A Shocking Discovery
1019 Words
Silas paced around the aesthetically pleasing office like a caged lion, restless and full of energy.
He hadn't yet been able to take in the realisation that Aurora was the daughter of the man who destroyed his family and killed his dad.
Now that he had made her believe she was his wife, he needed to do more. He saw this as a chance to avenge his father, he also wanted to ruin everything Liam Wellesley had worked for.
He found his way to the chair and sat, pulling it closer to his desk, he began to draft a plan. He knew the foundation for his deception would have to be done meticulously, without leaving out any details.
First, he had to make a marriage certificate.
He opened the laptop sitting on his desk and began to pull up the resources that would allow him to forge an official-looking document. He went through examples of official documents online, selecting the one with government seals and the certificate needed to look real.
"Date of marriage..." he said, imputing a date to two years ago, just great enough for her to believe.
He let out an evil smirk, knowing his plan was coming together. He saved the file and examined the document. It was exactly how he wanted it - official-looking, complete with signatures and a notary stamp. He printed it on a replica of authentic paper he had gotten from a bookshop nearby his office.
Next was the photos.
He knew Aurora would look for evidence and documents wouldn't be enough to show full proof. He scrolled through old photos of him on his phone, ones with holidays and events, but Aurora was nowhere to be found in the picture.
That wasn't a problem for him as he knew a digital artist who specialized in deepfakes, someone who could seamlessly insert Aurora into these pictures.
He put a call through to him, "That's not a problem," he had asked for her photos, but he had them ready; he had snapped her with his phone on different occasions while she wasn't looking.
He sent those pictures to the digital artist and closed his laptop, leaning back in his chair and letting out a sigh of relief.
*******
Silas sat on the couch with a glass of whiskey in his hands. Aurora, who sat across him, was reading a book but couldn't help but feel a subtle tension between them.
"Is everything okay?" Aurora finally said, breaking the silence that had been lingering in the room for about an hour. She fixed her face on him.
"Yes, I'm just thinking of some work stuff." Silas turned his head, smiling. He wasn't thinking about work stuff at all, he was going to pull off his plans without fault, but her discovering that he was being distant meant he was beginning to slip, and he had to get back into character.
"You've been distant since you got back from work, you know you can talk to me"
"It's nothing you need to worry about. Just the usual business headaches"
"Right." She bit her lips, her fingers nervously touching the edge of the book.
She didn't want to sound intrusive, but she cared about him.
As she continued to read her book, a call came in for Silas.
"Ding, ding, ding". The call was from Greg's studio. Greg was the man who he had called earlier in his office to help pull a fast one on Aurora.
"I'm going to get another drink. Do you care?" He asked, standing up abruptly and headed towards the mini wine bar.
"No, I'm fine. Thanks"
Once he was out of sight, he impatiently pulled the phone out and quickly answered it. His voice was low and controlled.
"Do you have them?" he asked, sounding professional.
"Just finished, Silas. I've sent the edited photos to your mail. Take a look at them, they are flawless. No one will doubt the integrity of the photos. Trust me.
Be careful, though, with the lighting discrepancies. I tried to match them as best as possible.
Silas didn't concern himself with the lighting discrepancies, he didn't even know what that meant. All he was concerned about was the photos and they were ready.
"I'm sure they're perfect," he replied with confidence. "Thanks, Greg. I'll wire you the p*****t later today."
"It's always a pleasure doing business with you" Greg replied and hung up.
Hurriedly, he went through his email and clicked on the attachments. A series of photos loaded, showing him and Aurora in various settings. It was perfect.
He inhaled deeply and walked back to the sitting room with a smile on his face.
"Sorry about that, Greg needed my help with the project we've been working on"
Aurora looked up from the book she was reading and furrowed her brows. She knew something wasn't right but she couldn't place it. He's been acting distant and nervous all day and it was beginning to bother her. "Work on a Saturday?"
Silas smiled, trying to dispel her concern.
"Unfortunately, the business world doesn't take weekends off. Every day is a work day. But I told him nothing was going to take me away from spending the rest of the day with you, he should go sort himself out."
She smiled, but there was still a flicker of uncertainty in her eyes. "I just don't want you to burn yourself out. You've been working so hard."
"Don't worry, I've got everything under control."
He settled on the couch and cupped his hand on her face as his lips found hers. She wanted to hesitate but she remembered that she was kissing her husband and it shouldn't be a strange thing to do. The kiss was slow at first but the raw intensity between them ignited in an instant.
Her hands gripped his shirt pulling him closer. She kissed back, her mind was spinning.
He lifted her and turned briskly to carry her into the room. "Are you ready for what I want to show you?"
"I am ready," she replied with a sexy voice.
- Writer
