?<strong>Chapter 1003:</strong>


    Rickey’s fingers gripped her chin, tilting her face upward with slow, deliberate precision that made her shiver. His voice was cold, calcting. “How dare you touch her?”


    Rickey had always been particr about cleanliness. It was well known among his circle that she was his woman. But thatbel was misleading. In truth, she served only one purpose— satisfying his physical needs when he desired. He had been generous with her, paying handsomely each time.


    It had worked well—until she made the one mistake that was entirely unforgivable in their arrangement: she fell in love.


    Often, she would sit with Rickey during his drinking bouts, watching as alcohol loosened his tongue. In his drunken haze, he always murmured one name. Driven by curiosity and the sharpened instincts of a woman in love, she dug deeper. Eventually, she discovered that the name belonged to one of Rickey’s close friends from before he went abroad.


    Her intuition whispered what her heart dreaded: Rickey’s feelings for this “friend” were far from tonic. In her mind, no friendship between a man and a woman could ever be entirely innocent.


    Jealousy wed at her, relentless and bitter. She refused to ept that someone else could hold Rickey’s affections and set out to uncover what made Aurora so special.


    The kidnapping hadn’t originally been part of her n. All she wanted was to see Aurora with her own eyes, to assess if the rumors were true. Was Aurora really as intelligent, courageous, and kind as people imed?


    But her impulsive decision unraveled disastrously. The two men she hired turned out to be ipetent and reckless, creating chaos she couldn’t contain. The situation spiraled far beyond her control, leaving her with no choice but to confess everything to Rickey.


    Tears streamed down her face as she shook her head in desperation. “It was wrong. I’ll never do it again. Please, don’t leave me. Please!”


    Rickey released her chin with visible irritation, his patience thinning. He had no tolerance for women’s tears—he paid for their bodies, and he also paid for them to keep quiet.


    “I’ll take the fall for this,” he said coldly. “But if Dunn finds out, he’ll make your life a living hell.”


    The woman’s makeup was streaked with tears, her hands trembling. “I understand.”


    Rickey, clearly irritated, turned and left without another word.


    Unable to hold it in any longer, the woman dropped to her hands, her body shaking as she finally let out a raw sob.


    When Aurora returned home, she noticed a missed call from Rickey. It was quite unusual. She dialed him back, but the call went unanswered. Maybe some things were just meant to happen.


    The next day, Aurora went to the hospital with Joelle and Adrian to visit Lucas. Molly, wracked with guilt, had stayed at the hospital all night, refusing to leave his side.


    When Lucas finally woke up, Molly was the first to break down.


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