تسجيل الدخول“So why go looking for trouble with her? We just do our job and leave it at that.”George froze.At first, he’d thought his partner was wrong.He was a police officer—his job was to serve the public.Why should he ever back down in front of power?Shouldn’t he be the one standing up to it?But hearing it laid out like that, something shifted.Aurora hadn’t broken any laws. She was simply doing what she was supposed to do.If he pushed it further and tried to take action against her over nothing, it wouldn’t hold up.A flicker of hesitation crossed his face. He didn’t quite know how to look at her now.His partner spoke again, voice steady.“Think about what we’re actually responsible for. Don’t waste time on someone who isn’t part of the problem.“And right now, she’s helping move the case forward. That works in our favor.”“Yeah. I guess it does.”George’s attitude shifted quickly, the earlier tension easing.His partner was right—Aurora hadn’t done anything wrong. There was no reason
A cold glint flickered in Aurora’s eyes.If that made her seem ruthless, so be it. She hadn’t started this.If Edwin had made the first move, why should she be the one to back down?If she kept holding back, he might really start to think she was easy to push around.People like that only pressed harder when they sensed weakness.Aurora knew that all too well.So, this time, she meant to make her stance clear.She wasn’t someone who could be bullied.If she didn’t act, Edwin would only take it as fear.But that wasn’t the case.She simply hadn’t had the right opening before.Now that she did, she wasn’t about to let it slip.At the very least, she had to help the police find something.If the evidence wasn’t uncovered soon, it could disappear with time.And when that happened, people would forget. The truth would fade.Aurora refused to let that happen.Not while Edwin was still out there, untouched.At the very least, he had to face consequences. Only then would this be over.Because
At that, George’s composure cracked, panic flashing through him.He hadn’t expected his partner to take it so seriously.He hurried to smooth things over, forcing a conciliatory smile. “Come on, don’t be like that. You know me. I was just joking. I’ve always had a sharp tongue, that’s all.“And besides, she didn’t exactly handle things well before. Why shouldn’t I say something?”His partner didn’t argue and just gave him a firm warning.“Say whatever you want in private. But if that gets said out loud where someone else can hear it, I won’t be able to cover for you.”That was enough to make George falter.His gaze shifted uneasily, the message landing. His partner was looking out for him.Because people like that, especially the wealthy, never forget.They held grudges and saw things through to the end.That was exactly why his partner kept reminding him.He knew George wasn’t a bad person, just careless with his words and never thinking about the consequences.He’d been lucky so far.
Ian swallowed, almost instinctively.“At the time, everything was running smoothly. I handed the mic over to Mr. Lewis. He just needed to give a short opening speech, and then we were ready for the ribbon-cutting.”“And then?”So far, nothing sounded out of the ordinary to Aurora.Just like Ian said—everything had been in order. There shouldn’t have been any issues.But in the next moment, Ian shook his head, clearly reluctant to go on.Aurora placed a steady hand on his shoulder, grounding him.“It’s alright. I’m right here. You can tell me anything.”Her expression turned serious. “What matters most right now is finding whoever did this. We can’t let them get away with it. It’s not fair to Mr. Lewis and everything that’s happened to the studio is because of them.”Ian gradually steadied himself.Maybe he had been overreacting. It had already been a few days.If someone really intended to target him or Aurora, they would’ve acted by now.The fact that nothing had happened suggested t
He cleared his throat.“Alright, that’s enough. Now’s not the time to catch up. Let’s finish what we came here to do. Dinner’s on me tonight.”“Got it, boss.”Ian wiped his face, still sniffling. “It’s not just me. Henry and Hannah miss you too.“They didn’t want to bother you, but they’ve been asking me about the studio, trying to find out what’s going on.”He let out a helpless sigh.“We’ve been too easygoing. Didn’t expect things to turn out like this… some things really catch you off guard. We should’ve been more careful.”Hearing their names, Aurora felt a quiet stir of emotion.When everything happened, the two of them had gone silent. She’d assumed they’d already moved on.She hadn’t expected them to still be asking after the studio through Ian.The thought left her unexpectedly moved.What had she done to deserve a team like this?“Invite them tonight too. But for now, we focus on the site. There might be something the police missed.”“Understood.”This time, Ian answered witho
Aurora gave a soft “mm” and was about to hang up when Ian’s hesitant voice stopped her.“Boss, how long are you staying in Ravenshore this time?”There was a trace of guilt in his tone.“I know this is on me. The project turned out like this because I didn’t handle things properly. I let you down.”Even through the phone, Aurora could hear the self-blame in his voice.A faint, helpless smile flickered in her eyes, but warmth spread quietly through her chest.What had she done to deserve an employee like him?And more than that, her team genuinely cared about her opinion.“It’s alright. Just get here, that’s enough.“I’ll be in Ravenshore for about a week. Filming can wait. The studio matters more.“I know you’ve been under a lot of pressure lately. Once this is over, I’ll give you some proper time off.”Aurora wasn’t someone who overlooked effort.She saw what each of her people contributed.She always knew who deserved what.She just didn’t like being taken for granted. Some things di
Leonard couldn’t help himself—he curled his finger and tapped her lightly on the head. “What nonsense are you spouting? Of course I don’t have any interest in her.“First of all, I know exactly what kind of person she is. Second, I’ve never felt anything for her, not the slightest bit of affection.”
At first, she really had thought that way.After all, the hurt Julian had caused her was still vivid in her mind.Those wounds were not something that could be mended overnight.But now, seeing him so pitiful and disheveled, she found that the resentment didn’t sting quite so much.Even the deepest
“Then in that case, Miss, I think I know what kind of place would suit you,” the agent suddenly spoke with more certainty.“But this courtyard house… it won’t be easy to arrange.”Aurora looked at her, not quite understanding what she meant.“Isn’t it just a rental? What’s the difference?” Megan ask
As long as she had him, that was enough. Lucas would always stand by Aurora’s side, never against her.Hearing Aurora’s explanation, Megan also felt it made sense, so she quickly shifted the topic. “But tell me, why is Tessa here at the banquet too?”Aurora’s heart skipped a beat at the question, an







