Reborn Heiress: Taking Back What Is Rightfully Hers!-Chapter 613: A Strange Awakening

Dominic looked at Aurora with confusion, then glanced at their resting companions. Suddenly, realization struck him, and his eyes widened in shock.

She struggled to recall the moment. "At the time... I was standing beside you. You were next to me, and Autumn was on your right. Behind us... were Caroline and Uncle Diego. Brown stood in front of us..."

Aurora’s face darkened. Uncle Diego and Caroline?

She had never really wronged either of them. So why would they push her? If she had hit her head on a rock, the consequences could have been severe.

At best, she’d suffer minor injuries. At worst, she could have sustained a head injury. If help didn’t arrive in time, she could have been permanently disabled—or even dead.

Who was cruel enough to come up with such a plan?

She didn’t make a scene because the group was already on edge. Stirring up trouble now would only make things worse.

"Aurora... we need to be careful. Stay close to me, and I’ll watch out for you, okay?" Dominic whispered.

Aurora nodded, her eyes turning icy.

Next time?

No. She wouldn’t give them another chance. But how could she unmask the real culprit?

Accusing someone without evidence was useless—no one would admit to it. She’d only end up swallowing the grievance in silence.

"They failed this time... but they’ll probably try again." Aurora’s voice was low.

The two of them were deep in conversation when Autumn noticed. She looked up with a bright smile. "What are you two whispering about?"

Aurora and Dominic exchanged a glance.

"Nothing. Just talking about something personal," Aurora said smoothly. "Dominic, don’t overthink it. I’ll explain when we get home."

She patted Dominic’s shoulder deliberately, ensuring Autumn wouldn’t grow suspicious.

Autumn walked over and sat beside Aurora. "Aurora, how did you fall just now? Did you slip?"

"No... I think someone behind me lost their footing and accidentally bumped into me," Aurora said calmly, shaking her head.

She deliberately softened her words—changing "push" to "bump" and "intentional" to "accidental"—to avoid alerting the enemy.

As for Autumn’s concern, Aurora couldn’t tell if it was genuine or not.

Autumn’s eyes lit up in understanding. "Oh, I see! You should be more careful. Maybe you should hold hands with Dominic—that way, it’ll be safer. We don’t really know this place well..."

Aurora gave a small, unreadable smile and nodded.

Autumn sighed. "Ugh, this is so frustrating. When will we finally get out of here?"

"We should stay put. I have a feeling the more we walk, the farther we stray," Brown said quietly.

The others agreed. They had little water left, and hunger gnawed at their stomachs. Nearby, a tree bore wild fruit, but no one dared to pick it.

After all, in the wilderness, poisonous fruit was a real danger.

Brown instructed his assistant to turn on his phone’s flashlight. The group leaned against the trees, drained of energy, lost in their own thoughts.

Eventually, Aurora drifted off. She was exhausted. It had been a long time since she’d walked such rough terrain—or gone this long without food. Fatigue overtook her, and she fell into a deep, heavy sleep.

She didn’t know how long had passed when she suddenly felt cold.

Her eyes snapped open. The air was filled with the sounds of insects and birds she couldn’t name. Moonlight filtered through the trees, casting a pale glow on her numb, frozen face.

Aurora finally took in her surroundings—she was in an even denser forest.

Her companions—Dominic, Brown, the others—were all gone.

Her mouth was sealed shut with tape. She couldn’t call out, even if she tried.

Panic surged through her eyes. Her hands and feet were bound to the roots of a tree. Escape was impossible.

On top of that, someone had piled dry branches over her body. Even if someone came looking, they wouldn’t spot her right away.

Whoever did this was ruthless. Cruel.

Her stomach ached with hunger.

Her body was weak.

Who had tied her up here?

Brown? No, he was already a superstar. Her existence posed no threat to him—he had no reason to do this.

Then who?

Aurora’s first thoughts landed on Autumn and Caroline.

Autumn wasn’t well-known yet, but if Aurora really died here... then the Love You music video would become her final work. Naturally, it would blow up in popularity. The director had already said that Aurora’s performance and vocals were at their peak during filming—it was bound to be a huge hit.

If she died, Autumn, as the supporting actress, would benefit too. She had backing vocals in the song, so she’d gain some recognition from it as well.

Aurora couldn’t think of anyone else who might want to harm her. She understood Dominic’s personality—he would never do this.

As for Diego? He was a grown man—what reason would he have to go against her?

Panic gripped Aurora. She let out low, muffled whimpers, but she knew she had to conserve her energy in case someone came.

She never imagined that coming here just to shoot an MV would lead to getting lost, being tied up, and a series of unexpected events.

Aurora shut her eyes. She thought back to the first time they arrived at Sansheng Temple—Autumn had been the first to walk forward. That meant, deep down, Autumn had wanted to take action, hadn’t she?

"Goo-goo-goo..."

"Chirp-chirp..."

Strange noises echoed around her. She couldn’t tell if they came from insects or birds. Goosebumps spread across her skin.

Cold sweat dripped down her back. Her entire body trembled, but she still tried to move. Unfortunately, she was bound too tightly to make a sound.

What now?

Was she really going to die here?

Just as Aurora was drowning in terror, footsteps sounded nearby. A beam of light swept across the area.

Her heart pounded wildly.

Who was it?

Were they here to kill her? Or...

She felt like she was losing her mind.

The footsteps grew closer. Aurora’s eyes widened, watching the approaching light. But with the light on their side, she couldn’t see who it was.

"Young Master, we should head back. It’s already 2 a.m. We can search again tomorrow."

Tobias’s voice rang out. freewёbnoνel.com

Aurora’s heart leaped with joy. She struggled desperately, but she was tied too tightly. She couldn’t even shake off the dry branches covering her. The others clearly hadn’t noticed her presence.

"Yeah, Young Master, you were bitten by a venomous snake. You need to get treatment right away!"

Another voice spoke anxiously.

"It’s just a little venom, nothing serious. Besides... didn’t you already give me the antivenom?" Everett’s cold voice came through.

Aurora’s eyes welled up with tears. She didn’t know why, but an overwhelming urge to cry hit her.

She let out a desperate, muffled cry. But with all the background noise, Everett and the others didn’t hear her.

Nor did they notice anything unusual about the pile of branches ahead.

"Young Master—"

"Shut up. Keep looking ahead." Everett’s voice was icy.

The group exchanged glances, then silently moved forward.

Aurora, meanwhile, was crying her heart out.

She was right here—why were they still searching elsewhere?