Chapter 2
863words
From deep within the manor, Damian's suppressed howls of agony echoed once more.
While everyone's attention was diverted, Seraphina slipped into servant's clothes and fled the suffocating gilded cage.
When news reached the Monroe family, its patriarch flew into such a rage that he smashed his prized antique vase.
"That ungrateful little bitch!"
The marriage alliance with the Frost Family was the Monroe family's ticket to the pinnacle of high society.
Now everything lay in ruins.
A scorned crime lord's wrath could reduce the entire Monroe family to ashes.
"Sir, what... what should we do now?"
The butler asked, his voice quavering.
The Monroe patriarch paced his study, malice practically dripping from his gaze.
An elegant woman in luxurious silk robes entered with a cup of ginseng tea, her mature beauty still evident. She was the current Mrs. Monroe, Seraphina's birth mother and Aurora's stepmother.
"Darling, why get so worked up over that immature child?" Her voice dripped honey, yet carried calculating shrewdness. "Her flight simply proves a Monroe daughter would never marry a worthless man, doesn't it?"
She certainly wouldn't want her precious daughter married to damaged goods.
"Foolish woman!" he snorted. "Worthless? Even a crippled lion is deadlier than a healthy wolf! As long as Damian breathes, he remains the Wolf Pack's godfather. He could crush us like insects!"
A flicker of panic crossed the stepmother's eyes before she composed herself, massaging her husband's temples. "Darling, have you forgotten? We have... another daughter, don't we?"
The patriarch froze, disgust and impatience flashing across his face.
"That drab little nobody we can't even present in public? Why mention her?"
"Now, now." The stepmother chuckled softly, her finger trailing across his neck. "Though she's worthless, doesn't she bear a striking resemblance to Seraphina? The Frost family merely needs a symbol—a 'Seraphina Monroe' to maintain our alliance. How would a blind, broken man tell the difference?"
The patriarch paced his study, malice giving way to cold calculation in his eyes.
He stopped and looked at his wife, whose vicious heart never failed to provide solutions. They exchanged a knowing glance.
The image of a daughter he'd deliberately forgotten for twenty years—discarded like trash—surfaced in his mind.
He turned to the butler and issued his command, his voice devoid of fatherly warmth, cold as if ordering a tool's retrieval.
"Find her."
"Find that... other daughter of mine. The one we abandoned twenty years ago."
...
The sharp, cold smell of hospital disinfectant hung in the air.
Aurora Bell clutched the thin diagnosis report, her knuckles white from the pressure.
"A rare blood disease?"
Her voice cracked, a tremor in it she didn't notice herself.
"Yes. This condition requires specialized medication from abroad. The cost is... prohibitive."
The doctor adjusted his glasses, his tone carrying rehearsed sympathy.
"Without timely treatment, your brother has... three months at most."
Three months.
Those words hammered Aurora's heart with merciless force.
Her brother Leo—the boy who once followed her everywhere, sweetly calling "sister"—now lay motionless on the hospital bed, his face paper-white.
The car accident from five years ago flashed before her eyes.
Her parents lying in pools of blood, clutching her hand with their final strength.
"Aurora... take care of Leo..."
"Both of you... must survive..."
Aurora closed her eyes, hot tears streaming down her cheeks.
She'd made a vow.
No matter what, she would save Leo.
He was her only family in this world.
Just as Aurora reached her wits' end trying to afford the medical bills, a middle-aged man in a bespoke suit approached her with composed authority.
"Miss Bell."
The man introduced himself as the Monroe family butler.
He slid a bearer check toward Aurora. The figure made her breath catch in her throat.
"We need you to stand in for our young lady."
The butler's voice carried indisputable authority despite its evenness.
"For one year."
"Agree, and we'll cover all your brother's medical expenses. The best medicines, the best doctors."
Aurora glanced from the check to her brother's lifeless form on the bed.
She recognized the dangerous deal for what it was—a beautifully wrapped trap.
But she had no choice.
For Leo, she'd give her life if necessary, let alone a year.
"Fine."
Her voice sounded unnaturally calm to her own ears.
"I accept."
...
A month of brutal training nearly transformed Aurora completely.
The woman in the mirror wore Seraphina's signature makeup.
Every gesture, every expression seemed cast from the same mold.
"When you walk, your right shoulder dips slightly—half a centimeter, no more."
The cold voice of instruction echoed in her ears.
"Your favorite flower is the blue rose. You despise carrots."
"You met Damian Frost two years ago at a charity gala—your 'first meeting'."
The butler handed her a thick folder with "Memoir" embossed in gold on its cover.
His eyes remained devoid of warmth.
"Remember, from the moment you enter Winter Fortress, you are Seraphina Monroe."
"If you're exposed, not only will you suffer, but your brother's treatment will be immediately terminated."
Aurora clenched her fists, nails digging into flesh, the pain keeping her focused.
Her brother's pale face flashed through her mind.
She had no choice.
