Queenie''s expression changed. "What? Aurora, are you insane? That''s a death sentence!"


    "If I don''t, I might live a little longer, but I''ll still die once those two brothers get tired of me," Aurora said. "Since I''m dead either way, I might as well take a gamble. My guess is that men like them, who live on the edge and have seeded, believe in survival of the fittest. The strong rule the weak. The reason they treat all those women as ythings is because, deep down, they look down on them. If I don''t change their perception of me, my fate will be the same as theirs."


    At that moment, Queenie couldn''t help but admire Aurora''s courage. She knew Aurora was right.


    "So... how did they react?" Queenie asked.


    Aurora''s eyes held a trace of cold mockery. "I hadn''t been there long, so they still had some novelty interest in me and refused. But after I insisted, they finally agreed and gave me a gun for self-defense."


    That novelty was something Aurora had earned using nearly all her skills. The younger brother suffered from chronic insomnia, and as a former perfumer, she had created a special calming incense for him. The older brother enjoyed making his own illicit substances, and as a former science prodigy, she offered slight improvements to his forms.


    By showing a sliver of her value, she had secured her life, for now. But Aurora knew


    it was all superficial. The Fordham Group brothers still saw her as a slightly more interesting toy. Even if they didn''t kill her, they might trade her like cargo to another


    man.


    She had to make the Fordham Group brothers feel reluctant to let her go.


    Having grown up outside the circles of the elite, the tactics she had used on Leonard and Sellers would never work on them. She could no longer act high and mighty. To survive, she had to humble herself.


    Her pride had once forbidden her from groveling and fawning. But dignity was worthless in the face of death.


    Taking that first step hadn''t been as hard as she''d imagined. Once she let go of her baggage, Aurora suddenly realized that to handle men you needed to use both carrot and stick. Her previous methods with Sellers and Leonard seemedughably amateurish inparison.


    "That gun bought me some time," Aurora continued, "but the beasts were too fast. Even with a weapon, I was no match. Just as I was about to be torn apart, the brothers sent their men to rescue me."


    A subtle smile touched Aurora''s lips. "It proved my gamble was right."


    Risking her life while the brothers still felt some attachment to her had indeed saved her.


    Queenie asked, stunned, "What happened after that?"


    "After that, I yed along with them while subtly fanning the mes of their conflict. Finally, I waited until Jonathan found me."


    Aurora omitted many details. They liked sharing women? Fine. She would y on their possessiveness and make them suspicious of each other Baking affection for them wasnt as difficult as she thought. Sometimes, Aurora ever felt like she was the reincarnation of some ancient femme fatale.


    Her heart was like ice. No matter how well the brothers treated herter, she didn''t hesitate to stab the older one and set fire to their ce, leaving them to die. She knew that upon her return, she would no longer be the pure, untouchable goddess in everyone''s eyes. But it didn''t matter. She had now mastered the art of making men burn with desire, willing to die for her.


    Since she had made it back alive, she would not spare a single person who had caused her to fall into such a state. She would not be merciful again.