Aurora's Gambit: Defying Destiny

Chapter 14

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Aurora's POV

Trapped.

The thought alone made my skin crawl.

Sa ilang taon kong pakikipagsapalaran kay Kamatayan, nabuhay ako nang may isang prinsipyong sinusunod—huwag na huwag mabuhay sa dikta ng iba at huwag na huwag magpapa-kontrol. 

I never let anyone control me. Not my bosses, especially not my enemies, and not even fate itself. And yet, here I was, standing on the balcony of a fortress disguised as paradise, watching the sun rise over Isla Del Valhalla, a prisoner dressed in silk.

Life is indeed funny, isn't it? How did I even ended up in this damned situation? 

The salty breeze drifted through the air, mingling with the scent of wild orchids from the garden below. I leaned against the stone railing, my fingers drumming against the surface as my mind worked overtime.

I need a way out of here. Kailangang kailangan kong makawala dito. 

But how? If I wanted to escape, I had to be smart. I couldn't just run blindly into the jungle like some desperate idiot and expect to survive. This island was designed to keep people in, not just out.

Escaping this island wouldn't be easy. The book had made that very clear. Because I had read about this place before.

The book made it clear. Once you arrived here, you never left.

At least, not alive.

But I was not Lucian's enemy. Not yet, anyway. That gave me an advantage.

If I played my cards right, I could observe without suspicion—pretend to settle in while secretly studying the island's layout.

I needed to memorize the guards' rotations. Find out where the cameras were. Learn the weaknesses in the security system.

Most importantly, I needed to know if there was any way off this damn rock that Lucian didn't control. Paniguradong imposibleng wala siyang hindi nakokontrol sa lugar na 'to. But I had to shoot my shot.

I tapped my fingers against the balcony railing, racking my brain for information.

Sa pagkaka-alala ko, ayon sa nobela, may dalawang nabanggit na labasan sa isla na 'to. Una, sa himpapawid gamit ang mga private jet ni Lucian. 

I formed my hands into fists. 

There's zero chance in hell he'd let me near one. Heck! Kahit nga siguro sa helipad hindi ako makakalapit. 

Bumuntong-hininga ako. 

Ang pangalawang labasang nabanggit sa nobela ay ang underground dock na nakatago sa lilim ng mga bangin.  It's where his enemies were dragged before being "disposed of."

That dock.

If it still existed in this timeline, it could be my way out. But there was a problem—I didn't know exactly where it was. The novel never described its exact location, only that it was "deep beneath the island's heart."

Great. Real helpful.

Still, it was the only lead I had.

I exhaled slowly and closed my eyes, forcing myself to recall every detail the novel had given about Isla Del Valhalla. C'mon brain! Let's cooperate! 

This island was Lucian's stronghold, an untraceable fortress hidden from the world. The novel described it as a place where enemies disappeared, where traitors were buried beneath the waves, where escape was impossible.