Chapter 5

It was raining and cold outside.The wind was biting.

Damian was leaning against his Rolls-Royce.At his feet were the white roses I'd bought,trampled and ruined.

“Get in.”

I quietly opened the back door.

Damian gave me a strange look.“Why not sit in the front?”

The car's interior had been redone in pink,Chloe's favorite color.On the passenger seat was the wrapper from a used condom.

My phone buzzed nonstop.

A news alert headline made my breath catch.

“Famous Investigative Journalist Arrested Late at Night,Career Possibly Over…”

My fingers trembled as I clicked on it.Below was an internal email notifying me of my three-month suspension.

I snapped my head up.

“Damian,did you leak this story?”

He knew how much I had sacrificed to become a star reporter for the*New York Times*.He once held me and told me how proud he was of me.

But now,he had just socially executed me with no effort at all.

“Aurora,this is your punishment for hurting Chloe.”

Punishment?

I rolled up my sleeve,revealing my bruised arm.“Damian,isn't getting beaten like this enough?!”

Damian's gaze froze.

His expression shifted.“Aurora,how did you get those bruises?”

“Someone…”

I cut him off,my voice full of hate.“Damian,isn't this what you ordered them to do?”

“You and Chloe planned this together.Don't play innocent now!”