Two days later, Aurora got the news that Maxwell had become the new CEO of the Pendleton Corp, supported by a majority shareholding. They were going to throw a big party to announce and celebrate this.
While flipping through some documents, Aurora couldn't help but sigh, "In the end, the company is Maxwell's. Even if I expose their secrets, I can't change grandpa's will."
Heath, sitting beside her, said, "You can change things if you really want to."
Aurora turned to him and asked, "What do you mean?"
"Do you want the company or not?" Heath pressed.
Shaking her head, Aurora replied, "No, I only wanted it to use as leverage against Isabella. I'm not actually interested in these properties, but it feels like letting grandpa down if they end up in someone else's hands."
Heath stroked her hair and said, "Then take it back. It's rightfully yours."
Aurora watched Sophia's expression and couldn't help but chuckle. Sophia was always like this—timid and prone to stirring up drama.Evelyn, holding Elowen's hand, came over and asked, "Sophia, what are you guys talking about?"Sophia turned around, struggling to speak, while Elowen gently asked, "What’s wrong with Sophia? Has someone been bullying her?"Aurora laughed and said, "Does Elowen always think so darkly? Just because someone’s quiet, it means they’re bullied?"Elowen chuckled and said, "Not really, but seeing Sophia with you looking all upset, it’s easy to think something bad’s happening."Aurora continued with a smile, "Here I am talking to the Pendletons and I have you all scared, not sure if it’s me who’s troubling or if you’re just being a busybody!"“Aurora! How can you say that!” Evelyn glared at her and said, “How can you talk to Elowen like that?”Aurora burst out laughing, "Sis, you guys are super close. Are you two both planning to marry into the Fairbank family?"
Sebastian was defeated by Madeline's tears. After all, this was the woman he'd cared about for so many years, and any doubts he had were just fleeting before he instinctively chose to trust his wife.Looking at Aurora, Sebastian snapped, "Are you not happy unless you've wrecked everything? What kind of occasion is this? What day is it, and you're still causing a scene?"Aurora shot Sebastian a cold look and said, "Maybe you've forgotten, but from the moment you brought that woman into our home, I was already devastated!"The crowd was buzzing with chatter. The elite society ladies all knew Madeline had moved up from being the other woman, but no one would say it except today, Aurora boldly stated this fact in front of everyone.The slideshow originally displaying the grand territory of the Pendleton family suddenly switched to display a series of Madeline's bills, detailing when and where she went to hotels, with clear records shown on the big screen, furiously snapped by reporters.A
Sebastian charged at Madeline like a wild beast, yelling, "Bitch! You bitch! I'll kill you!"Madeline had never seen Sebastian this terrifying before. She hid behind Simons, which only made Sebastian angrier. He frantically searched around and, finding only a dinner knife at the table, grabbed it and tried to rush forward, but security grabbed him.Simons pulled Madeline behind him and said, "Honey, let's get out of here! He's totally lost it!"Madeline nodded frantically, feeling if she stayed any longer, Sebastian would definitely kill her.As she and Simons turned to leave, security blocked them. Aurora smirked and said, "Look, after our family has taken care of your son for so many years and Madeline has been fooling around with my dad behind his back, you really think you can just walk away like nothing happened?"Madeline stared at Aurora, trembling with fear. She was scared—Aurora was like a devil. She should have strangled her when she was young!"What else do you want?" Madel
Maxwell laughed but didn't answer Aurora's question. Instead, he suddenly said, "Aurora, I can't use the Pendleton surname anymore."Aurora was taken aback. His words inexplicably saddened her. He said he couldn't bear the Pendleton surname anymore because he wasn't a son of the Pendleton family. Sebastian had disowned him, and from now on, he had no connection to this family—an outcome caused by Aurora.She knew she hadn't done anything wrong. Maxwell was no relation of hers, possibly even the son of her enemy. Staying with the Pendletons, he would have sided with Evelyn to drive her out. She was just protecting herself by speaking the truth.But that's how it sometimes is; you tell yourself you did nothing wrong, yet you feel guilty and sad about the results.Aurora didn't know what to say to him. She wanted to leave, but Maxwell was leaning against her car door. She hesitated for a long time before saying, "I need to go now.""Where to? We've both left the Pendletons, Aurora. You c
The whole way, Heath was all dark and gloomy, not saying a word. He went to pick Aurora up, but ended up overhearing Maxwell's mushy confession. This guy had been eyeing his girl for years!And now he wants to compete openly for her? Wants Aurora back by his side? Can’t stop thinking about her? Wants to hold her and kiss her?Heath was more than just mad. If he had a gun right now, he'd blow away this clueless fool in a heartbeat!Aurora was sitting in the passenger seat, sneakily glancing at Heath, not daring to speak. His face was so dark it was scary, but even angry, this guy was still a looker. Aurora couldn’t help but daydream.When they reached their destination, Heath parked the car and got out. Aurora immediately ran after him. Heath walked fast, and she hurriedly followed him into the elevator.Once home, Aurora gently tugged at Heath’s sleeve, her voice soft, “Don’t be mad…”“I’m sorry, it’s my fault…”“I know I was wrong…”“Babe, please don’t be mad…”Her soft, sweet voice
"Thane's birthday party is in a couple of days. Come with me?" Heath said to Aurora."What for?" Aurora asked."Evelyn will be there. You're not coming?" Heath pushed.Aurora was a bit torn. Really, Evelyn marrying Thane had nothing to do with her. Marry him if you want, and they weren’t going to live together anyway.Heath cleared his throat and added, "Elowen will be there too.""Then I’m in!" Aurora quickly said.She hadn’t forgotten that Elowen was always parading around, pretending to be Heath’s childhood sweetheart and fiancée, fooling even Evelyn into thinking they might both marry into the Fairbank family.Aurora didn't care about anything else, but the Elowen thing really disgusted her. Who would want another woman daydreaming about marrying her man?"It's time Elowen stopped bouncing around and for Evelyn to see she backed the wrong horse. Elowen isn’t leading anyone into the Fairbank family," Aurora thought.Sneaking closer, she asked, "So, are we going public with this?"H
At the Fairbank’s.Evelyn was all dressed up today too, wearing a haute couture light purple evening gown, her noble and mysterious demeanor shining through. She held Thane's hand, navigating through the crowd, greeting the guests with a smile, fully embodying the role of a hostess.Thane was quite pleased. Evelyn was stunningly beautiful and eloquent, making her a great companion to show off. He planned to speak to his grandfather again—marrying Evelyn seemed like a good idea, especially since she was the only Pendleton left. Marrying her would be like inheriting the entire Pendleton fortune—a sure win.During a quiet moment, Evelyn found Elowen and asked, “Elowen, why hasn’t Heath arrived yet?”Elowen chuckled awkwardly, “Sorry, Evelyn, he’s too busy to make it…”Just as Elowen finished speaking, a commotion at the door erupted. Evelyn grabbed Elowen's hand, “Come on, let’s go see what's happening.”They approached the door, where many guests were buzzing about the two Maybachs that
Aurora shook her head helplessly and said, "Sis, you're hopeless. How on earth do you think you can outsmart me?"Evelyn didn't believe it. Staring at Aurora, she smirked sarcastically and said, "You're not going to tell me that Heathlikes you, are you? Or did he propose? Aurora, have you lost your mind again?"Aurora replied helplessly, "Forget it. Since you don't believe it, there's nothing I can do. Just remember, I warned you. You’re backing the wrong side here."Aurora and a few others, including CherylandVespera, went to the lounge area, grabbed some snacks, and sat on the couch chatting and eating. Cheryl sighed and said, "Aurora, is Evelyn kind of dumb or what?"Munching on a pastry, Aurora mumbled, "Who knows! Let's just ignore her."The three were chatting about recent life and gossip when a man, Maxwell, walked past. Aurora looked up, alarm bell