Annabele's eyes opened in shock; her heart beat in succession as she tried to understand why Caspian had requested that she kneel and apologize to Aurora. To her, it didn't make any sense, and it was a humiliating thing for her to do. She battled with the thoughts of if Aurora had told him everything that happened years ago. That she was the one that drugged Aurora’s drink years back, and what's the orchestrator of their divorce, just all because she could have Caspian? The thoughts made her head spin, and a scream of anger steamed up inside her. She couldn't keep quitting anymore; she needed to know the reason why Caspian wanted to humiliate her and wanted her to apologize to Aurora in public; she felt like it was nothing but an absolute disgrace. “Why?” Annabel demanded furiously, her voice raised, looking deeply into Alton's eyes, then back to Aurora. “Why exactly do you want to humiliate me like this in front of this bitch?” She spat out words, obviously at Aurora, with deep hat
Caspian was frozen as he stood for a moment; he couldn't believe what had just been revealed to him. He was hit by the weight of Aurora words like a tidal wave. He was shocked that Annabelle was behind everything—the lies, the pictures, and the manipulation. He couldn't believe that she had manipulated him, ruined his marriage, and destroyed his trust in Aurora, and he fell for the lies—every bit of her lies. He squeezed his fist behind him as he gawked at Annabel in annoyance. His eyes were full of flames of fire; he was furious as he tightened his jaw. He wanted to scream at her for every evil thing she had done; he wanted to lash harder on her; he wanted to slap her across the face to make her feel all the pains he had gone through, which he had caused him for the past years.However, he held back and forced himself to control his anger; he didn't want to lose it now; he didn't want to lose it in front of Aurora. He didn't want her to think he was still the same man who had hurt h
"Aurora! Aurora!" A scream shattered the peaceful environment, and a car screeched to a halt beside the roadside; two young ladies emerged and rushed towards two girls who were chatting and laughing. "Aurora!" She called out again, and as the girls turned in their direction, she shoved one of them forcefully, sending her tumbling to the ground."You, you poverty-stricken girl. Do you think you can push me off the stage and get away with stealing all the applause and praise that rightfully belong to me? Absolutely not! How dare you think you can outshine me?" Annabel roared as she glared at the helpless girl on the ground.Undeterred by the fall, the girl got back on her feet, dusted herself off, and was about to walk away with her friend when Minty, Annabel's friend, grabbed her in anger, accidentally stepping on her leg."You stepped on me?" Minty raised her eyebrows in disbelief, glaring at Aurora with her mouth agape."How dare you step on my friend?" Annabel snarled, her hand risi
Aurora attempted to rise, but excruciating pains coursing through her body kept her grounded. Some onlookers rushed to their aid, offering assistance getting them both up. Just then, Theodore's wife, Evelyn, appeared, balancing the food ingredients she had gone to buy on her head."What happened, my husband?" she exclaimed, dropping the food ingredients to the ground as her eyes saw the wasted engine oil and the mess in their office and apartment. Tears welled up in her eyes as she asked, "Who did this to us? What happened?""Harrison came demanding the money; where am I supposed to get such an amount from?" Theodore uttered, his voice filled with anguish."I'm sorry; let me help you inside. You need to clean up from this mess first," Evelyn said, guiding her husband through the cluttered entrance to their apartment. "I'm relieved they didn't reach the bedroom; you must shower first. I'll go prepare food for you right away," she added as she led him into the bathroom.Hurrying to chec
"This is unbelievable; it can't be! There must be some kind of mistake!" Janet lamented, frustration evident in the firm hits of her hands against the wall. She double-checked the list of winners, but Aurora's name was nowhere to be found. Not only was she absent from the list of winners, but her name also didn't appear among the participants selected to represent their country in the competition against the advanced Western world. Janet felt a wave of anger, wanting to shatter the glass covering the winners' names and tear the paper apart."How on earth did that girl win? Everyone knows you're the best! You should have won this prize, Aurora! What went wrong? Something isn't right!" Janet lamented, bombarding Aurora with rhetorical questions. Aurora Sterling remained silent, her mind ablaze with frustration. It felt as though the ground should open up and swallow her whole. The world suddenly felt empty to her. All her hopes were shattered, and her face contorted with deep pain."Eve
The wedding day arrived, and the venue exuded glamour as Harrison Monroe welcomed dignitaries from far and wide. Rumours quickly circulated that Harrison was marrying a girl young enough to be his granddaughter.Theodore and Evelyn took their seats at the front of the lavish hall, appearing more radiant than ever. Theodore's heart swelled with relief on this day, a feeling he hadn't experienced in a long while. Despite his strong objections to Aurora marrying an older man, he reluctantly accepted it as the only solution to settle the debt. Their faces radiated with joy like never before."Look at that poor girl marrying a man old enough to be her grandfather! It's infuriating to think that we might be related someday. But on the bright side, Caspian, Harrison's handsome son and heir to his business, has returned from Canada. I hope to meet him today and perhaps catch his eye. Who knows, we might even get married," Annabel mused with a hint of anticipation."My goodness, Annabel, Caspi
She stood still, mystified by the urgent call and the need to come home in an emergency. She was sceptical about what she should do first: clean up the mess of the broken cake or dress up to visit her grandparents. With a sigh, she walked to the living room, grabbed a cloth and knelt to scoop up the cake, her hands trembling. Icing smeared the floor as she scrubbed. “What should I do with this now? The reason for it had been trashed!” she thought, her heart racing with worry. She tossed the ruined cake into the trash and wiped the tiles until they gleamed. "At least this way, he won't be more pissed," she thought, standing up and dusting off her knees. She hurried to her room and quickly dressed, putting on a long black chiffon gown and white sandals. She booked a ride and hurried out, her thoughts racing about what awaited her at her grandparents' house. She hoped to be back before Caspian returned.It had been months since she'd last visited. Seeing her grandparents' house in the
"Are you good?" Seraphine asked as she noticed the sudden change in Aurora's demeanour.Aurora forced a nod; her eyes couldn't leave the distressing scene before her. "I... I'm fine," she managed to stammer, her voice quivering with emotion.Aurora allowed Seraphine to guide her into the elevator as she felt her soothing hands tapping her in a comforting way. As they ascended to the VIP room, Aurora's mind raced with conflicting emotions, anger and pain.Aurora was determined to focus on why she was there; she tried to forget the despicable scene of Caspian and the strange lady. The servers warmly welcomed her into the VIP section. Immediately, a variety of delicacies were served at the dining table. Aurora was shocked; she couldn't believe she could experience such luxury."Would you like to have some?" Seraphine asked, offering Aurora a warm smile. Aurora nodded and tried to smile back. She picked up her spoon and took a couple of bites. The food was so delicious, she wanted to excl