With that, he turned and walked away, leaving no room for negotiation.
The mont the door closed, the helplessness on her face vanished completely.
What replaced it was calm.
Cold, composed, and frighteningly resolute.
The reason was simple.
She wanted to destroy that organization.
Even though that mysterious voice had told her to simply follow the storyline and break it gradually, Aurora couldn’t accept that passive approach.
’If I erase the root itself... then none of them will ever be in danger again.’
According to Spencer, that organization possessed a thod to bind people to a predetermined plotline, to force them into roles they could not escape.
Which ant... That organization was the key.
The key to breaking free from her so-called "villainous fate."
As the thought settled in her mind, Aurora leaned back slowly, her body sinking into the softness beneath her.
And then... Tears began to fall. Silently. Uncontrollably.
She pressed her hand tightly against her chest, her fingers trembling as a dull, suffocating ache spread through her heart.
’I still rember... everything.’
Faces. Voices. Deaths.
One after another, her family, people who weren’t even related to her in that lifeti, had fallen before her eyes.
Even though that life was long gone... even though it no longer belonged to her...
The pain hadn’t faded. Not even a little.
’If only... I could change that past too...’
But she couldn’t. And that truth hurt more than anything else.
After a long while, Aurora wiped her tears, forcing her breathing to steady.
’Focus.’
She needed information.
Spencer was the best source; his hacking skills were exceptional, but now that her mories had returned, she could feel sothing within her had changed.
’Maybe... I can do it myself now.’
With that thought, she reached for her device and began typing rapidly.
Lines of code flowed. Barriers broke. And soon enough... She realized sothing shocking.
’I can... actually infiltrate them.’
Her ability had improved far beyond her expectations.
But even then, she stopped.
’No... not yet. I shouldn’t act alone.’
Without hesitation, she contacted Spencer and inford him of her intentions.
The mont Spencer heard it, his expression darkened.
He imdiately initiated a video call. Aurora tapped the screen and accepted.
His face appeared sharp and tense, eyes filled with concern and sothing else... frustration.
"What exactly is going on?" he demanded.
Aurora simply stuck out her tongue playfully, tilting her head. "Relax. It’s nothing serious."
"In fact... I was just playing around and ended up getting sick."
Aurora’s tone was light, almost teasing, as if everything she had done carried no weight at all.
A faint smile rested on her lips, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.
Spencer didn’t smile back.
His expression hardened, his gaze sharpening as if he could see straight through her screen and into her thoughts.
"I’m not in the mood to hear you lie, Aurora. If you’re going to say sothing... then say the truth."
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
Aurora’s smile faltered for a brief second before she let out a quiet sigh, leaning back slightly.
"Even if I tell you the truth... you wouldn’t believe ."
Spencer went silent.
For a mont, he simply stared at her, his eyes softening in a way that made Aurora’s chest tighten unexpectedly.
Then, a low chuckle escaped him, quiet but filled with sothing deeper.
"You really don’t know... how much I love you, do you?"
Aurora blinked.
Spencer leaned forward slightly, his voice steady, unwavering.
"I love you to the point that if you told you wanted to build a rocket and go to Mars... I’d drop everything and start building it right here."
Aurora froze.
For a split second, the present overlapped with a distant mory, another Spencer, from another ti, standing under a different sky, yet wearing that sa expression... that sa willingness to give her everything.
’He... hasn’t changed at all.’
Her heart softened without her permission.
A small smile tugged at her lips, warr this ti. "If that’s the case... then listen carefully."
Her voice lowered. And then... She began to speak. Not the full truth. But not a lie either.
A half-truth.
A story stitched together from fragnts of a life Spencer had never lived... yet one that was deeply connected to everyone around her now.
Spencer listened without interrupting.
But when Aurora ntioned the existence of the "rebate system," his expression shifted completely.
Shock. Genuine, unfiltered shock. Even Aurora felt it herself.
Because she realized sothing at that mont...
’I’m... saying it out loud?’
She had never been able to tell anyone about it before. Yet now... there was no resistance.
No invisible force stopping her. No suffocating pressure silencing her voice.
It was as if sothing, soone, was allowing her to speak.
Aurora’s thoughts flickered.
’So... it’s possible to share this? Then... who exactly am I allowed to trust?’
A strange curiosity settled beneath her unease.
Spencer finally exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair. "This is... hard to believe."
Aurora let out a small chuckle, tilting her head. "See? I told you, you wouldn’t believe ."
Spencer’s gaze snapped back to her, sharp and serious.
"I said it’s hard to believe. I never said I wouldn’t believe you."
Aurora stilled.
"I believe you," he continued, his voice firm. "Even more so because... I’ve already felt that sothing about that organization is off. None of it feels normal."
Then, suddenly, his expression shifted.
A grin spread across his face, a teasing glint appearing in his eyes.
"Though I have to admit... the most interesting part is your system."
Aurora narrowed her eyes slightly. "...What about it?"
Spencer leaned back, crossing his arms casually. "It gives you ten tis the return whenever you spend money on ?"
He raised an eyebrow, a playful smile tugging at his lips.
"What’s that supposed to an? Is it because we’re destined to beco husband and wife?"
Aurora’s face flushed instantly.
Heat rushed to her cheeks as she looked away. "You really know how to flirt, don’t you?"
Spencer laughed softly. "If I didn’t, how would I have managed to get soone like you?"
Aurora rolled her eyes, though the faint smile on her lips betrayed her. Then her expression turned serious again.
"Now that you know everything... will you help take down that organization?"
Spencer didn’t hesitate. "Of course."
But then... He paused.
His gaze lingered on her, sothing uncertain flickering within it. "Even if I believe everything you said... there’s one thing I don’t understand."
Aurora tilted her head slightly. "What?"
"In that life... how did it end?" His voice grew quieter. "Did we... end up together?"
Silence.
Aurora’s fingers tightened slightly around her device.
Fragnts of mory surfaced, blurred, incomplete, yet painfully clear in certain places.
Yes.
In that life... they had been together.
They had even... Aurora forced those thoughts down.
"I... don’t fully rember," she replied softly. "There are a lot of gaps in my mories."
Spencer’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"Then what about the rebate system? I’ve never heard of anything like that before."
His tone carried both curiosity and concern.
"And if sothing like that exists... what if it’s connected to that organization?"
Aurora paused, her brows knitting together. "If my instincts are right... then no."
She looked up at him, her gaze steady. "The rebate system feels like sothing entirely different. Not connected to them."
The room fell quiet again. "Any other questions?" she asked.
Spencer hesitated.
Then, slowly, he spoke again. "In those mories... did we ever get married?"
Aurora’s heart skipped. She knew the answer. She rembered it.
But... She shook her head lightly. "I don’t rember."
Spencer watched her carefully. Too carefully.
’She’s lying.’
He knew. Not because of her words, but because of her.
Whenever Aurora lied, she beca too calm. Too controlled. As if she were overcompensating for sothing.
Her expressions stayed steady.
But her small movents... the way her fingers stilled, the slight delay in her breathing...
They told the truth she refused to say.
Spencer lowered his gaze, hiding the flicker of emotion in his eyes.
’So... in that life, we didn’t end up together.’
A quiet ache spread through his chest. He didn’t ask again. Because he was afraid...
Afraid that if he pushed further, Aurora would confirm it outright.
And he wasn’t sure if he could handle hearing that.
Taking a slow breath, he steadied himself. "For now... focus on recovering completely. We’ll deal with the organization after that."
Aurora raised her hand, giving him a small thumbs-up. "Got it."
.........
The next two days passed quietly.
Aurora focused on resting, allowing her body to recover fully.
Once she felt better, Spencer approached her with a different plan.
Sothing unexpected.
Aurora listened carefully... and then nodded.
"Alright," she agreed.
....................
Soon after, Aurora returned to the university. This ti, however, her focus shifted. Lily.
She began trying to contact her repeatedly. At first, Lily ignored her completely. ’She’s definitely trying to scam again.’
That was what Lily thought every ti she saw Aurora’s na pop up.
But then... Aurora sent a ssage.
"I want to know more about the rich man’s daughter."
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