At the awards ceremony, Daxton, as a guest performer, sang a song from his new album to rousing cheers.
The host announced the nominees for Best Newcomer, including Sophia, Cheryl, and two other new actors. The winner was Cheryl!
Sophia was stunned. How could it be Cheryl? Her father had made it clear that he had taken care of the jury for her. Could it be that they had not been bought for this award?
Ethan turned to her and asked, "What's wrong?"
Sophia shook her head, "Nothing, just a little disappointed."
Ethan patted her hand, comforting, "It's okay, there are other awards."
Sophia nodded, thinking the Best Newcomer might not be prestigious enough. Her award must be coming later.
After another performance, the Most Popular Male Actor award was announced, and unsurprisingly, Zane won.
Zane stood up, s
Kieran drove like he never had before. If anything happened to Aurora, the boss wouldn't care who lived in those villas; he'd turn the place upside down.At the crossroads where the surveillance ended, Jay leaped out and scanned the ground, then shot up with a revelation, "The right! It's the right road! The villas here usually have sedans, and that van's tires were 185R14s! It's these tracks!"Jumping back into the car, Jay urged, "Drive! Just drive!"As Kieran took the turn, he asked, "You know your tires, huh?"Jay grinned with a touch of pride, "Oh yeah, you pick up on these things... you know, just from around." He scratched his head, almost spilling more than he intended.Heath's gaze was sharp; he knew Jay was no ordinary Joe—no ID, no papers, but with skills that didn't add up.But right now, Heath's only concern was finding Aurora. 
Aurora woke up and it was already the next morning. She blinked open her groggy eyes and sat up, still wearing yesterday's jeans, but her top had been swapped for an oversized T-shirt.Glancing around at the familiar surroundings, she let out a sigh of relief. Yesterday hadn't been a dream; Heath really had come to her rescue.Just as she sat up, the bedroom door swung open and in walked Heath, sporting the same style of T-shirt as hers, his arm carrying a pale pink garment that was unexpectedly cute by contrast."Is this yours?" Aurora pointed at the T-shirt she was wearing."Yep," Heath nodded. "Your clothes were ruined, and since we didn’t have any pajamas for you, I just grabbed something for you to change into."Aurora's cheeks flushed. So, it was Heath who had changed her clothes?Heath sat down beside her bed, looking at her seriously. "I only gave you a quick check for injuries yesterday. Go to the bathroom and take off your pants to check if there are other injuries, and don’
"Rory?" Heath gave her a gentle pat, "What's up?"Aurora snapped back to reality, shaking her head, "It's nothing."Kieran drove them to the hotel, to the same presidential suite with its two bedrooms. Heath carried her into the living room and placed her on the sofa, touching her hair softly, "Play around for a bit, I need to handle some things."Aurora obediently nodded, sitting in the living room flipping through magazines when the doorbell rang.The study door was shut tight. Maybe Heath and Kieran didn't hear it. Aurora stood up to answer the door and froze."Eamon?" It took a moment for Aurora to register his presence, "What are you doing here?""Aurora, long time no see," Eamon greeted her, a bit startled himself.She let him in, "Heath and Kieran are in the study."Eamon nodded and looked back at her, "Aurora, are you visiting the States for fun?"Aurora smiled, "Yeah, it's my first time here. Heath brought me over for a look."Eamon glanced at her and without a word, knocked
Back in her sanctuary, Aurora was a flurry of emotions and hot showers. She glared at her own flushed face in the mirror and gave herself a pep talk – a literal slap of reality – muttering, "Get it together, Aurora. You're acting crazy!"The shock was real – she kissed Heath! Was she sleepwalking or what?She'd never let Heath get away with a kiss before without putting up a fight. What was different now? It dawned on her – he had guilt-tripped her! Her overflowing sympathy had left her defenses down. Yeah, that had to be the reason.In the midst of documents and serious business, Heath was in his room trying to focus but failing miserably. That kiss had left a sweet aftertaste that he couldn't shake off. Aurora was his weakness, and thinking about her just made him lose track of time and sense.He remembered the way she looked earlier, innocently standing on her tiptoes, her cheeks flushed and her eyes wide, fluttering like the wings of a butterfly. It was a snapshot he couldn't eras
Heath, attired in a black suit with a subtle pattern, possessed sharp, well-defined features. He didn't wear a mask, and as soon as he entered the hall, he was the focus of myriad stares. Many greeted him; he acknowledged them with a minimal nod in response.Aurora had been unaware of the extent of Heath's influence in the United States.Heath glanced at her and spoke, "I'll have matters to attend to with Eamon later; don't wander off. Stay and enjoy the banquet."Aurora nodded, intuitively feeling that Heath didn't wish to disclose the details of his business to her.The masquerade ball was a swirl of strangers' faces, with the majority of the men forgoing masks as their presence was business-oriented, not for covert leisure.In contrast, the women companions sported a variety of masks, their attendance purely for the festivities, along with the socialites wearing exquisite makeup, for whom their visage was key to allure the opposite sex - why would they hide behind masks?The bustli
Aurora watched as Carly walked to the door, followed closely by Jasper as they left the hall, presumably to scout the surroundings.Just as she turned around, Heath had come down and walked briskly to her side upon seeing her. Aurora felt a bit nervous, clutching her purse, hoping Heath wouldn't notice."How are you? Tired?" Heath asked.Aurora shook her head: "I'm okay."As music played timely, couples entered the dance floor to dance. Heath extended his hand with a slight smile, "May I have the honor of this dance, Miss?"Aurora smiled, picked up her skirt slightly, and curtsied, placing her hand in Heath's palm: "It would be my honor."He led her to the dance floor, moving to the soft music. Her unexpectedly professional dancing surprised him, "Have you learned dancing before?""Uh... my grandfather had someone teach me," Aurora made up an excuse to get by. The etiquette of these social events was a course she had to learn in the Abyss, or else she would be punished.Heath, dancing
She awoke in Aurora's body, and the very next day, Dominic and Isabella got engaged.All those sweet words, gentle gazes, unbeatable achievements, and her countless scars suddenly turned into the biggest joke.It was all a lie, and she was always Dominic's sharpest blade and most competent pawn.She hadn't thought of Dominic in a long time, her only focus was to kill Isabella, and if Dominic got in her way, she'd take revenge on him too.But she didn't expect to meet him so soon.She thought she wouldn't feel anything, but now, she felt as if her tongue had been taken away, unable to utter even a simple "hello."Heath's expression was beyond bad. He held Aurora's hand so tightly it was almost breaking, but she seemed numb to the pain, showing no reaction.This damned woman, she had never looked at him like that!Since Dominic appeared, Aurora seemed like she had lost her soul!Dominic met Aurora's gaze, feeling a tremor in his heart.In her clear eyes, there was hatred, conflict, desp
Crouched low, Carly sprinted towards the gunfire, while Aurora circled the house to find a large tree. She bent down, hitched up her skirt, and climbed up, adjusting her sniper rifle to find the right position among the branches.Loading, aiming, calculating wind speed, she fine-tuned her scope. The moment her eye met the scope, the green crosshairs filling her vision, she felt like a warrior returning to the battlefield, sword in hand.By now, most of the guests had left. Through her night-vision scope, the red halos that appeared were those engaged in the firefight.Aurora's gaze followed Carly, who, to avoid stray bullets, had to advance quickly, bent at the waist. Circling the bushes around the house, Carly took advantage of the distraction provided by the gunfire and slipped into the underbrush.A hand slowly emerged from the bushes, waving in the night. Aurora knew Carly had joined up with Jasper.But the gunfire around them was intensifying. Carly and Jasper could barely sneak
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,