Chapter 5

Aurora ignored Cecilia's calls, her eyes fixed on Thora's face.

There was a time when they went to class together, ate together, and stayed up past midnight lying in the same bed talking about everything.

Aurora used to share her dreams of becoming a musician with Thora, and Thora would open up about her shy, girlish secrets in return.

Aurora closed her eyes for a moment, pulling herself back from the edge of her emotions. This time she finally saw these so-called "close friends" for what they really were.

Maybe from her last life onward, no one had ever truly treated her as a real friend.

All that closeness and warmth — it was probably just because she was a daughter of the Rivera family. What felt like genuine friendship was nothing more than flattery wrapped in a pretty package.

And all that pretending had finally fallen away the moment she left the Rivera family and lost the title of True Heiress.

Aurora pushed down the cold feeling rising in her chest and turned to leave.

Whether it was Cecilia or any of these people who meant nothing to her, there was no point wasting her time here. Dragging this out would only wear her down.

She had made herself a promise when she got this second chance at life — never waste your heart on people or things that aren't worth it.

But she had barely taken a step when someone blocked her way.

Thora's face was plastered with a fake smile. "Aurora, why are you leaving already? Cecilia's talking to you. She's been waiting for you all night."

Aurora's eyes went cold as ice. She glanced down at Thora's hand gripping her arm.

"Let go."

That look alone was enough to shake Thora. She loosened her grip without thinking — Aurora had been her friend, after all, and she had never seen that look or heard that tone from her before.

"Aurora."

Cecilia's voice broke the tension. Thora stepped back, tucking herself behind her.

When Aurora still didn't respond, Cecilia reached out and took her arm, her expression soft and pitiful.

Aurora laughed inwardly. If she hadn't watched this same act play out over two lifetimes, she might have fallen for it again.

"Aurora, come home with me. You and the Rivera family may not share blood, but Mom and Dad raised you for all those years. That counts for something."

She wore the kind of look that made people want to protect her. What a performance.

"I'm not even angry about you pushing me and making me fall last time. I've already talked to Mom and Dad — if you come home with me today, they'll forgive you."

Cecilia slipped it in like it was nothing, pretending to let it slip that Aurora had hurt her.

Thora gasped from beside her.

"Cecilia, so Aurora was the one who hurt your foot a few days ago? No wonder you kept dodging the question every time I asked."

Sure enough, the whispers around them grew louder.

"Aurora did that, and Cecilia was still covering for her. She's way too kind."

"That's the Rivera family's real daughter for you — so much grace."

"How could Aurora do this? She lived off that family for years, and she still goes and hurts their actual daughter. Completely ungrateful."

Aurora watched the whole performance with cold eyes.

"Cecilia, it's a real shame you never went into acting."

"Aurora, what's that supposed to mean? I just want you to come home. You're out here all on your own with no one to rely on."

Aurora pulled her arm free. Cecilia immediately pulled the same trick again, stumbling back a few steps like she had been shoved hard.

Thora rushed to steady her and snapped out loud, "Aurora! Cecilia is being nothing but kind to you, and you still won't admit you're wrong? And here I thought you were my friend."

Cecilia waved it off and let her gaze drift briefly toward the entrance of the banquet hall. That quick flash of calculation didn't escape Aurora's notice.

", I guess there's no point covering for you anymore."

Right then, three rough-looking men walked in through the door and headed straight for Aurora. Their eyes moved over her in a way that made her skin crawl.

"Aurora, you're a hard woman to track down!"

"Who are you? I don't know you." Aurora frowned.

"Aurora!" Cecilia's voice cracked like she was about to cry.

"I can't keep this from people any longer. You've been seeing multiple guys at the same time, and they came looking for you and found me instead. Turns out you've been playing all of them."

Before Aurora could say a word, Cecilia took both her hands, looking at her with what seemed like genuine concern.

"I'm just a girl, and I was scared. They pressured me into finding you, said they'd come after me if I didn't. If you come home with me, I'll ask Mom and Dad to pay them off and sort this whole thing out."

Aurora stepped back. Now she understood exactly what Cecilia was after.

"I already told you," she said, her voice flat and cold. "I don't know any of you. Stay away from me. Whoever sent you — take one more step and I'm calling the police."

The men exchanged a look and moved toward her anyway.

Then a commotion broke out near the entrance. People turned to look, and there stood a strikingly handsome man, his expression cool and remote, filling the doorway with a presence that seemed to lower the temperature in the room.

Aurora turned around. It was Marcus.

The air around Marcus was heavy enough that no one dared look at him directly — yet no one could quite stop themselves from sneaking glances, drawn in by how impossibly good-looking he was.

Cecilia stared at him standing there, commanding the room without a word. He was like something out of a myth, carrying a kind of refinement she had never seen on anyone in her life.

A look of infatuation slowly crept into her eyes.

The others noticed the hotel manager hovering eagerly at the man's side and understood immediately that this was no ordinary person.

"Mr. Sterling, is there someone here you know?"

Sterling? Cecilia's breath caught for a second. If this was the Sterling she was thinking of, she could not let this moment pass.

She shifted her posture, pretending her heels were giving her trouble, and let herself tilt to one side.

She timed it perfectly — just as Marcus was about to pass by, she reached out her hand.

"I'm so sorry, sir, I've been in these heels too long, and I lost my balance. Would you mind helping me?"

Cecilia knew that from this angle, looking up at him, she would seem delicate and vulnerable. She was confident no man could resist a woman who looked like that.

"We meet again, Ms. Rivera."

Cecilia's heart jumped when she heard Marcus's voice. He knew who she was? But a man this striking — if she had met him before, how could she not remember?

The next second, she watched Marcus walk right past her. His gaze was locked on someone else entirely, and he didn't spare her even a glance.

The direction Marcus was heading — straight toward Aurora, who was surrounded by the men.

Cecilia's soft smile froze on her face. Her outstretched hand hung in the air, going nowhere.