Alaric was taken aback. Did Vespera really hate him that much? Enough to throw away a purse he had touched?He let out a bitter smile, and his hand, which had been reaching for the car door, faltered. It felt like all his courage had been tossed into the trash along with that bag.To be honest, Alaric knew he had made mistakes in the past, but he had acknowledged them and made an effort to change. He stubbornly clung to Vespera, believing they were meant to be together. He thought it was fine for him to take the initiative as a man, but now he was starting to doubt everything.Did Vespera truly love him? Alaric began to question whether it was right to chase after a girl like this, without any dignity.It seemed like he was always the one making the effort. Even during their time together, he was the one constantly seeking her out. If he didn’t reach out, she wouldn’t either. This one-sided relationship left him feeling exhausted and powerless, as he never saw any real response from h
Vespera glared at Yvonne, seething with anger. It had always been like this since childhood. Yvonne constantly took what was hers, even though she already had all the love and expectations from their parents. She would steal Vespera’s toys and tear her old dolls to shreds, always with the same excuse: “It’s yours, so I can do whatever I want with it.”But Aurora & Vespera wasn’t just some old doll. It was her career, her dream, her dignity—her only hope of leaving this family and making it on her own. She had poured her heart and soul into this brand, working tirelessly on designs, because it was what she loved most.And now, Yvonne waltzed in, demanding that Vespera hand over Aurora & Vespera. Just like that.There was no way Vespera would give it up. This brand was hers, and no one could take it away!“No way! I’ll never give it to you!” Vespera snapped. “And Elowen better not touch my designs!”The thought of Elowen getting her hands on her work made Vespera sick. She couldn’t bear
Vespera squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for Yvonne's assault. She'd signed the contract to protect Cheryl, never imagining she'd have another chance to escape.Suddenly, the roar of an engine pierced the air, followed by the screech of brakes. A sleek sports car screeched to a halt beside Vespera, the wind from its arrival tousling her hair.Vespera stared in disbelief as a man stepped out of the car. Dressed in a suit and wearing an uncharacteristically serious expression, his gaze was razor-sharp. He strode over, pulling Vespera behind him, and to everyone's shock, slapped Yvonne across the face!Alaric, the city's notorious playboy, had actually hit a woman!He hadn't held back. Yvonne's cheek instantly swelled and reddened. She gaped at Alaric, her voice trembling, "How... how dare you to hit me?"Yvonne had probably never imagined that her pretty face would be slapped by a man.Alaric glared at her coldly. "So what if I hit you? Try anything else, and I'll end you.""Hah,
They were avoiding each other - one upstairs, one downstairs - neither willing to make the first move. The standoff lasted all afternoon, with Alaric only sending up ice packs for her through the maid. By dinner time, he couldn't take it anymore and went upstairs to call her down.He knocked on the door. No answer. Thinking Vespera was still angry, he knocked again. "Ves, dinner's ready."Still no response. He had to fetch the key to unlock the door, only to find her still lying in bed.He gently shook her shoulder, but she didn't stir. When he turned her over, he was startled by her flushed face. Her forehead was burning hot.After calling her name twice with no response, he immediately scooped her up and rushed downstairs, shouting for the staff to get the car ready - he needed to take her to the hospital.Usually for medical emergencies, they'd just call Lysander over. But ever since Aurora ran off to America to find Heath, Lysander had been summoned there by Eamon as well, leaving
Alaric was casually eating dinner, serving her some vegetables as he said, “You shouldn’t go back to the apartment for a while. Heath and Aurora are having some issues, and I can’t really check in on Evelyn and the others right now. Just lay low for a bit, and we’ll figure out how to get your stuff later.”Vespera nodded, asking, “Is Aurora okay?”Alaric paused for a moment. “She’s fine. Eamon and Lysander are there to help!”Vespera knew that if Alaric was worried, it must be serious, but there was nothing she could do. The best she could manage was to stay out of trouble.After dinner, Vespera wandered around the garden, rubbing her stomach. The staff smiled gently at her as she leaned against her waist. Vespera couldn’t quite understand why they were smiling, so she strolled for a bit before heading back inside.That week, Alaric seemed to have flipped a switch. He had been indifferent, but suddenly he was overly attentive, asking her how she was all the time. Vespera found it all
After sending her message, Vespera dozed off waiting for Alaric's reply.Meanwhile, Alaric walked into the bar and found Elowen crying in the private room. "What's all this about?" he asked, frowning."Are you just going to ignore me forever?" Elowen looked up at him with tear-filled eyes.Alaric gave her a cold look. "You're worried about that now? Weren't you happy enough taking Vespera's position?""It's not like that!" Elowen sniffled. "I just... I just wanted what I deserved. I'm a designer too!""Right, Miss Designer," Alaric sneered. "And getting what you deserve means taking what belongs to others?""How can you say that? You know I'm not like that!" Elowen cried, grabbing his sleeve.Alaric shook her off. "No, I don't know what you're like anymore. I thought you were still that sweet, innocent girl from childhood. But I was wrong. You're fake, selfish, manipulative, even cruel - stirring up trouble between Heath and Aurora while playing the victim with me. You're not the Elow
Why would he be at a bar so late looking for someone? With Heath and Lysander out of the city, and Zane under Soraya's constant watch, who else could Alaric possibly be meeting?Vespera gave a bitter smile. She realized she had no idea who Alaric's other friends were. When he wasn't at home or at office, she never knew where he went. Yet somehow he always seemed to know exactly where to find her. She had laid herself bare before him while remaining completely in the dark about who he really was.She tossed aside her phone, only for a new notification to pop up - a social media check-in from Elowen at a bar, posted just fifteen minutes ago.Suddenly, Vespera let out a hollow laugh. Now she understood the source of that mixture of alcohol and perfume she'd smelled on him. The late-night bar visit made perfect sense now. How utterly predictable - the same old patterns, the same old lies.Though perhaps "lies" wasn't quite right this time. He hadn't actually lied, and she hadn't pressed h
After dinner, Vespera quickly wiped her mouth, mumbled something about needing to run an errand, grabbed her bag, and rushed out. Alaric, watching her leave, thought she must be going stir-crazy from being cooped up at home, so maybe getting out for a bit would do her some good. But then he remembered Evelyn and her persistent meddling, so he discreetly sent two bodyguards to follow Vespera.Alaric sat down to browse the latest news. Not long after, a servant rushed in, announcing, “Zane’s back!”Alaric blinked and saw Zane stride into the living room. “Oh? Soraya finally let you go?”Zane kicked off his shoes, collapsed onto the couch, and groaned, “Don’t even mention that woman. She makes me sick. If it weren’t for Cheryl, I’d have tossed her off the balcony ages ago!”Alaric chuckled, “Soraya’s a goddess to some, you know. What’s she done to make you hate her so much?”Zane rolled his eyes. “Elowen’s someone else’s goddess, too, and yet you can’t stand her either.”Alaric’s express
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,