Chapter 13
On the other side, inside the recording studio, Aurora was preparing the piece she would perform at the first live
broadcast of VocalNight.
But no matter how much she practiced, she just couldn’t get into the right feeling.
So she changed clothes and went to the adjacent dance studio to rehearse some simple choreography.
Although VocalNight was mainly a music competition, adding some dance moves would definitely enhance the overall
effect.
This practice building combined a dance area, vocal rooms, and a multifunctional zone, including makeup rooms, a café, dressing rooms, and storage, all managed by Alexander Records.
Alexander Records was a well-known entertainment company in Ashire with many related subsidiaries, all equipped with
excellent facilities.
Even artists not signed with Alexander Records often came here to rehearse or rent space.
After marrying Ethan, Aurora mainly had three daily responsibilities.
First, she took care of her grandparents’ health, visiting them often.
Second, she managed Ethan’s personal schedule and other affairs, including many confidential Steele Group documents,
which she handled alongside his secretarial staff.
Especially after the Sinclair family’s downfall, Steele Group had taken over all their assets. Even now, the company had a
department dedicated to managing the former Sinclair family’s holdings.
Though most of the old Sinclair personnel and assets were gone, Aurora handled the remaining matters with ease.
Third, she regularly came to the Alexander Records practice building to rehearse, publicly claiming it was her longtime
musical hobby.
In truth, Aurora recorded demos here under her stage name “Rory.”
So her visits to this building were nothing unusual.
Because she was preparing dance routines, her hair was tied up, and she wore older clothes-making her look much as
she had before.
What she didn’t notice was that, compared to before, there was now an unfamiliar pair of eyes watching just outside the
dance studio.
Aurora tried several choreography sequences but wasn’t satisfied with any of them.
For some unknown reason today, everything felt off-both the song and the dance.
She couldn’t shake an inexplicable irritation.
It felt like something was about to happen, filling her with an anxious unease.
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This distracted her thoughts greatly.
Aurora took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and tried to calm herself.
After more attempts, she finally scrapped everything she’d prepared for the day.
Checking the time, it was already 9 p.m.
Aurora shook her head and wiped sweat from her temple. She decided to rest first and continue tomorrow.
So much had happened today, and she felt exhausted.
She didn’t bother changing clothes or shoes-just threw on a jacket and headed for the parking lot.
It was April, and Ahsire was already starting to warm up.
At 9 p.m., the nightlife was just waking up.
Outside, the steady flow of cars painted a picture of a city that was both tired and full of life.
Aurora took the elevator down from the practice building and arrived at the parking garage.
Before she reached her car, an inexplicable sense of unease washed over her.
It came without warning.
Her heart pounded like a drumbeat, thudding loudly in her head.
Adrenaline surged, and Aurora instantly reacted by leaping into a nearby flowerbed.
A moment later, a car sped past, barely missing her.
It was so close that the rush of wind lifted her jacket with a loud rustle.
Cold sweat broke out all over Aurora.
If she hadn’t jumped into the flowerbed just then, the car would have hit her dead on.
Before she could even be shaken, the black vehicle stopped briefly, then suddenly started turning around, heading back
toward the flowerbed where she was hiding.
The flowerbed had knee-high concrete edges, and now the car was charging straight for it.
Its intent was clear: it was coming for her.
Who was driving?
What did they want?
What could she do?
Had this person been waiting here for a long time?
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Had they been watching her from the dance studio all along?
Or did they have accomplices inside the building?
One inside the building, one in the parking lot-just hunting her?
How could she deal with all this?
All these questions flashed through Aurora’s mind in less than half a second.
Then she made a decision.
As the black car charged toward the flowerbed, she quickly dodged to the side.
The car crashed into the flowerbed with a loud rumble.
The engine roared as it spun wildly.
Seizing the moment while the car was stuck in the flowerbed, Aurora dashed toward her own vehicle.
There might be someone lying in wait back at the practice building, so going back could be dangerous.
The nearest crowded plaza was still some distance away, and with little cover nearby, if she ran there, she’d likely be hit
before she made it.
The best option was to get into her car and drive to the police station for help.
Luckily, her car wasn’t far.
Fueled by instinct, Aurora sprinted, covering ground quickly, and slipped into the driver’s seat.
But just as she shut the door-
Bam!
The black car slammed into her vehicle.
The entire car shook violently, and Aurora sitting inside felt dizzy from the impact.
“Ugh…”
She felt a wave of nausea.
The black car backed up with rumbles, then charged at her again at full speed.
Suppressing her nausea, Aurora started the engine.
She slammed on the accelerator.
Bang!
Her car shot forward, causing the black car to crash into the vehicle parked next to hers.
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Without hesitation, Aurora turned the wheef sharply and quickly drove onto the main road.
In her rearview mirror, the black car was closing in again.
She pulled out her phone and dialed 911.
The call connected quickly.
“Hello, a black Santana with license plate AB1234 is following me. The driver just tried to hit me with their car. I’m driving
on First Avenue heading toward East City Police Station. Please send help!”
Aurora watched the license plate in the rearview and calmly relayed the necessary information to the police.
They responded swiftly and contacted the relevant department.
Pushing the gas pedal to the floor, Aurora raced toward the police station.
Everything had happened so suddenly.
Her mind was a mess.
Who could it be?
Aurora ran through all the people and matters related to her.
Ethan, Lilian, Steele family, Sinclair family… too many possibilities.
She kept checking the rearview mirror repeatedly.
At the next intersection, the black Santana seemed to realize where she was heading and turned off onto a side street.
Seeing the black car turn away, Aurora finally let out a breath of relief.
She kept talking to the police throughout.
Following their instructions, she drove to East City Police Station.
Only when she saw the station’s gates and the officers waiting outside did she truly relax.
Aurora parked the car in the designated spot and finally allowed herself to let go.
At that moment, the nausea she’d been forcing down suddenly hit her hard.
“Ugh…”
The intense wave of sickness overwhelmed her, and pain started spreading through her stomach.
