finish line.

The bridal suite was as over-decorated as he expected—silk, roses, chandeliers, everything screaming wealth and tradition and everything Dominic hated. The scent of perfume and hairspray lingered in the air, mixed with tension so thick it made the room feel smaller than it was.

Aurora stood alone near the mirrored vanity, her back to him.

She was in her dress.

It was beautiful, objectively. Expensive, tailored, ornate—clearly picked by someone trying to sell the illusion of innocence.

But on her? It looked hideous. She was better suited for elegance. Silks draping over her curves and hugging her body, not whatever this poofy monstrosity was.

The moment she turned to face him, Dominic knew within an instant that this wouldn’t be a simple conversation. It would be a war.

Still, he played his part. Smirking faintly, he stepped inside and let the door click softly shut behind him.

“You rang?”

Aurora didn’t smile. Her eyes were sharp, shoulders squared. Whatever softness she’d shown him before during that rehearsal dinner was gone now. There was no vulnerability left in her, just a solid and calculating strictness to her.

Dominic’s smirk faded. “Don’t tell me… did someone say something to get into your head?”

She didn’t reply.

“I wouldn’t worry about it,” he said, casually adjusting his cufflinks again. “Whatever they said, they were lying.”

Her lips parted, brow lifting just slightly. “Lying?”

“Yes.”

“You’re saying that what I found is entirely made up?”

“I’m saying that whoever ran their mouth about things only half understood.” Dominic stepped closer. “If this is about what Theo said to you, I’m sure it was mostly exaggeration. Paranoia. He liked to think he knew more than he did.”

Aurora stared at him for a beat too long. “Would you lie to me… if it made your plan go smoother?”

Dominic frowned. “I’m not lying to you.”

“You just said he was.”

“I said he was wrong,” he clarified. “There’s a difference.”

She tilted her head, mockingly thoughtful. “And that difference is…?”

He narrowed his eyes. “I’m not giving you every piece of the puzzle. That doesn’t mean I’m the one lying. There are details you don’t need to know.”

Her mouth twitched—a bitter, exhausted curve of disbelief. “I see.”

She turned then and moved toward the far corner of the suite where a small white duffel bag sat nestled behind a chair.

Aurora crouched and unzipped the bag, grabbing something out of it before straightening up once again. In her arms was a stack of folders that she brought over to him. Pages and pages thick with whatever it was she was planning on presenting to him.

She strode forward until they were only a few feet apart and then threw them down right at his feet.

The papers hit the floor in a heap, some of them slipping from the folders and landing a few feet from him. Dominic stared down at them, heart going still for the first time all day.

“What’s this?” He asked, slowly, crouching down.

He picked up a folder and flipped it open.

Blueprints. The venue. The exact layout. Security exits. The coded back-door entry point he’d arranged through a bribed groundsman. Escape routes.

He grabbed another.

A printed email. A wire transfer receipt. A photo of his father shaking hands with one of the men Dominic had paid off to "accidentally" clear out the upper balcony when the time came.

Another page—detailed instructions for the exact timing of the vows, the placement of the priest who would be officiating, the fact that Leonardo’s own bodyguard had been bribed to step away at just the right moment. The next: the correspondents with laying the plans for blaming her family, sowing the seeds of Aurora being the one to hire the hit.

Dominic felt his stomach twist.

All of it documented. Chronologized. Labeled. Organized.

He looked up at her slowly.

“You’re not the only one who knows how to dig,” she said flatly. “You think you’re the only one who knows how to make a plan?”

Dominic rose, folders still in hand. Suddenly, his entire body grew cold. “This is how you want to do this?”

“I’m not doing anything.”

“I told you what you needed to know.” He grounds out through his teeth.

What was this—her threatening to expose him? How the fuck did she get all of this in the first place? He was always careful with his plans, always kept things under wraps and made sure who he paid off would stay quiet.

Who the hell had squealed?

“You planned to pin all of this on my family.” Her voice didn’t shake. Her hands didn’t tremble. She was as calm as ever. This was a side of Aurora he’d never seen before. “I’m here to tell you that isn’t going to happen. The second you try anything, all of this gets leaked. Not just to your father but to his followers. They’ll never let you live to see tomorrow once they know you staged a coup.”

This wasn’t emotional, this was surgical.

If he wasn’t so stunned, he’d feel proud.

She stepped forward, closing the space between them. “You’ve got one hour to come up with someone else to pin this on. If you don’t? I’ll make sure someone steps in front of the bullet you try and fire at Leonardo. These plans will go straight to him and then he’ll know who tried to kill him.”

He couldn’t help it. He laughed. It was short and humorless, more exhale than anything else.

God, who was this woman standing in front of him?

“You’d betray me for him?” he asked.

“No,” she said, chin lifting. “I’m doing it to protect my family. If you get caught in the process, that’s your problem.”

For the first time in his life, Dominic Guerrero had been backed into a corner.