Aurora threw off the covers and got out of bed, flung open the bathroom door, and rushed in to turn on the cold water. Standing under the showerhead, she tilted her head back as the icy water cascaded over her head and body, temporarily quenching her anger. But it wasn’t long before the discomfort returned, crawling over her like ants. Aurora felt a deep, piercing pain throughout her body, terribly itching and aching. Lucas whispered into Dominic’s ear, “Bro, what do you think of that blonde girl?” Dominic glanced over dismissively and said, “Merely gaudy and vulgar.” Lucas moved closer to look at number eight and remarked, “You like that type? She obviously looks wild and untamable!” Dominic smirked, suddenly reminded of a girl who had been with him for over a decade, equally stubborn and wild. Heath watched on the screen as Aurora first stood under the shower, then submerged herself in the bathtub, holding her breath, and finally sat in the cold tub, banging her head against t
Dominic suddenly turned around and spotted Heath, a somewhat familiar face. His gaze then shifted to Aurora on the screen, and he was reminded of the girl from Weydon Manor, who wore a half-face mask. Her bright eyes and white teeth made her sweet and charming.Heath and Olivia?How did they end up together?Heath casually glanced at Dominic, ignoring his scrutinizing look, and turned away.Right now, Dominic wasn't the focus. Once Aurora was rescued, he would settle scores with her slowly. This girl, having ended up here, had fully exposed her identity. From now on, Dominic would relentlessly pursue her. But what of it? She was his fiancée, his to claim, and no one could take her from him.Heath’s jaw-dropping bid shocked everyone. Five hundred pounds was a significant sum, quite wasted here, but Heath didn’t care. His only concern was the girl in the room, driven to desperation, protecting herself with the few pitiful shards of glass in her hand.In the room, the bodyguard’s walkie-
When Alaric arrived with the doctor, he pushed open the door into the living room and shouted, “The doc’s here, Heath!”From the bedroom came a furious shout, “Get out!” followed by a vague sight of a lamp being hurled toward the doorway.Alaric: “...”Eamon looked around at the clothes and shoes scattered all over the living room and heard faint sounds from the bedroom. He patted Alaric on the shoulder and said, “Let’s go, we don’t need the doctor. Heath’s handling it himself.”Alaric: “...”So, they had been busting their backs all day for nothing, and in the end, Aurora was fine?Eamon dragged Alaric and the doctor out of the room, locked the door for them, and went back to his room to sleep soundly. Today, no matter what happened, even if it was the end of the world, they weren’t going to bother Heath, or it’d be the end of them.The next day at noon, Aurora finally woke up groggily, feeling like a truck had rolled over her, with every bone seemingly broken and reattached. She man
Last night, when Aurora returned to the hotel, she evaded Heath’s persistent advances and managed to keep him at bay. Heath was now akin to a wolf who has tasted the lamb.Whether Aurora slept dressed or undressed, Heath insisted that both were attempts to seduce him, proclaiming confidently, "As long as you're by my side, you're seducing me."Aurora, helpless, took her blanket to sleep on the couch, only for Heath to bundle her up, blanket and all, and carry her back to bed—determined to sleep while holding her, discomfort be damned.Aurora found this man's behavior a bit too exaggerated. Not sure if everyone was like this, but she knew tonight was off-limits if she hoped to get up tomorrow to meet Mrs. Strider.The next morning, Aurora woke up early, dressed, and applied light makeup. Together with Heath, they left to visit the Striders.The Striders situation was quite complicated. Years ago, Mrs. Strider married Mr. Strider and bore Alaric. However, Mr. Strider was unfaithful, pro
"Elowen!" Mrs. Strider sounded a bit upset: "Are you here to make trouble at our house today? If you are, I'm gonna have to ask you to leave. We're having a family dinner, and outsiders shouldn't be here.""No, no, I'm here to see Alaric..." Elowen looked at Mrs. Strider with a hurt expression. She didn't understand why Mrs. Strider just didn't like her, always mocking and sneering at her."Alaricisn't here. Come another day," Mrs. Strider said impatiently. She was annoyed just looking at Elowen's pitiful face. Elowen always used her victim act as a weapon, dangling it over Alaric, just like those fox spirits who used to haunt her ex, using pity to manipulate without any real skills."My family is having financial troubles right now. Could you possibly lend me some money..."Elowen stopped Mrs. Strider and said,Elowen was desperate. Her family was on the verge of bankruptcy. If she didn't
Dominic rested his chin on his hand, listening to his subordinate’s report without saying a word for quite some time. The subordinate stood there with his head lowered, barely daring to breathe.They all knew better than anyone that Dominic Ashcroft might seem like a charming and elegant gentleman on the surface, but in reality, he was more ruthless than anyone could imagine. His methods were fearsome, to say the least. Since the disappearance of the legendary ace, Olivia, Dominic’s temper had become even more unpredictable.Now, after following that scoundrel from the Whitmoresto theSALE venue, Dominichad inexplicably taken an interest in a woman there. He had used the intelligence network of the Abyss to dig into this woman’s background thoroughly, only to find nothing but trivial matters. How could someone with such a lowly background compare to Isabella Whitmore?Dominic squinted h
Aurora was momentarily stunned. With such a grand setup, were they not going to abduct her directly? And they were inviting her so calmly.Alaric held onto Aurora, looking at the man, and asked, “May I ask who you are? And what do you want with Aurora?”The man just gave Alaric a brief glance before looking at Aurora again and said, “Miss Aurora, please.”His expression was very kind, and he spoke very politely, but his words carried an undeniable tone of authority. Besides, they didn’t really have any grounds to argue.The man had brought over twenty bodyguards, while Aurora had only brought five people out shopping today. The odds were clearly not in their favor. Moreover, Mrs. Strider was there, and if a fight broke out, she could get hurt.Aurora tugged on Alaric’s arm and said, “Don’t be impulsive, your mom is here.”Alaric understood the gravity of the situation too, but he had promised Heath that he would protect Aurora until he returned the day after tomorrow. If Aurora was mi
Aurora had no choice but to wander around the villa. The place was quite spacious, and she had already explored most of it.She'd toured the entire villa but couldn't find a single landline or computer. It seemed like there were no electronic devices in this place, except for the massive TV in the living room.These people were dead set on not letting her contact the outside world! She wondered how Heath was doing. Alaric must have told him she was kidnapped again, but this time, the treatment was much better. Heath must be worried sick. She had to find a way to reach out soon.Aurora had been cooped up in the villa for two days without anyone visiting her or giving her a hard time. Besides not being allowed to leave or make calls, she was living pretty comfortably. She even asked for crab roe buns, and that very night, two baskets of them appeared on the dining table. As long as she behaved, these people seemed willing to cater to her every whim.But who were these people? Why had th
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,