They chatted a bit more, and then Kieran mentioned they had arrived at home. Heath had been on a long flight and must be exhausted. Aurora quickly said goodbye, telling him to rest without worrying about her. Heath wished her goodnight and hung up.Aurora had been feeling pretty down and irritated with everything going on, and Heath’s absence didn’t help. But that phone call lifted her spirits. Just hearing Heath's voice and chatting with him for a bit made her feel a lot better.When Heath told her that if things got too tough, she could always come home, Aurora knew he didn’t mean the Whitmore or Pendleton homes. He meant Heath’s home, their little place together. It was their home.That gave Aurora a sense of security. No matter how badly things might go, she knew she could always retreat to their home in the capital, where Heath would be waiting.Feeling a lot better, Aurora told the driver to take her home. She leaned back in the rear seat, closing her eyes to rest. It had been a
Mr. Whitmore was initially listening to Isabella talk about Aurora with some reservations. After all, Aurora had just taken over the work at the company, and there was already a huge mess that even involved the media. It was clear she might not have the skills needed for the job. He was even considering that if Aurora couldn't handle it, she'd have to give up her deputy director position. Not just anyone could fill that role.But now, with Aurora casually calling him "Grandpa," Mr. Whitmore suddenly forgot his earlier frustration. Aurora's resemblance to her mother, both in looks and demeanor, always made him feel a bit more protective and fond of her.Especially considering her mother had been away for over twenty years, and Mr. Whitmore hadn't heard anyone call him "Dad" in all that time. Bringing Aurora back home was a big deal, and hearing her call him "Grandpa" carried the same emotional weight as if his daughter had called him "Dad" again. It was enough to move him deeply."Auro
Isabella was sipping on her milk when Rosie smiled at her and said, “Mr. Whitmore is quick-tempered. Right now, he's all about protecting Aurora. If you keep pushing him to handle this, you'll only make him angry, and it won't be worth it.”“What should I do then?” Isabella put down her milk, sighed, and said, “I've set this up perfectly. Aurora is stuck, but now grandpa is ignoring the whole thing. Isn't all my effort wasted? If Aurora manages to calm grandpa down, she'll still strut around the Whitmore house, and I won't be able to do anything about it!”“We just shouldn't clash head-on with the old man. When the time is right, we'll deal with Aurora,” Rosie said.“Easy for you to say!” Isabella glared at Rosie. “Now grandpa treats Aurora like a treasure. When has he ever been so kind to us? How are we supposed to wait for the right moment to deal with her?”Seeing Isabella frown, Rosie felt a pang of heartache. He said, “When she makes a mistake that's too big to cover up, even gra
Isabella stared blankly at Aurora. She really couldn't wrap her head around the question at first, but since Aurora asked it, she obviously knew the answer. Isabella was curious too, why was it?Aurora shook her head helplessly and looked at Isabella, saying, "Cousin, why would a man go out of his way to help a woman like this? It's either for love or money. Do you think Rosie would be lacking money?"Isabella's eyes widened. "Are you saying... he wants...""It's you," Aurora said, her eyes firm and undeniable. "Rosie helps you because he likes you. Probably has since you were kids. I wonder if Grandpa knows about this, or if Mr. Ashcroft does? If they knew a Whitmore servant was so entangled with you, what would they do? Cousin, what do you think?"Isabella's face turned red, then pale. She clutched the seat, her fingertips white. She glared at Aurora. "You're talking nonsense! That's impossible!"Aurora smiled. "Why is it impossible? You're stunningly beautiful. It's normal for a ma
The woman was already frantically fumbling for her phone, and Aurora chuckled and said, “Are you really going to call Isabella right now? How are you going to explain this? That you guys were having a private chat and got eavesdropped by me? What do you think she’ll do to you? Will she come back to help you out and kick me out of the room, or will she just deny everything and blame it all on you?”Wolf hesitated, looking at Aurora. “We… we had an agreement… we already agreed… we…”“You agreed that Isabella would stay hidden, let you guys put the blame on me, and then the company would naturally pay up. In the end, I’d be the scapegoat, and Isabella wouldn’t be involved at all. But now, I know the truth, and I’ll drag Isabella out into the open, letting everyone know she’s the mastermind. Did you agree on that too? Did she ever tell you what to do if you got caught?” Aurora asked with a smile.Wolf stared at Aurora without saying a word. The woman hid behind her husband, too scared to
Aurora chuckled and said, "Yeah, just keep setting me up. What else can you do? Are you gonna go and accuse Isabella Whitmore right now? That'll just get her to turn on you and land you in jail. Totally pointless.""But..." Wolf hesitated, not understanding what Aurora's plan was."No buts. I'm trying to minimize your losses and get you out safely. As for dealing with Isabella Whitmore, I've got a plan. I'll let you know when the time comes," Aurora said."Alright, we'll follow your lead," Wolf nodded.Aurora stood up, looked at him, and said, "You better mean what you say, because I have a hundred ways to make sure you rot in jail for the rest of your life!"She had been smiling ever since she entered the room, making Wolf think she was friendly and approachable. But now, her face turned cold, and the look in her eyes was something they had never seen—deadly and icy.Only now did Wolf and his wife realize what kind of woman they were dealing with. Aurora had been pushed to the edge b
Isabella was sitting on the couch, silently mulling over what Aurora had just said. Maybe Aurora didn’t mean anything by it, but Isabella had her own thoughts. She was determined to find out who had leaked the information to the media, so naturally, she was following Aurora’s line of thinking.Aurora had said that there were only three people with the means and motive to do this, but in Isabella's eyes, there was only one.To Thursto, the family was far more important than she was. He would never sabotage the family just to mess with her, so he was out.As for Dominic, there was no way he’d help her out of his own accord. Even if she begged him, he probably wouldn’t do it. They were just a seemingly affectionate engaged couple on the surface, but Isabella knew what their relationship was really like.That left Rosie. Rosie, who had always helped her unconditionally since they were kids, would definitely do whatever it took to deal with Aurora, simply because Isabella hated her. She ha
Rosie really wanted to be with Isabella. He wanted to chase after her boldly, just like Aurora suggested. But with Isabella avoiding and even hating him this much, how could he get close to her?Aurora, lounging on the couch, asked, "But how do you know that Dominic doesn't like my cousin?"Rosie frowned, clearly disliking the mention of Dominic Ashcroft. "I've seen them together. Dominic Ashcroft doesn't want to be near her, doesn't even want to talk to her!"Aurora clicked her tongue and said, "If he doesn't like her, and she still wants to marry him, she's in for a tough time!""No way! I won't let her suffer!" Rosie immediately retorted. To him, Isabella was the woman he would protect for life, and he couldn't allow her to be hurt.Seeing this, Aurora nodded and said, "Then go tell your grandpa to let her marry you."Rosie sneered, "Do you think I'm an idiot? Isabella is the Whitmore family's precious gem. They've been planning this marriage with Dominic for years. Now that it's a
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,