Novels by Rayo Writes

Xavier's POV The office was quiet for the first time in days. The phones had finally stopped ringing nonstop. The lawyers were handling the filings. The board was in emergency meetings. But none of that noise mattered right now. I sat behind my desk, the city lights twinkling through the floor-to-ceiling windows, and stared at the folder in front of me. Steve stood by the door, arms crossed, his usual stoic expression softened by the late hour. “You look like you’ve made a decision,” Steve said, breaking the silence. “Not the legal one. The real one.” I leaned back in my chair, rubbing my jaw. “I have. But I want your take first. You’ve been with me through all of this. The scandal. The leaks. The family calls. The board breathing down my neck. Tell me honestly, Steve. What do you see when you look at the future? Not the company. Not the legal mess. The real future. The one that includes Aurora.” Steve walked over and sat in the chair across from me, his posture straight but relax

Aurora's POV “You’re glowing like you just won the lottery and got free concert tickets for life,” Marinette said, flopping down on the couch beside me with a bag of sour gummies already open. “Spill. Did Xavier finally take you on that secret date you’ve been hinting at or did he just give you that look that makes your knees weak? Because you look like you’re floating on cloud nine and I need the tea.” I laughed, grabbing a gummy from the bag. “You’re ridiculous. I just had a good nap. That’s all. The scandal’s been exhausting. I needed the sleep. My brain’s been running nonstop with all the headlines and the comments. I feel like I haven’t slept properly in days. Every time I close my eyes I see the comments calling me disgusting. Calling him a monster. It’s been a lot. But today I actually slept without nightmares. That counts as a win, right?” Marinette narrowed her eyes, popping another gummy. “A good nap? Girl, please. Your cheeks are flushed. Your eyes are sparkling like you

Marinette's POV “Mark, I swear to God if you say ‘on my terms’ one more time I’m throwing this coffee at your head,” I said, standing in the middle of the park with my arms crossed so tight I was probably cutting off circulation. Mark stood there in his stupid perfect button-down, looking like he’d rehearsed this whole speech in the mirror. “Marinette, come on. We graduated. We’re adults now. I want you back, but I need it to be on my terms. No more sneaking around. No more hiding from my sister. We do this right. My way.” I laughed so loud a bird flew out of the tree behind him. “Your way? Your way? That’s hilarious. Your way was bending me over your car after practice and telling me to be quiet so your sister didn’t hear. Your way was ‘just one more time, Marinette, no one has to know.’ Your way was treating me like your dirty little secret for six months. And now you want to do it again on your terms?” Mark stepped closer, lowering his voice like he thought that made him charmi

Xavier's POV I sat at my desk with Marcus Hale on speakerphone. The lawyers had been working nonstop since the verification came through. “Marcus, walk me through it again,” I said. “I want every detail clear before we file. No surprises.” Marcus’s voice was crisp and professional. “We’re filing fraud charges this afternoon. Multiple counts — financial fraud, forgery of medical documents, bribery of healthcare professionals. We have bank records showing shell accounts. We have emails proving she paid doctors to backdate ultrasounds. The surrogate has already agreed to testify in exchange for immunity and protection. The custody arrangement is ready. We’re asking for full custody with supervised visitation only if she complies with the settlement. The settlement itself is generous on paper but ironclad. She gets a lump sum and monthly support for the child, but she signs away all rights to contact you or Aurora, all claims to the mansion, and agrees to a permanent restraining order.

Aurora's POV Xavier found me in the library. I was curled up in the big armchair by the window, pretending to read the same page for the tenth time. He didn’t say anything at first. He just walked over, sat on the arm of the chair, and pulled me gently against him. I could feel the tension in his body, the way his hand lingered on my back a little longer than usual. “Xavier?” I asked softly. “What happened?” He took a slow breath. “Carter’s information checked out. All of it. And it’s worse than we thought.” I sat up straighter, searching his face. “Worse how?” He took my hand, his thumb stroking my knuckles. “Diana faked the entire pregnancy. She used a surrogate. Paid doctors to forge documents. Backdated ultrasounds. The baby isn’t hers biologically. It was all a trap from the very beginning. She planned it. Every step. Financial fraud on top of it. She moved money through shell accounts. Bribed people. The full extent is still coming in, but it’s enough to destroy her. Prison

Xavier's POV I sat alone in my office, the thick folder Steve had delivered open on the desk in front of me. The verification team had worked through the night, cross-checking every document, every bank transfer, every medical record Carter had offered. What I held in my hands was worse than I had imagined. Much worse. I picked up the summary page and read it aloud to the empty room, my voice low and controlled. “Financial fraud. Forged medical documents. Backdated ultrasounds. Payments to doctors to falsify records. The pregnancy itself was staged from the beginning. Diana used a surrogate. Paid her off. The baby isn’t hers biologically. It isn’t mine. It was all a deliberate trap.” I closed the folder and leaned back in my chair, staring at the ceiling. The rage was there, hot and familiar, but underneath it was something colder. More calculated. Diana had played a long game. She had used an innocent child as a pawn. She had lied, forged, bribed, and manipulated for months. And