Lately, Vespera has harbored a lot of resentment toward Alaric, convinced he's unreliable, unstable, and dishonest with her. She feels he’s always tangled up with Elowen, that he doesn't understand her, and she can’t seem to see anything good in him—without ever stopping to look at her own flaws.Maybe Alaric really is just an immature guy who struggles with a lot of things, constantly leaving her feeling disappointed and hurt. But is she really so blameless?Standing back, Vespera realizes she’s actually been a pretty lousy girlfriend. Alaric’s dishonesty? A response to her sensitivity—he hides things to avoid hurting her. His lack of understanding? Because she never clearly expresses what she wants. As for Elowen… that’s a whole other mystery, one she’s never really tried to unravel.The first time they nearly broke up, it was over some photos Yvonne posted. She hadn’t even asked Alaric for an explanation; she’d just condemned him on the spot. The second time, it was the smell of sm
Alaric stood in his office, with Elowen right in front of him, her hand tugging at his tie, a faint smirk hidden beneath her slightly indignant expression.Seeing the scene, Vespera nearly turned around and left right then and there. But she reminded herself of her purpose for coming today. She was done hiding from Elowen. Even if Alaric wasn’t hers in the end, she’d be damned if he ended up with someone like Elowen.So Vespera strode into the office, fixed her gaze on them, and asked, “What’s going on here?”At the sound of her voice, Alaric spun around, fumbling to free his tie from Elowen’s grip. But Elowen held tight, glancing over at Vespera with a slight smile. “Miss Thornfield? You’re here?”Vespera closed the door behind her, gave a slight nod, and asked again, “What exactly is this about?”Elowen smirked. “Oh, it’s nothing. I just wanted to ask Alaric if I could borrow a few people to help promote my new fashion line. Not sure if he’s on board with it, though.”“Not a chance,
Vespera walked ahead, casual and carefree in a T-shirt and shorts, no makeup, and even bare of high heels, while Alaric trailed close behind with a jacket in hand, grinning like a fool. Everyone in the lobby couldn’t help but notice—their usually composed CEO was tagging along, practically beaming.Catching up to her, Alaric draped his jacket over her shoulders. “How could you leave without dressing warmer? You’ll end up with a stomach ache tonight,” he said, his voice soft with affection.Vespera felt a warm flutter in her chest but stayed quiet, letting his jacket settle around her as they walked out. Alaric was thrilled she hadn’t brushed him off; emboldened, he slipped his hand into hers, wrapping her cold fingers in his.For a moment, she stiffened, then relaxed, letting her hand nestle securely in his. Together, they headed to the parking lot, Alaric practically floating with joy. This felt better than winning the lottery!Bringing her home, Alaric felt out of his depth—things h
Alaric looked at Vespera with an innocent expression and said, “It’s not what you think. I’m not a creep.”“Not a creep?” Vespera glared at him. “Then what were you doing in my room?”Alaric almost groaned. “If I told you I was here to give you a massage, would you believe me?”“Total creep!” she shouted. “Sneaking into my bed while I was asleep!”Alaric shot back, “I did not! When I woke up, you were the one curled up on me!”Vespera paused, recalling the moment she woke up. Okay, maybe she had been cozying up to him. Wait a second—was he implying she was the one acting out of line?Seeing her hesitation, Alaric grinned smugly. “See? You were just as comfortable with it!”“Get out!” Vespera yelled.Alaric left the room, trying not to smile too much. Sure, nothing happened, but just getting to hold her felt amazing. Although… his shoulder was sore from her leaning on him all night, so he headed back to his room to grab a few more hours of sleep.Vespera, alone in her room, listened as
This past week, Aurora had been tirelessly setting up to counter Evelyn and her allies, Yvonne and Elowen. Meanwhile, Alaric, working alongside Aurora to reclaim Elowen’s brand.A week later, the press conference went ahead as planned. Alaric helped Vespera pick an outfit, stayed until she’d finished her makeup, and then drove her to the venue himself.The conference, led by Evelyn, was a disaster for her team. They failed to take over Aurora’s company, couldn’t drive her out of the Pendleton family, and made no progress in placing Yvonne and Elowen as CEO and head designer. Their plans had backfired entirely.Leaving the venue, Yvonne, clearly shaken, stepped in front of a car without looking and was hit, blood pooling around her. Vespera, stunned and dizzy at the sight, would have collapsed if Alaric hadn’t steadied her.Frantically, Vespera fumbled with her phone to call home, stammering, “It’s Yvonne… she’s bleeding so much…”As someone unaccustomed to such violence, Vespera was t
In a desolate small town in Cambodia. In a dimly lit dungeon, Olivia Pendleton was bound to a chair with chains, her body covered with countless whip and knife wounds. Isabella Whitmore had used every torture she could think of on her, watching her suffer, yet not allowing her to die. Now, Isabella looked down and sneered, “The famous Olivia Pendleton, ace assassin, has come to this, hasn’tshe?” She picked up a dagger from the table and severed the tendons in Olivia’s right hand. "Ouch!” Olivia screamed, gasping for breath, stammering, “Why? Why... are you doing this?” “Because you’re nothing but a lowly servant, a mere tool of the Abyss Group. Dominic Ashcroft is mine! This is what you get for seducing my man!” Isabella viciously stabbed the dagger into Olivia’s thigh, twisting it. Olivia’s leg instantly became a bloody mess. “I’ll tell you, Dominic and I will be engaged soon, and your influence in the Abyss will be uprooted by me. You, a nameless orphan picked up from nowhere,
Aurora returned to her room, gathered all the random pills, and put them in a bag, planning to have them tested at the hospital later. Right now, losing weight was the top priority! Aurora was 5 feet 8 inches tall, similar to her height as Olivia Pendleton, but while Olivia weighed only around 90 pounds, this body weighed 150 pounds. With this weight, let alone training, even daily travel was inconvenient. Aurora took out her notebook and quickly devised a weight loss plan for herself, including daily diet and exercise. This was the winter vacation of her senior year, and she had two months off. She had to lose weight as quickly as possible so she could enter high society and gradually get closer to Isabella Whitmore. At dinner, Aurora ate only an apple and then went out for a run. After running a kilometer, she was already panting. She couldn’t believe it; she used to be able to run ten kilometers with weights! When she returned home that night, Sebastian Pendleton was waiting in
Unbeknownst to them, half a month had passed, and the old man's birthday was fast approaching. Aurora had managed to reduce her weight to 120 pounds. Although still slightly chubby, she looked quite slender and shapely, especially with the added muscle from her recent exercise.Aurora walked to the ancestral home behind the villa, where generations of Pendletons had lived. The old man resided in the ancestral home, while the newer villa in front was occupied only by Sebastian's family.The old man was astonished by Aurora's transformation. She had been so plump before that it was almost unseemly, but in just over twenty days, she had slimmed down so much.Not only had her figure improved, but her eyes were no longer weak as before. The lively and spirited young girl before him was really his granddaughter?Aurora approached with a beaming smile, asking, "What do you think, Grandpa? Can I attend your birthday feast?"The old man had almost forgotten the joy he felt when Aurora was born.