Aurora, still lost in thought, headed to the bathroom to freshen up. As she turned around, she suddenly found herself staring into a pair of warm, gentle eyes.It was Lucas.Her heart skipped a beat.Noticing the bit of foam still clinging to the corner of her lips, his gaze softened with quiet amusement. He stepped toward her, closing the distance between them.Aurora blinked in confusion, feeling a slow heat creep up her ears. “What is it?”Lucas didn’t answer. Instead, he simply reached out and wiped the foam off her lips with a feather-light touch. “You missed a spot.”She exhaled, finally realizing what he was doing.“Oh god,” she scolded herself internally, get a grip."Come eat when you're ready. I made breakfast."His deep voice carried a casual warmth, but the sight of him in an apron…Aurora quickly turned back to the sink, twisting the faucet handle and splashing cold water onto her face.She had to get it together.Lucas, watching her reaction, smirked slightly, finding
Aurora had no intention of acknowledging Joseph.Trash was trash. Give it attention, and it might start thinking you actually cared.She moved to walk past him without a second glance, planning to leave Walton Corporation altogether.But Joseph spotted her. His gaze flickered, and the humiliation from last night’s banquet came rushing back.Rage ignited in his chest.He strode forward, blocking her path, his eyes sweeping over her with open hostility.“Well, well,” he sneered. “Looks like landing yourself a sugar daddy really changed things, huh? “You almost had me fooled with that whole pure and untouchable act. Does your little pretty boy know you’re like this?”Aurora curled her fingers into a fist, resisting the urge to land a punch on him right then and there. For the sake of Walton Corporation’s reputation, she held back.“A filthy mind sees filth everywhere,” she said coldly. “If you’ve got nothing better to do, then get lost.”Joseph let out a mocking laugh. “You really think
Aurora noticed the curious glances from the front desk and lowered her voice."I'm warning you—this is Walton Corporation," she said, her tone sharp and deliberate."If you’re serious about chasing after the Walton younger heiress, maybe try not humiliating yourself in her company building."With that, she shoved Joseph away, her expression filled with undisguised disgust like she was looking at something rotting on the sidewalk.As if to make it even clearer, she pulled a tissue from her bag and wiped the spot on her hand where he had touched her.Joseph’s chest heaved with suppressed anger.But recalling what Aurora had just said, he swallowed his frustration and held back."You just wait," he spat. "Once I meet the Walton younger heiress, I’ll make sure she gets rid of you."Aurora let out a low, mocking chuckle. "I wish you the best of luck."With that, she turned on her heel, the sharp clicks of her high heels echoing across the floor as she walked away.Joseph stood frozen for se
"You’re looking for the Walton younger… what business do you have with me?"Tessa's tone was casual, almost uninterested.Joseph, however, was thrilled.See? No woman could resist his charm. Not even the renowned Walton younger heiress.He flashed a confident smile. "I heard that Miss Walton is not only breathtakingly beautiful but also elegant and incredibly capable. With such a reputation, how could I not want to get to know you?"As he spoke, he even threw in a flirtatious wink.Tessa barely resisted the urge to shudder.Her entire body tensed with revulsion."Just here to make friends?" she asked, her voice laced with mock curiosity.Joseph’s expression turned suggestive. "Well, we could take things further. Spend some more time together, get to know each other better."Tessa’s sharp eyes narrowed slightly.Talking to this clown for even one more second is going to kill my brain cells.And to think that he had spent all this time running around trying to find Aurora?What did that
Grace's expression darkened even further.Aurora had already embarrassed the Walton family once by being involved with that man.And now?She still hadn’t learned her lesson?A heavy sigh of disappointment settled in Grace’s chest.She looked at Tessa and instructed, "Tessa, I know you have a kind heart, but this is something you don’t need to involve yourself in."She’s a grown woman now. She needs to be responsible for her own choices. She can’t always rely on us."Tessa hesitated for a moment, as if she had more to say, but in the end, she sighed and nodded."I’ll listen to you, Mom. I just hope my sister can be more sensible and not make you worry."Every word was laced with quiet concern, full of warmth and understanding.Grace looked at her thoughtful, considerate daughter, and inevitably, her mind drifted to Aurora.The comparison was unavoidable.And though the dissatisfaction passed in a fleeting moment, Tessa caught it clearly.A slow, knowing smile curled at the corners of h
"Aurora, just listen to me, okay? Give me a chance."Aurora’s patience snapped. "Let me go!""Do you even realize how disgusting this is? Don’t forget that you have my sister!"At the mention of Tessa, a flicker of something unreadable flashed through Julian’s drunken gaze.But instead of stopping, he tightened his hold, pulling Aurora closer."But we were supposed to be engaged first.""Aurora… I’ve always liked you."The moment those words left his mouth, a wave of revulsion crawled down Aurora’s spine.Her stomach churned, her skin prickling with sheer disgust. She fought against his grip, her movements frantic, but his strength—fueled by alcohol and determination—kept her trapped."Julian," she hissed, her voice shaking with anger. "If my sister finds out about this, she won’t let you off."She forced herself to meet his flushed face, bile rising in her throat."You’re engaged to Tessa. Everyone knows it. Do you think you can just pretend that doesn’t exist? Who the hell do you th
Hearing Tessa’s voice, Grace’s heart ached even more. Tessa was such a good child—she had just walked in on her own sister with her fiancé, yet she was still trying to comfort her. But then, Julian suddenly spoke. “Tessa, it’s my fault.” The moment he said that, all three women in the room turned to look at him. Even Aurora couldn’t help but glance over, surprise flickering in her eyes. Was he actually planning to admit to what he had just done? Tessa choked up. “Julian, how could you…” Even Grace’s expression turned uncertain. Had she wrongfully accused Aurora just now? But the next second, Julian looked remorseful. “I drank too much today. I was lying on the couch, a little out of it.” The moment Aurora heard this, she felt something was off. Sure enough, Julian continued. “I didn’t expect Aurora to come over and start saying all sorts of things, blaming Tessa for taking her engagement.” He lifted his head, his eyes slightly red, looking utterly innocent. T
Julian strode over to Tessa’s side, his face full of concern. “Tessa, are you okay?” “You’ve always been frail. Don’t cry anymore, alright? Seeing you like this makes me feel awful too.” He reassured her again and again. “Don’t worry. There’s nothing between Aurora and me. I only see her as a sister because of you.” Grace stood on Tessa’s other side, equally focused on her daughter’s health. In contrast, Aurora was painted as nothing more than a spiteful villain in this scene. At that moment, something clicked in Aurora’s mind. She had thought that staying out of their drama would be enough. But clearly, these people had a talent for being insufferable, one after another throwing themselves in her way. “Alright, Julian.” Aurora curled her lips in a mocking smile and nodded. “You really know how to talk. Even now, you still won’t admit it.” “What exactly do you want me to admit? Can’t you see how upset Tessa is? How can you still be so unreasonable?” Hearing this, Gr
Aurora stood in front of the wardrobe, feeling a little awkward.Looking at Lucas like this, she wasn’t sure what she felt.Usually, he was cold and aloof, like someone untouchable.The only times his emotions ever surfaced around her were in bed.Other than that, he always appeared gentle, calm, and composed.This was the first time she’d ever seen Lucas so helpless.Aurora couldn’t help but lower her voice. "Lucas, let go of me first.""No..."His head felt increasingly foggy, but he was still fully aware of what he was doing.With that thought, he tightened his arms around her.Only then did Aurora realize something wasn’t right.She pushed aside the confusing mess of emotions in her chest, turned around, and pressed her palm to his forehead. She gasped, "You're burning up! Are you running a fever? Did you take any medicine?"Lucas stubbornly clung to his need for an answer. "Don’t be mad at me, okay? Rora, I just want an answer. Nothing else matters.""How can it not matter!" Auro
The manager looked a little puzzled. "Sort of. We do have quite a few conflicting projects with Walton Corporation, but don’t worry, Miss Shaws, we and Walton…"Before he could finish, Wendy cut him off. "I already know the rest. Just assign me to the projects that go head-to-head with Walton Corporation."The manager was stunned.To be honest, Walton Corporation was indeed a formidable competitor. On top of that, they’d recently aligned themselves with Vanguard Group. Their standing in Ravenshore had surged dramatically."Miss Shaws, you haven’t been in the country much, so you might not be too familiar with Walton Corporation. They’re actually quite capable."Wendy replied with obvious displeasure, "So what? If they weren’t, I’d find it boring. I want this project. You don’t need to worry about the rest."Here, Wendy was putting on her full heiress airs.The manager clenched his fists, recalling what the higher-ups had said. In the end, he nodded without realizing it. "Right, got
Now that she’d come to terms with it, Tessa knew she couldn’t let things keep going smoothly for Aurora. She needed to start planning for her own future. Sitting nearby with a soft, pleasant smile, Tessa appeared to everyone else like the embodiment of warmth and grace.But to Aurora, it felt unsettling. That smile of Tessa’s reeked of falsehood—she was definitely up to something. Aurora’s eyes flickered with a trace of coldness, but she pushed down the feeling and stayed quiet. After breakfast, Grace and Aurora shared a car to the office. The ride was surprisingly pleasant, as if last night’s tension had completely evaporated. Aurora liked this kind of peaceful interaction, and she didn’t have the heart to ruin the rare calm. Unfortunately, the moment didn’t last long, before she knew it, they had arrived. Each went to her own office and got to work. Aurora was already well-versed in most of the company’s operations. The only thing left on her plate was evaluating
Aurora nodded as Grace spoke. "Alright, Mom. I understand." But Grace could tell she hadn’t really taken her words to heart. She couldn’t help but add, "This was your choice, Aurora. No one can walk it for you. "If it’s the path you chose, then you have to stick with it. What truly matters is the two of you are doing well." Aurora lowered her gaze. She understood exactly what her mother was getting at. It was just like the past when she chose to be with Joseph. "I get it, Mom. You should get some rest. I’m an adult now." She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and looked at her mother, speaking clearly and steadily. "Don’t worry. I can handle a lot more than you think." Grace felt a flicker of comfort in her heart. "That’s good. Our little Rora really has grown up." Aurora froze for a moment when she heard that. It had been a long time since her mother had called her by her nickname, and she wasn’t quite used to it.Grace noticed the way her daughter paus
Aurora shut the door behind her, completely unaware of Tessa’s furious muttering downstairs. Not that it would’ve mattered—she couldn’t care less. Tessa was only acting this arrogant because their mother wasn’t home. Without anyone to answer her, Tessa sat fuming alone in the living room, her cheeks flushed with anger. She raised her hand, ready to sweep everything off the coffee table in a fit of rage when Grace walked through the front door. "What’s wrong, Tessa? Your face is all red. Are you feeling unwell?" No matter what her daughter had done at those business events, Grace couldn’t bring herself to stay mad. Tessa was still her child, the one she’d doted on since she was little. Even if she was upset, she couldn’t truly be angry with her. Tessa was briefly caught off guard.She quickly pulled herself together and responded to her mother’s concern. "I’m fine, Mom, really. Aurora just got back, and I was a little worried something might’ve happened to her out th
"This ungrateful brat!" The assistant beside him spoke up timidly, "Mr. Hunt, should we find a way to get the Mr. Joseph out?" "Of course!" Melvin looked furious, burning with shame. "At a time like this, what else can we do but get him out?" No matter how disgraceful his son was, once the news got out, it would be the Hunt family’s reputation on the line. What would happen to Hunt Enterprises’ stocks then? He couldn’t afford to take that risk. Seeing Melvin’s expression ease a little, the assistant finally breathed a sigh of relief and went off to find someone to figure out how to get Joseph out. Joseph was already in jail but still hadn’t fully processed what had happened. Aurora had really thrown him straight into jail like that? "Hey! Let go of me!" Joseph yelled at the officers. "Do you even know who I am? How dare you treat me like this!" One of the officers rolled his eyes. "I don’t care who you are. If you’ve broken the law, you’re not getting away with it.
All it did was make Aurora feel like her past self had been unbelievably naive.But Joseph kept going, oblivious to her discomfort. "Those were our best memories. I still remember the first time you blushed, the way you looked in that white dress—so sweet and shy. “You were always so gentle and soft when you were with me… it was such a beautiful time."As he spoke, he watched her face closely, searching for some flicker of emotion.But to Aurora, hearing those words from him made her skin crawl.The more he went on, the more irritated she became. Her expression turned colder by the second.She reached for her phone, ready to call a ride. Staying here any longer felt like a direct assault on her intelligence.Joseph noticed the gesture. That was when it hit him—she hadn’t been listening to a single word he said.And in that moment, he felt like a complete fool.He had poured out his heart, and yet this woman—this ungrateful bitch—could still be so heartless.His eyes darkened. He
Aurora’s anger ignited the second those words left his mouth.Without hesitation, she slapped Joseph hard across the face, her voice sharp and cold. "What the hell is wrong with you?"This is still Walton Corporation, and you think you can throw a fit right here? Whether I talk or not is none of your damn business. Try worrying about yourself."The slap caught Joseph completely off guard. Before he could react, Aurora had already snatched her phone back.He clutched his cheek, momentarily stunned, not even sure where to look.Rage overtook him. "You bitch! You actually hit me!"Aurora raised her chin defiantly. "So, what if I did? You brought it on yourself."Joseph couldn’t stand the smugness in her expression. Grinding his teeth, he snapped, "You think you can just cut me off like that? It’s not gonna be that easy!"Aurora, we were together for three years. Don’t forget, I’ve seen everything. You're not afraid I’ll send it all out?"His threat made Aurora pause, eyes narrowing as s
After all, this was a choice, and a gamble, Aurora had made for herself.Even if she lost the bet, she knew she'd have to deal with the consequences on her own.She pulled out her phone, opened the ride-hailing app, and was just about to book a car when a voice laced with fury and bitterness cut through the air."Aurora Walton, you’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?"The sudden sound startled her. She hadn’t even noticed someone standing nearby.Steadying herself, Aurora looked up, only to be met with Joseph’s face, dark and twisted with resentment."Well, look who’s changed careers," she said dryly, unable to resist the jab.Joseph blinked, caught off guard. "What’s that supposed to mean?""Nothing much. Just surprised to find a clown performing right outside my office," Aurora said casually. "Now move. Stop blocking my way."At that, Joseph’s expression twisted. The fresh style he’d worked so hard on couldn’t hide the rage contorting his face. "What the hell does that mean? I ca