Chapter 167
Chapter 167:
Aurora sat up straight. “Vane? As in Vane Enterprises p>
“Yes. Margaret is already here. She drove straight from the St. Regis. She… she will try to claim you. But you are a Kensington first p>
“I am Aurora Vance,” Aurora corrected sharply. “I belong to no one p>
“We are coming to get you,” the Matriarch said. “Right now p>
“No,” Aurora said firmly. “I am at my home. I am safe. I will see you when I am ready p>
She hung up.
Elias looked at her. “Congratulations. You just became the most powerful woman in the city p>
Aurora laughed, a dry, humorless sound. “I just wanted to be a doctor. I just wanted to build Pulse p>
“You can still do that,” Elias said, sitting beside her. “But now you do it with an army behind you p>
“Or enemies on all sides p>
“Let them come,” Elias grinned, a feral, dangerous expression. “I’ve been bored lately p>
At Kensington Manor, champagne was popped at 3 AM. But Eleanor was in her bedroom, feeding documents into a shredder. Her hands were shaking.
“We have to find dirt,” she muttered to herself. “Real dirt. The years she was missing. The trailer park. The foster homes. There must be something filthy we can use p>
The morning sun struck the glass façade of the Pulse Interactive headquarters in Manhattan. The building was a testament to modern architecture and to Aurora’s success.
Aurora sat in her office on the top floor, reviewing code. She was forcing normalcy, but the news had already leaked through underground gossip circles.
Her assistant buzzed in. “Dr. Vance… security says there’s a situation in the lobby p>
𝙈𝙞𝙧𝙧𝙤𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙙𝙧𝙖𝙛𝙩: ⲅ𝖺𝗅𝗇𝗈ν𝗍𝖊𝗅𝘀⸱𝖼𝗈𝗆
Aurora pulled up the security feed on her monitor.
The lobby of Pulse Interactive was being swarmed. A convoy of black SUVs bearing the Kensington crest had blocked the main entrance. Staff were being pushed aside by liveried footmen carrying boxes of flowers.
“Is it a hostile takeover?” the assistant asked, terrified.
“No,” Aurora sighed, rubbing her temples. “It’s a family reunion p>
She took the private elevator down to the lobby.
When the doors opened, the scene was absurd. Matriarch Kensington stood in the center of the sleek, high-tech lobby, leaning on her cane but radiating authority. She was dressed in vintage Chanel. Eleanor and Vivian stood behind her, looking uncomfortable among the hoodies and smart-casual tech workers.
“Grandmother,” Aurora said, stepping out. Her voice silenced the room.
The Matriarch beamed. “We have come to take you to lunch. No refusals p>
“I have a company to run,” Aurora said, gesturing to the security gates. “You can’t just barge in here p>
“We bought the building,” the Matriarch said simply.
Aurora blinked. “Excuse me p>
“Well, not the building, technically. But I acquired the management firm that leases the space this morning,” the Matriarch clarified. “Just to ensure your rent is… stable p>