In this family, there was never a day of peace.Ever since Maxwell could remember, Madeline constantly talked about moving into the Pendleton family mansion, telling him he was a descendant of the Pendletons and destined to return to his roots.At that time, Madeline and Sebastian were only secretly dating, careful not to be discovered by others.After Evelyn was born, Madeline became bolder. Every time Sebastian visited their house, she would nag him about when he would let her and their children move back to give them a legitimate status.Later, she even brazenly dated Sebastian, taking Evelyn to the Pendleton mansion to cause trouble. She told them the woman living there was evil, having stolen their father, and taught them to insult and attack her.That woman was Aurora's mother, her name was Callista or something.Evelyn, not knowing better, would always yell at Callista and even throw things at her. But Maxwell always felt that she didn’t seem like a bad person.Not long after A
Aurora saved the video and exited the study, inquiring, "How did you obtain this video? Isn't that hotel under the Song family's ownership? How could they possibly release it to you?""Now it's not," Heath stood, moving to pour some water."What do you imply?" Aurora expressed her confusion.Kieran stepped in at the opportune moment, clarifying, "This morning, our boss finalized the acquisition of the hotel under the banner of Fairbank's."Aurora was rendered speechless.The magnitude of acquiring such a prestigious hotel seemed understated."Ethan was amenable to selling it to you? It is, after all, his inheritance," Aurora struggled to grasp the reality."I had dealings with his father; he doesn't have the prerogative to interfere," Heath declared."The hotel industry has been languishing in recent years, and their hotel's performance has progressively worsened. For Mr. Song, our boss's offer to purchase at a premium provided an escape from this burdensome asset," Kieran expounded.
The following day, Sophia confirmed in an interview that she was indeed the actress featured in the video. She disclosed her inability to sleep and extreme emotional instability due to the incident, lamenting the fact that the person involved had yet to come forward with an apology. Sophia's brief interview video swiftly ascended to the top of trending searches and led the click-through rates on major websites. Zane found himself once again embroiled in controversy due to his lewd behavior towards the female star. "Some fans demanded conclusive evidence? They now possess it. Are they content?" "Must this individual be psychologically disturbed? With such immense wealth, why resort to such despicable acts?" "I feel profound sorrow for my Sophia... thankfully, she sustained no harm..." "Our princess must be traumatized; consulting a psychologist would be prudent." "I ponder the number of actresses Zane has harassed. It's abhorrent." "Why remains such a person unprohibited?" "He y
On the other side, at the Fairbank Building.Heath was flipping through documents, signing them. He paused to ask, “How is Silas doing?”“Following your order, every time he woke up and tried to leave the hospital, we sent him back in. So, Silas hasn’t been discharged yet, and he refuses any visitors. With bodyguards watching him, he’s probably terrified,” Kieran reported the situation.Heath scoffed, “With such little courage, he dared to have Aurora kidnapped? Be harder on him, find out who helped him with those deeds.”“Yes, President,” Kieran replied.Every day, Silas hid in his hospital room, too scared to leave. He knew the moment he stepped out, a group of men would appear out of nowhere and beat him up. Once, they even nearly drowned him in a lake, pulling him up only when he was about to suffocate. The fear was overwhelming; he didn’t want to die.But as long as he stayed in the hospital room, with bodyguards at the door, no one would hit him, and he could sleep peacefully.T
The following day.Early that morning, a swarm of media journalists had already gathered outside the hotel, buzzing with anticipation for Sophia's press conference. The event was the talk of the entertainment industry, centering around a scandal involving a popular actor's harassment of a rising starlet, all captured on camera with undeniable clarity. Even the extensive influence of the Strider family seemed insufficient to brush this under the rug.The story had not only captured the attention of journalists but also riveted countless viewers to the live broadcast, all eager to see Sophia's response. Speculations were rife that Sophia, cornered by the Strider family's towering influence and resources, was left with no choice but to publicly confront the issue for justice.Promptly at 10 o'clock, Sophia emerged at the entrance of the hotel. Clad in a white dress and devoid of sunglasses, her fatigue was palpable despite her makeup. Cameras clicked relentlessly as she, flanked by her a
Sophia, her face shrouded in her hands, was the embodiment of panic and distress. She insisted with a plea in her voice, "This was the truth, an apology was what I rightfully deserved."Zane, with a sardonic smirk, questioned, "Have we come to a point where artists themselves are the ones managing their PR in showbiz? Sophia, are you devoid of acting roles, or are advertisements eluding you now?"The room, initially shocked by Zane's unexpected appearance on the live broadcast, now simmered with critical murmurs."Could Zane truly be devoid of shame, trying to vindicate himself in such a predicament?""His audacity to smash a reporter's camera. The power behind him must be formidable!""To commit acts so reprehensible and yet to intimidate others? It’s the arrogance born of wealth and power.""Zane dares to face the public and asserts he will unveil the
Sophia, facing Aurora's unwavering confidence, felt a surge of anxiety. The situation had reached a point of no return.Pointing to the displayed screen, Sophia's voice quivered, "During the Film and Drama Festival, Zane... he intruded into my room and attempted to... to..."Struggling to continue, she covered her mouth, tears streaming down. The reporters and audience, witnessing her distress, sympathized deeply.Aurora, maintaining a stoic expression, clarified, "So, what you're suggesting is that Zane entered your room uninvited, engaged in inappropriate behavior, inflicting both physical and emotional trauma, correct?"Sophianodded, her voice lost in the gravity of the moment.Aurora proceeded, "This is indeed a grave accusation. Fortunately, I have secured a surveillance video that comprehensively captures the event." Stressing the word "comprehensively," she handed a
The room was enveloped in a grave silence.They had convened initially to demand justice for Sophia, eager to witness the downfall of Zane and Skyline. Yet, the entire narrative shifted with Aurora's unforeseen appearance.Sophia, once perceived as the aggrieved party, was now exposed as the puppeteer orchestrating the events. Zane's image underwent a radical transformation from a questionable character to a figure of valor. Aurora, seated composedly on the stage, subtly shifted the narrative with her judiciously chosen words.Aurora, surveying the assembly of journalists, articulated, "My presence here extends beyond the incident at Zane's dinner party. It's also about addressing a personal vendetta against Sophia."The large screen came to life, displaying a series of evidences: Aurora's initial pregnancy test report, a confession from a yellow-haired thug acknowledging Sophia's involvement in orchestrating Aurora's downfall, and posts from The Imperial University's forums unmasking
The next morning, Vespera was woken up at dawn, barely getting a few hours of sleep. Known as a dedicated designer, she was usually the first one awake, but today she could barely keep her eyes open. As the stylist worked on her hair and makeup, Vespera sat half-dazed, drifting in and out, completely unaware of the hands tugging her in all directions.Two hours later, with her hair and makeup done, Vespera finally slipped into her wedding dress. The reality hit her, and for the first time, she fully realized she was about to get married.Memories flooded back, particularly that first encounter with Alaric. He’d been sprawled on the steps outside, a bit too tipsy, looking up with half-closed eyes, asking, “What’s wrong with me?” Vespera, surprising even herself, had replied, “Nothing at all.”Back then, he was just a bright, headstrong young man, carrying so many dreams and frustrations. Somewhere along the way, he’d grown into this strong, grounded man. And somehow, after everything,
It wasn’t until a few days after their engagement that it even crossed Vespera’s mind to ask about the villa.Alaric confirmed he’d bought it, explaining that he’d thought she might like it and decided to go for it. As for renovations, he wanted to wait until she officially agreed to everything; after all, they’d eventually need their own place—living with Zane forever wasn’t exactly an option.By now, the news of Alaric and Vespera’s engagement had spread everywhere. Alaric was practically ready to announce it to the world on social media, but thankfully, Aurora stepped in, suggesting he keep things low-key since he was the company CEO. Plus, Vespera wasn’t exactly a fan of the public spotlight.Alaric reluctantly held back but couldn’t resist dropping hints in his friend group chat every other day. Heath and the rest were used to it by now—except Lysander, who constantly complained that he was drowning in a sea of "lovey-dovey vibes," being the lone single guy among them.When Auror
The next morning, Alaric woke up, remembering last night’s events. He pinched himself—no, it wasn’t a dream. Vespera had actually said yes.He jumped out of bed, showered, changed, and even straightened his tie before driving to her studio. There she was, focused on work, wearing a stylish dress and light makeup, looking absolutely radiant.When he walked in, Vespera looked up, surprised. “Finally awake?” she asked with a smirk.Alaric simply nodded, taking her hand without a word and leading her downstairs. She stumbled after him, asking, “Where are we going?”Alaric gently nudged her into his car, driving her toward a villa. Vespera was clueless and a bit shocked, glancing around, unsure of what was happening.They finally arrived at a beautiful villa. Alaric opened the door, and she asked, “Did you just buy this?”&n
The next morning, Alaric was finally over his fever. When Vespera woke up, he was already waiting in the living room. After breakfast, they both headed to their respective offices.Aurora’s team reported they’d successfully returned to the Whitmore family’s estate. For her, that had been a fierce battle. For Vespera, however, the real challenge lay ahead: the design competition.Ever since her last conversation with Yvonne, where Yvonne had hinted that everything she had was due to Aurora and Alaric’s support, Vespera had been determined to prove herself. She wanted to be worthy of Alaric and was pouring all her energy into this competition.After submitting her designs, Vespera anxiously waited at home for results. When the winners were finally announced online, she saw her name in second place. The relief and pride were overwhelming. She had finally achieved something worth sharing with Alaric. Now, with the award ceremony in the UK, she had no choice but to let him know.Expecting
Vespera had reclaimed her brand, and Alaric seemed to be maturing by the day, treating her like she was his entire world. Everything seemed to be falling into place.After that showdown in Alaric’s office with Elowen, she hadn’t shown her face again. Vespera figured it was over, that Elowen had finally given up. Everyone else thought the same.But on the day they took graduation photos, Aurora disappeared. Heath and Alaric eventually tracked her down — Elowen had taken her. Vespera was frantic, blaming herself for not protecting Aurora better.Heath and Alaric couldn’t stop Aurora’s flight at the airport, so they booked tickets to the UK to get her back. Vespera had too much to handle here to join them, so she only saw Alaric off at the airport.He held her close, whispering, “Don’t worry. I’ll be back soon, and Aurora will be safe.”Vespera hugged him back tightly. She trusted him. Alaric and Heath would get this done — Elowen had crossed a line that couldn’t be ignored, and she knew
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
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
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 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,