Isabella shoved Rosie aside and ran out of the bedroom barefoot. She didn't want anything else now - she just wanted Aurora dead!That child was her only bargaining chip, her only way out. Now with the baby gone and Dominic super pissed at her, breaking off the engagement was just a matter of time. She was stuck here, couldn't go back to the Whitmores. All because of Aurora Pendleton!Isabella grabbed a fruit knife from the living room and sped off to the Whitmore house in her car. She didn't care about anything anymore. Aurora killed her baby, so she was going to make Aurora pay with her life!At the Whitmore houseAurora was curled up in Heath's arms, anxiously scrolling through her phone. She kept rubbing her belly, then suddenly sat up on her knees and looked at Heath. "Hey, maybe we should go to the hospital for a check-up one of these days?""Check-up? For what? Are you feeling sick?" Heath asked, concerned.Aurora shook her head and sighed in frustration. "Isabella said today t
Aurora finally started to get it. If she said Rosie had told her about Isabella’s pregnancy, Isabella would probably deny it. She was totally speechless now. It looked like she really did go to Isabella on her own to make her miscarry.The whole thing seemed complicated, but it was actually pretty simple. Aurora never hurt Isabella's baby and never even thought about it. Someone was trying to frame her and screwed over Isabella in the process.But now, anything Aurora said was useless. The whole living room echoed with Isabella's shrill screams, crying that Aurora had killed her unborn child and demanding Aurora's life in return.Isabella wasn't faking it at all. She was genuinely heartbroken. After all, she'd been hoping for this baby for so long. It was her biggest - maybe only - bargaining chip to get back and marry into the Ashcroft family. Losing this baby didn't just mean losing her baby; it took away all her hope. She was like a drowning person, desperately struggling to surviv
The next day, Aurora carefully went through the surveillance footage from the previous night. She did take the medicine from the kitchen, but she gave it to Rosie when they got to the suburbs. Then it was Rosie who prepared the medicine and served it to Isabella.She couldn't really spot anything suspicious in the footage. The main issue was that the cameras only covered the living room, so there was no way to see if anyone had messed with the medicine in the kitchen. And once they were in the suburbs, Aurora had no idea who might have tampered with the drugs.While she was racking her brain trying to figure out how to clear her name, she heard a commotion downstairs. Aurora went down and saw Dominic standing in the living room, looking furious and waiting for Mr. Whitmore to come out.Mr. Whitmore came downstairs and asked, "Dominic, are you here to see Isabella?"Dominic scoffed and said, "See her? No need. I'm here to call off the engagement!""What?" Mr. Whitmore was shocked.Auro
Mr. Whitmore waved his hand, not even looking at Isabella, and signaled the servants to take her back to her room. As the servants helped Isabella up the stairs, she was still laughing loudly, almost falling over and nearly tumbling down the stairs.Mr. Whitmore turned to Dominic and let out a heavy sigh, saying, "Dominic, you should head back now. I'll sort out this whole engagement cancellation thing with your family!""Yes, sir. Thank you for taking the trouble to come here, and for all your care these past few days," Dominic said politely, as if he'd still be on good terms with the Whitmores even without his connection to Isabella.The old man sighed again and turned to go upstairs. Watching his shaky steps, Aurora suddenly felt like he had aged a lot in that moment. She looked at his retreating figure with sadness, knowing that this wasn't over yet. When Isabella truly hit rock bottom, it would be an even bigger blow for the old man.As soon as the old man went back to his room,
Mr. Whitmore was furious as he looked at the investigation results. He'd worked his ass off managing his family business for so many years, never imagining it would nearly be ruined not by competitors, but by his own precious granddaughter. This time, no one could beg for mercy on Isabella's behalf. The amount of money she'd embezzled, cooked the books for, and used for drugs and gambling was enough to lock her up for life!Aurora watched coldly as Mr. Whitmore chewed out Isabella in the living room. Cups were smashed all over the table as Isabella cried out, "Grandpa, I didn't do it! It really wasn't me! I never did any of this!"Mr. Whitmore coughed angrily and threw the documents in his hand right in Isabella's face, yelling, "You didn't? Isn't this your account? Didn't you take this money? How did our family end up with such a disgrace like you!"Though Thursto felt for his daughter, the facts were clear as day. There were no loose ends - the paper trail of Isabella transferring c
Isabella's laughter was so loud and terrifying, it was like a thunderclap in the dead of night. A few servants rushed into her room first, then ran out screaming. Soon, lights were on all over the Whitmore house as everyone woke up.Aurora and Heath walked to Isabella's doorway and took a quick peek inside. They saw Rosie lying on the floor with a knife in her chest. Isabella was covered in blood from head to toe, still laughing like a maniac. Her pure white nightgown was soaked in bright red blood, looking like blooming flowers. The servants crowded around the door, curious but too scared to get close. In just one night, Isabella's room had turned into a murder scene.Poor Rosie. Isabella looked pitiful too, but the fact was she'd killed someone. And her involvement in the money laundering scheme was real too. The cops showed up pretty quick, cleaned up the scene, and took Isabella away.As they dragged her off, Isabella was still laughing crazily, shouting, "I killed you all! You're
As dawn broke, nurses wheeled the old man out of the emergency room and into a hospital room. The doctor said he had a heart attack relapse and needed rest. He couldn't handle any more shocks.Since the doctor ordered rest, Aurora didn't plan on bothering him. She was about to head home with Heath to get some rest when a nurse came out and asked, "Who's the patient's granddaughter?"Aurora was taken aback. She stood up and said, "I am.""The patient's awake and asking for you. You can go in now," the nurse said.Aurora looked back at Heath, confused about why the old man wanted to see her right after waking up. Did he know something? Heath put his arm around Aurora's shoulders and said, "It's okay. If you don't want to go in, we can just head home."Aurora shook her head and said, "I'll go see what's up. Wait for me, okay?"Heath nodded and watched Aurora walk into the hospital room. He sat in the waiting area, waiting for her to come out.Aurora entered the room. The old man was lyin
For the past couple of days, Mr. Whitmore had been in the hospital. The doctors said his health was poor and his emotions unstable, so they wanted to keep him under observation for a while. Aurora couldn't just leave at a time like this, so she stayed at the Whitmore house, visiting the hospital daily to check on Mr. Whitmore. It was the least she could do to show some filial piety.The drama with her mother was from a previous generation. Even if Aurora resented theM and felt angry on behalf of her mother, she couldn't harm an elderly man like Mr. Whitmore. She thought that even if her mother were alive, she wouldn't want Aurora to treat her father badly. So Aurora let go of her grudges and stopped asking questions. She would wait for the old man to recover, then leave them behind for good.A week later, before Mr. Whitmore was discharged, Aurora learned that Isabella had been released on bail. The reason? Isabella was deemed mentally unstable. Her accidental killing of Rosie was att
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,