The crazy mess of last night is behind them. Aurora actually got a good rest, she and Heath got up early and went for a jog. When they strolled back, the servants were already bringing breakfast to the table. Aurora and Heath went back to their rooms to shower and change, and when they came down to eat, the only one there was Mr. Whitmore.Aurora looked around, a bit puzzled, and asked, "Didn't my cousin come back?"The servants all shook their heads, saying Isabella hadn't been home all night. Aurora was stumped - she had snatched a collaboration project from Isabella, and was planning to take even more of her projects at the company. But Isabella hadn't come home to complain or try to sabotage her. This was so unlike her proud and haughty cousin.Since Isabella was a no-show, Aurora had to sit there and eat her breakfast obediently, even though she was seething inside.But then Mr. Whitmore suddenly said, "I heard the client was especially satisfied with your performance yesterday?"
So yesterday, she used shady tricks to snatch the collaboration project away from Isabella Whitmore's hands. That became her ticket into the Whitmore Corporation. But last night, Isabella was totally wrapped up all over Dominic, didn't even have time to care about Aurora wrecking her big plans. Who would've thought that overnight, Aurora Pendleton would swoop right into the Whitmore Corp, and even score the Deputy Director position? This chick is straight up bad news! She ain't here for some family reunion, she's here to snatch up their assets! She's basically a thief, a robber!Isabella didn't catch a single thing said in this meeting, or any tasks or goals set. She was just straight up death-staring Aurora like she wanted to murder her with her eyes, glaring daggers and wishing she could toss her out of this whole building!But Aurora was listening real intently to the boss's speech. Until it ended, and the chief suddenly asked, "Anyone wanna do some goal planning for the next hal
For Isabella, Olivia's face was a nightmare she wanted to bury for life. And now Aurora's appearance, her repeated provocations, almost made Isabella certain that this was Olivia, but also not Olivia.She knew Aurora was rescued from a SALE venue, but with Olivia's skills, how could she possibly end up sold at one of those places?This Aurora was delicate, fragile, a genuine rich heiress with the grace and poise of high society, yet also lively and adorable like girls her age. She had Olivia's face but didn't seem to have Olivia's body.So Isabella was confused - was Aurora claiming to be Olivia to declare war, or just using the dead woman's name to scare her? How did Aurora know Isabella killed Olivia? Who told her? Would she tell Dominic Ashcroft?Countless questions swirled in Isabella's mind. For the first time, she didn't know how to handle someone. But her principle remained the same as with Olivia - whether enemy or rival, just find a way to get rid of them. She would never let
When Olivia was all in with Dominic, he kept her hidden, afraid others would find out he had a hitman who couldn't show her face. To be worthy of Dominic’s circle, Olivia paid with her life.But now, she's totally let go, feels relieved, and doesn't want anything to do with Dominic Ashcroft anymore, nor stand by his side. And suddenly, he shows up wanting to marry her.How ridiculous it is. The deaths of Olivia and many others suddenly turned into some trivial joke. The life and death of them all meant nothing against Dominic’s whimsical decision.Aurora wiped her eyes, looked at Dominic with a smile, and said, "What makes you think I’d want to marry you?"“Because I can give you the strongest support, help you quickly take over the Whitmores, because I’m one of the richest people in the US, and I promise I’ll be faithful after we’re married,” Dominic rambled on confidently, as if asking such a thing was a privilege, expecting any woman to kneel gratefully at his feet.But to Aurora,
Heath took Aurora to the street food market. Aurora missed the flavors here, pulling Heath from one end of the street to the other, eating until they were so full they could barely walk.Back home, Aurora dragged Heath straight to their room to rest, but it wasn't until later that night, as Heath leaned against the headboard, that he finally said, "Rory, I need to go back.""Huh?" Aurora didn't catch on at first."I need to return home," Heath explained.Aurora was stunned for a moment, then realized why Heath had suddenly shown up at her office and patiently roamed the streets with her—it was because their time apart was imminent.It should have been expected. The vast Fairbank Corporation needed someone to oversee it, and Heath had been away for too long. Even Alaric couldn't manage the company indefinitely on his behalf; many decisions required his personal touch, something not achievable through calls or emails.So, this was Heath bidding her farewell.Because he knew Aurora could
Aurora blinked in surprise, scrambled out of bed, and asked, “What happened?”“Remember that project you were overseeing? The construction in the real estate district? A corner piece just collapsed,” her assistant said, voice trembling.“Collapsed? Did it hit anyone?” Aurora snapped awake and sat up immediately.Accidents on construction sites are no small matter. Collapses that result in fatalities aren’t rare, and if mishandled, the incident could blow up. The Whitmore Corporation would not only face public outrage, but the entire area’s investment plans could be ruined.“It did. A worker was right there and couldn’t get out in time. Luckily, it only hit his leg, and he’s been taken to the hospital. Ms. Whitmore is there calming everyone down,” the assistant explained.“Ms. Whitmore? Isabella Whitmore? What was she doing at the site?” Aurora was stunned.“Ms. Whitmore had lunch with some partners and stopped by the site to check on things, and that’s when it happened. She’s at the h
Aurora had just reached the hospital room door when the worker's wife spotted her, her eyes lighting up. Aurora frowned instinctively, not liking this kind of reaction.The worker's wife immediately opened the door, ushering Aurora in. As soon as she entered, the woman started sobbing about how her husband was the sole breadwinner, who thought working for the company meant good treatment and high wages, only to face this tragedy. Listening patiently, Aurora asked, "Hasn’t our company already agreed to compensate for the loss?"The company had agreed to a compensation totaling about two million, which was a fortune for a worker's family—enough for them to live comfortably for the rest of their lives without needing to work, and possibly even buy a decent house. Aurora couldn’t understand why they were still making a scene. If they felt the compensation was insufficient, they should just say so, as crying incessantly was just testing her patience.As soon as she mentioned this, the woma
The woman didn't say the company wouldn't compensate or how much they would compensate, just that they wouldn't give a penny more. Crying and shouting like that made the reporters think that they refused to compensate or the amount was too little. But in reality, they were offering two million in compensation, which is hardly a small amount.When the reporters asked Aurora all those questions, she hadn't even answered yet when the woman grabbed her, asking if she agreed to the compensation. This question was full of hidden meanings. If Aurora hadn’t been in the entertainment industry for so many years, she might not have caught the trick.On the surface, the question seemed fine: “Do you agree to compensate?” But the problem was in how to answer. If Aurora said she agreed, then combined with their earlier conversation, it would turn into Aurora agreeing to compensate five million. The woman could then immediately tell the reporters, and if Aurora tried to refute, it would make the com
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,