CHAPTER 424: CHAPTER 424: PLANS

Aurora thought for a while, tapping her fingers on the table as everyone’s anxious eyes turned toward her.

"There might be another way," she said finally, her tone measured and thoughtful. "But I’m not sure if it’ll work."

At once, every pair of eyes in the room lit up. Hope, excitement, and a kind of blind faith glimmered on their faces as they looked at her, as though she were some miracle worker about to hand-feed them salvation.

For a brief second, Aurora felt like she was being stared at by six eager puppies, each wagging their invisible tails, waiting for her to toss them a treat.

The thought almost made her laugh, but she stifled it quickly, forcing herself to remain serious.

Taking a deep breath, she leaned forward and said softly,

"I was thinking of visiting Grandma Lovely’s house personally. I want to meet her face to face, get to know her... maybe see if she is ready to compromise."

The words made the room fall into complete silence.

Everyone stared at her as if she had just suggested walking into a lion’s den with a smile.

Then, after a few seconds, Olivia suddenly snapped her fingers, her eyes shining mischievously.

"Wait! That’s perfect! You’ll go there as a guest, and while you distract her, we can... you know, commit a little heist."

Aurora blinked in surprise, then chuckled quietly. "A heist? Really?"

Olivia crossed her arms, unbothered.

"You said it yourself, they have the pen drive that can destroy Dad’s reputation. What do you call it if not a heist? We just need to take back what’s rightfully his."

The others looked intrigued.

Aurora sighed but nodded slightly.

"Alright, maybe you’re not wrong. But before we do anything, we need more information. We need to know exactly where that pen drive is kept, who has access to it, and how it’s being guarded. If we rush in without a plan, we’ll end up making things worse."

Her voice turned serious, the playful glimmer in her eyes fading.

"We’ll need to study their movements, their habits, their connections... everything. This kind of plan can’t be made overnight. It might take ten, maybe even twenty days to gather everything and build a flawless strategy."

Hearing those words, everyone gradually nodded.

Lucas was the first to agree. "She’s right. If they’re really using this pen drive as leverage, there’s a good chance they’ve got backups, maybe even hidden digital copies somewhere."

"Exactly," Adriana added. "If we just barge in and take the pen drive, they might already have another copy waiting to release. It’ll only make things worse for Dad."

Aurora nodded in approval.

"Then it’s settled. We investigate first... Uncle Milo, Hans, and Lovely. Their circle, their pattern, and everything. The more we know, the better we can act."

Her words carried the steady calm of someone who had already thought three steps ahead.

But deep inside, Aurora was already building another layer of her plan... her Plan B.

"I have another idea," Aurora said, breaking the silence. "If we manage to find their secrets... their real secrets... we can use that to negotiate. They’re not saints. Hans and Milo have done enough dirty things to fill a book. All we have to do is prove it."

Olivia grinned. "Now that’s my sister."

Alex, however, frowned. "It’s risky. If they find out you’ve been hacking them, they might press charges. That’ll put you in danger."

Aurora gave him a small, confident smile. "I’ll be careful. I’ve never left a trace before, and I’m not about to start now."

The siblings exchanged looks before finally agreeing to move forward.

For the next hour, they brainstormed potential approaches: monitoring Hans’s business accounts, checking Milo’s investment trails, and observing who came and went from Lovely’s mansion.

But the deeper they discussed, the clearer it became that pure planning wouldn’t be enough.

"We can think for days," Lucas finally said, leaning back tiredly, "but without taking action, nothing will change."

Aurora nodded.

"You’re right. It’s time to move from theory to practice. Let’s begin tomorrow. I’ll start tracing their data routes. You all gather intel from real-world sources... contacts, friends, anything you can find."

They agreed, their faces set with determination.

As the meeting ended, Aurora stayed behind, lost in thought. Her siblings went off to rest, but she sat quietly at her desk, staring at the glowing laptop screen.

Her mind was already spinning, weaving contingency after contingency, a Plan C in case everything went wrong.

"Always expect failure before success," she murmured under her breath, quoting one of her favorite principles.

She rubbed her temples and was about to resume her research when her phone suddenly buzzed.

Spencer calling.

Aurora’s face softened immediately. For the past week, Spencer had been carving time out of his hectic schedule just to talk to her. Most nights, she fell asleep with a video call still running between them.

He was her calm in the chaos, her small piece of warmth amidst all the scheming.

Smiling, she stood and walked to her room, shutting the door behind her before answering.

But the moment the video loaded, her smile vanished.

Instead of Spencer’s familiar face, a strange woman appeared on the screen, dressed in nothing but black lingerie, posing in a way that made Aurora’s jaw tighten instantly.

Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Who are you?" she demanded.

But the woman didn’t respond. She was facing slightly to the side, clearly unaware that Aurora could see her. It seemed the microphone was muted... Aurora’s voice couldn’t reach through.

The woman’s tone was sultry as she spoke to someone off-camera. "Spencer," she purred, "if you agree to spend the night with me, I’ll make sure you get the confidential files you want. It’s a small price for such... pleasure."

Aurora froze, her blood turning hot with fury.

Her eyes darted around the screen, but Spencer wasn’t visible; only his voice came faintly from the side.

"Not interested," he said curtly.

Aurora clenched her fists. Her mind was screaming. Who did this woman think she was? And why was she in front of her boyfriend dressed like that?

A dark, possessive anger boiled in her chest, an emotion she always tried to suppress.

She hated feeling territorial, but right now, the sight of that woman made her want to drag her through the screen.

The woman, however, didn’t seem to take the hint. She moved closer to where Spencer was sitting, stepping out of view for a second. Aurora could hear her voice, low and coaxing.

"Come on, Spencer," she said softly. "Your girlfriend’s far away. She’ll never know. And who knows... maybe she’s already found someone else. Why waste your loyalty on someone who isn’t even here?"

Aurora’s eyes flared. "Excuse me?!" she snapped at the screen, even though she knew the woman couldn’t hear her.

Her nails dug into her palm. If she could reach through the camera, she would have taught that woman a lesson she’d never forget.

Then came Spencer’s voice again, cold, sharp, and cutting.

"Even if that were true," he said, "I’m still Aurora’s legal boyfriend. Which means I’m already above whatever side chick she might have. Don’t compare yourself to her."

Aurora blinked, stunned.

That... was not the response she expected. Shouldn’t he be angry at the accusation? Or defensive? Instead, he argued like it was a court case, calm, logical, and just slightly insulting.

For a moment, she didn’t know whether to laugh or throw something.

"What kind of logic is that?" she muttered to herself, amused and exasperated all at once.

On-screen, the woman’s face went pale. Clearly, she hadn’t expected to be dismissed so easily. Her tone wavered as she spoke again.

"I... can’t you just fulfil this wish as my obsession... one night wouldn’t hurt anyone."

Spencer rolled his eyes.

"You think I’m interested in fulfilling anyone’s obsession? Leave. Now. Or I’ll call your father and tell him exactly what you’ve been trying to do."

The woman froze. Panic flashed briefly in her eyes, though she quickly tried to hide it.

"Do you really think my father doesn’t know?" she asked, forcing a smirk. "He approves. If you join our family, you’ll get power, money, and connections. Everything you could want."

Spencer gave a short laugh. "Keep your benefits. I don’t deal in filth."

The woman’s smirk faltered. She clenched her fists at her sides.

Then, after a tense pause, she took a deep breath and said quietly, "I didn’t want to say this... but I have cancer. I don’t have long left. I just want to experience life before I go."

Spencer’s voice stayed calm, but cold.

"I don’t need your blessings or your last wishes. And I don’t appreciate manipulation dressed up as tragedy. This is your third warning. There won’t be a fourth. The next time you try something like this, you’ll find yourself standing outside in that lingerie."

Aurora couldn’t help it; she smiled. Her heart swelled with pride and relief.

This was her Spencer. Calm, composed, respectful, even when rejecting someone so shamelessly.

He could have humiliated her, but he didn’t. He still drew his lines with dignity.

But that didn’t mean Aurora’s anger at the woman faded. No, the fury still burned quietly inside her.