Aurora's POV
I stood there, frozen, my heart hammering against my ribs. Twenty thousand dollars. Just to attend a birthday party? That kind of money wouldn't just help with my brother's bills; it would change my entire life. It would give me a chance to breathe.
But it was a ridiculous offer. A suspicious one.
"Why me?" I managed to find my voice, clutching the edge of the door. "You have Casey. Everyone knows she's basically the future queen. Why don't you go with her?"
Oliver's expression shifted, a flicker of genuine annoyance crossing his handsome face. "Casey likes drama. She turns every event into a spectacle for the cameras, and I don't want that for my mother. Please… I don't want to go alone, and I don't want to go with her."
