Heath was sitting in the back seat of the car, and Kieran could feel the temperature inside the vehicle drop several degrees. Something was off.Just a couple of days ago, Aurora was getting along well with their CEO. What had happened today to cause a quarrel?Heath rubbed his temples, suddenly recalling Aurora's repeated phrase, "you don’t have to worry about me." For some reason, it reminded him of Olivia's words from behind the screen, "It's a private grudge, you don’t have to worry about me."The same cold defiance, like an angry little lion, baring its teeth and claws.He casually asked, "Still no news of Olivia?""We missed the opportunity at the internet café that day, and there's been no news since," Kieran replied.Heath looked out the window, thinking of the internet café. Aurora had been there that day too.He felt he was becoming obsessed. Aurora was just a powerless high school student, while Olivia was a fearsome ace assassin. How could they be related?"Sir, Mrs. Song's
Little Fish, being a new servant, hadn't been assigned a specific position yet. Aurora simply told Mr. Leen that she wanted Little Fish to take care of her daily needs, and he agreed.Little Fish happily followed Aurora, chirping, "Miss Aurora, you've really lost a lot of weight.""Losing weight isn't enough; I need to exercise more. My physical condition used to be terrible," Aurora replied."Are you going to the gym outside, Miss Aurora?" Little Fish asked."No, I've signed up for one-on-one boxing training. That's where I'm going," Aurora said."Miss Aurora, you'll look so cool once you learn it!" Little Fish exclaimed.Aurora smiled, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Harris approaching. She quickly turned and pretended to retch against a tree.Little Fish was frightened and asked urgently, "Miss Aurora, what's wrong?"Aurora clutched her stomach, giving Little Fish a knowing look, and snapped, "Why are you shouting? Do you want everyone to know?"Little Fish immediately fel
"Mr. Whitmore, seems like you ain't keen on discussing business?" Heath was getting a bit impatient."Miss Aurora, are you alright?" Little Fish asked.Ever since Aurora heard Heath in the video, something felt off. Little Fish sensed that Aurora had suddenly turned into a shield, putting up all her defenses in an instant.And now, Aurora wasn't just a shield; she was like a cat that had its tail stepped on. She looked scared but also as if she wanted to pounce and take a bite. Her fists were clenched, trembling slightly.Hearing Little Fish, Heath looked up at Aurora.Her face was pale, almost bloodless. Her eyes were filled with a mix of fear and resentment, glaring at the laptop in his hands as if she was about to leap over and devour it.Initially, Heath had no intention of paying attention to Aurora. Ever since their inexplicable clash, he had considered her nothing more than an interesting young lady, hardly worth his concern.But now, her current state left him no choice.Heath
Aurora left the hospital and took Little Fish to a nearby park. After sending Little Fish off to grab some snacks, she found a bench and pulled out her backup phone.She had too many contacts on her main phone, so she'd gotten a new one on the side.Dialing Jasper Bennett's number, Aurora waited a long time before he finally answered. "Hello?""Jasper Bennett, it's me," Aurora said."Olivia?" Jasper sounded surprised. The voice was strikingly similar to Olivia's."No, I'm not Olivia," Aurora frowned.Aurora and Olivia had identical faces and nearly identical voices. She needed a good explanation to gain Jasper's trust. After all, the concept of reincarnation was hard to believe."Who are you, then? And how do you know my contact info?" Jasper questioned."I'm... Olivia's sister," Aurora claimed."Olivia is an orphan. Where'd she get a sister from?" Jasper was skeptical."Six months ago, Olivia had a mission in China and met me. We're twins. You'll believe me when you see me," Aurora co
Heath descended the stairs, finding Little Fish trying to persuade Aurora to head home early. He was so focused that he didn't notice a man sidling up to them. "Had too much to drink?" the man inquired.Little Fish glanced nervously at the stranger. "Nah, I'm good. The driver's coming soon."The man persisted, leaning in closer. "It's late. Let me give you a ride."The smell of alcohol hit Little Fish's face, making her slightly nauseous.Heath stepped in, grabbing the giggling Aurora by the arm. "Let's go," he told Little Fish."Mr. Fairbank, ah, sure, let's go." Little Fish was a bit surprised, but she knew she was safe with Heath around.The man, seeing his chance at a drunk beauty slipping away, blocked Heath. "Hey man, ever heard of first come, first served?""Scram!" Heath shot the man a dismissive glance.Aurora tried to wriggle her hand free, but Heath tightened his grip, not having time for distractions."What's your problem, man?" The guy was getting agitated.The commotion c
Heath shoved Aurora aside and stormed back to his room, knife in hand, slamming the door shut with a loud "bang."Stumbling, Aurora fell to the floor, puzzled. Why did Dominic abandon her again?Sitting on the floor, Aurora couldn't help but shed tears of helplessness.Back in his room, Heath tossed the fruit knife aside and flopped onto his bed.Thinking about the nonsense Aurora had just spewed, he began to doubt. Was this Aurora the same girl from the Pendleton family he once knew?Lysander had said that Aurora used to be chubby. Now she was slim. The drugs should've made her dumb, but she seemed sharper than ever.And all that rambling about fighting, shooting, being killed, and betrayed—what kind of life was that for a high schooler?Recalling how pitiful Aurora looked, clutching at his shirt and crying, Heath felt irritated. He got up, opened the door, and found her curled up on the floor under the dim light.Heath sighed as he looked at Aurora, dressed in a white nightgown, her
Aurora had a restless night filled with bizarre dreams. One moment she was drinking with Jasper Bennett, the next Dominic Ashcroft was picking her up, and then she saw Isabella Whitmore shooting Mike dead.The thought of losing Mike and Arno made her heart ache so much she could hardly breathe.When the cab pulled up to the Pendleton house, Aurora and Little Fish got out. She told Little Fish to go rest while she headed to her room.Walking into the mansion, Sebastian was nowhere to be found, neither was Madeline. Sophia was lounging on the living room couch, flipping through a fashion magazine, while Maxwell was on the other side of the couch, typing away on his laptop.Sophia looked up as Aurora walked in, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Oh, you remembered you have a home? Where'd you go gallivanting last night?"Aurora didn't have time for her. All she wanted was a shower and a change of clothes; she felt grimy.Ignoring Sophia, she turned to head upstairs. Sophia wasn't having it
Aurora arrived at the sales office, donning oversized sunglasses that hid most of her face, leaving only her delicate chin exposed.A sales rep immediately approached her. "Miss, what kind of property are you interested in? Any preferred locations?""I want a villa," Aurora declared.The sales rep's jaw nearly dropped. Though their clientele was generally wealthy, it was rare for such a young girl to ask for a villa right off the bat.Quickly ushering Aurora into the VIP room, the sales rep served her tea and pulled up property listings on a tablet. "Miss Aurora, we have a wide range of properties. How big of a villa are you looking for? Do you have a budget or a preferred location? I can recommend the most suitable options."Aurora skimmed through the listings, most of which were priced above 5 million. Her current budget was nowhere near enough. She'd have to make a down payment and figure out the rest later."I don't need a prime location, but I do need a lot of space. There are fiv
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,