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CHAPTER 19
Hadria
With the meetingwith Nero coming up quickly, I've tightened security to the highest levels across all my operations. Everywhere I go, Lyssa and two other handpicked bodyguards flank me, hypervigilant for any sign of danger. I know Nero will be looking for a chance to strike before the meeting, hoping to gain any advantage he can in this high-stakes standoff between us.
But I didn't get where I am by being unprepared.
One night, as I oversee our final security plans for the meeting Nero has proposed on his turf—my father will not be there, he tells me, which irks me a little, but is also very suggestive—I spot Aurora across the war room, watching me with that mix of curiosity and caution she always has. She must have slipped in at some stage. Since her first glimpse into the Syndicate's inner workings, she seems torn between fascination with my world and lingering unease.
I flag Lyssa and nod to where Aurora stands near the door.
"Remind Aurora that she'll be coming to this meeting with Nero. I want him to see her there."
Lyssa doesn't immediately react. After a moment, she says in a low voice, "You're a hundred percent sure about this, Boss? Could get messy."
"Then she should see the mess. She's with me now, like it or not. If nothing else, it will show her how good she has it here."
Lyssa shrugs. "Your call." She strides over to Aurora, delivering the news. Aurora gives a determined nod, glancing shyly my way. Lyssa claps her shoulder before returning to my side, a wry smile twisting her lips.
"Kid's low-key excited. Eager to prove herself to you, I'd say. Better watch she doesn't do something stupid."
I just grunt in response, keeping my gaze fixed ahead. But privately, I feel a spark of anticipation at having Aurora witness my power play with Nero firsthand. She'll see just what kind of world she's now part of.
And she'll see how well I treat her.
Speaking of which…
"I think she'd better have something new to wear," I say to Lyssa. Within minutes, we're loaded into one of my armored town cars, bodyguards watchful as we cruise towards one of the most exclusive boutiques in Chicago, which has opened at midnight on my personal request. The staff scramble to serve us, well-trained enough to ignore the presence of my entourage. I immediately take charge, selecting outfits I think will appeal to Nero's more base instincts.
I need him rattled, off-balance. If flashing Aurora's assets does that, so be it.
The personal shopper brings out my chosen selection, and then Aurora heads into the dressing room. Each time she comes out to show me an outfit, I circle her like a panther. And each dress makes her even more tempting than the last.
The first is a liquid gold dress covered in intricate beading, the material clinging to every curve. It's daringly short, showing off her toned legs. Aurora stares at herself in the mirror and I can't tear my eyes away, imagining pinning her against the glass and sliding my hands between those silken thighs.
The next dress, in rich orange silk, has a plunging neckline that reveals the tempting swell of her breasts. I ache to press my lips to the exposed skin there, teasing soft sighs from her. When she turns, I see it's completely backless, held together by two thin straps.
"I feel so exposed," she murmurs, cheeks flushed.
"You look powerful," I counter. "Men would fall to their knees for a chance to worship at your feet."
And God knows, they wouldn't be the only ones.
The next is a cream dress made of gossamer lace that conceals and reveals in maddening contrasts. Aurora looks ethereal yet intensely sensual.
And I like that the color will remind Nero of her wedding dress.
But Aurora balks at it. "I'm not a piece of meat," she snaps with a tone very unlike her usual soft murmurs. Her cheeks are flushed, blue eyes flashing.
I feel an unfamiliar pang of guilt. "Aurora." I tip her chin up. "Remember how I told you Lyssa was better at fighting than me?"
She shrugs.
"We all of us have different talents—different powers. And as a Syndicate, we all benefit when people lean into those powers.Youhave power here, if you use it right. Your beauty can undermine Nero, make him lose control. That givesmean edge. I'm not asking you to wear something sexy because you're a decoration. I want you to wear it to use as aweapon."
I can see her turning this over in her mind. Then she lifts her head, expression morphing into something bolder, more calculating. "But I'm good at shooting, too," she says bullishly.
"No one said your good looks were your only talent. But, by God," I say with a little sigh, "they certainly are the most obvious. Your skill with a gun? That's something to keep under wraps for now. Be strategic, Sunshine. Distract with your face so they don't see what you're doing with your hands."
