After flinging Linda aside, Aurora gracefully took out a wet wipe and carefully wiped her fingers, one by one. That action only infuriated Linda even more. Once she recovered, she charged forward, ready to confront Aurora. "Aurora, you bitch! How dare you! I won’t let this go!" Her mind was consumed by rage. At this moment, she had completely forgotten that she was the one who stole someone else's work in the first place. But just as she was about to pounce, Ben stepped forward and grabbed her, speaking with righteous conviction. "Alright, Linda, we’re all colleagues. There’s no need to make things so embarrassing. Besides, maybe Aurora had a reason for doing this." The moment he said that, many people sensed something was off. Aurora, however, simply stated, "Of course I have my reasons. Linda’s proposal was plagiarized from the start." "Bullshit!" Having her secret exposed was like having the last shred of her dignity ripped away. Her voice grew louder. "You have t
Linda couldn't help but sneer. "Ha, just an empty bluff. I'd love to see what you can actually show us!" Aurora ignored her and continued opening the PowerPoint presentation. A brand-new proposal appeared on the screen. Not only was it more refined than Linda’s, but it was also meticulously detailed—right down to the fact that the celebrities had already been contacted. Aurora’s cool voice rang out steadily, "What Linda stole was just my initial draft.""But this—this is my final version. The hot spring resort can't just focus on luxury; we also need to consider accessibility for most families. That’s why my final proposal is broader in scope and far more feasible."As for the brand collaboration, I’m already in negotiations and have made substantial progress with them." As soon as she finished speaking, the room erupted into applause. Everyone stood up and clapped for her, their appreciation genuine. The applause was even louder than when Linda had presented her so-calle
"Please, Miss Walton, forgive me! I was wrong—I swear, it won’t happen again!" "Oh? There will be a next time?" Aurora narrowed her sharp eyes slightly, her expression unmoved by Linda’s desperate pleas. She was no saint. If she hadn’t been prepared, she might not have been able to turn the situation around today. And what if the person Linda had tried to replace wasn’t her, but some inexperienced intern? That person’s career might have been completely ruined. At that thought, a cold light flashed in Aurora’s eyes. Linda frantically shook her head. "No, no, Miss Walton! This was the only time, I swear! I’ll never do it again!" Tears and snot streamed down her face as she sobbed. But not a single person in the room spoke up for her. Clearly, she wasn’t well-liked to begin with. Lucy, on the other hand, felt incredibly satisfied. She had been itching to speak up earlier, but Aurora had held her back. Now, she realized Aurora had been saving this as her final mov
Linda was thrown out of the company—right at the front entrance. A group of security guards shoved her outside. The receptionists craned their necks to watch the commotion, eager to find out what had happened. After all, this was the first time they had ever seen something like this. The next second, the guards tossed Linda’s belongings onto her, the items scattering messily around her. "You can scram now. And don’t bother showing up near the company again." With that, the security guard clapped his hands together and walked away with a smug air. Everything had been carried out exactly as the manager had instructed. Mission accomplished. In all his years on the job, this was the most disgraceful way he had ever seen someone leave a company. Linda sat there, humiliated, her gaze falling on the two receptionists at the door, who were looking at her with amusement and curiosity. She bit her lower lip hard, clenched her fists, and swore silently to remember this humili
It was a perfect timing.Joseph had been urging Chuck to find an opportunity to deal with Aurora, and he was struggling to come up with an excuse. Now, Linda had practically handed him one. After comforting the still-sniffling Linda, Chuck stepped aside to call Joseph. Watching him, Linda’s eyes darkened. She always knew that Chuck’s arrogance at the company wasn’t just because of his connection to the Walton family—he also had Joseph backing him. As long as they got Joseph involved, Aurora wouldn’t stand a chance! On the other end of the call, Joseph glanced at Chuck’s name on his phone, irritation flashing across his face. Seeing the caller ID reminded him of how he had been trying to track down Walton younger heiress, but to no avail. Ever since that brief encounter at the front desk, there had been no further news. And that only fueled his frustration. When he finally answered, his tone was full of disdain. "Useless. Why the hell are you calling me?""I told you
Aurora scanned her surroundings, quickly realizing she had been kidnapped. She ran through the list of people she had offended—it wasn’t a long one. She could count them on one hand. When Chuck appeared, Aurora’s gaze remained calm, as if she had expected this all along. Her expression barely changed, looking at him the same way one would at a pathetic clown. Chuck noticed the way she looked at him and grabbed her chin in irritation, his voice dark. "What’s with that look? Are you trying to threaten me? Hmm? Say something." Aurora let out a cold snort from her chest, then glanced downward, signaling with her eyes that her mouth was still gagged. At that moment, Linda stepped forward and ripped the cloth from her mouth, her face full of smug satisfaction. "What’s wrong? Where’s that arrogance you had back in the conference room?" She even patted Aurora’s cheek, a mocking smile on her lips. Aurora spat to the side. "What, you think kidnapping me will get you back into Wal
Lucas turned on his heel and strode out of the building, pulling out his phone to call Desmond."Check the surveillance footage from Walton Corporation’s underground parking lot. Find Aurora’s location."Hearing the urgency in his boss’ voice, Desmond immediately ended the call and got to work.Lucas wasn’t idle either. His lips pressed into a tight line, brows furrowed as he opened his laptop, attempting to track Aurora’s phone signal.Moments later, Desmond called back."Boss, I found it. Miss Walton was taken. The location is...""Westside warehouse." Lucas’ voice was dangerously low."Bring the police. I’m heading there now."He ended the call without another word.Desmond fell silent for a moment, sensing the suppressed rage in Lucas’ tone.Having worked for him for years, Desmond knew him well enough—whoever had dared to kidnap Aurora was as good as dead.He silently prayed that the kidnappers had tough lives because Lucas had plenty of ways to deal with them otherwise.Lucas’ e
Just as he spoke, Chuck swiftly slapped Aurora across the face without a hint of mercy.Linda, standing nearby, watched with satisfaction.A trace of blood appeared at the corner of Aurora’s lips. She lifted her eyes, filled with hatred, and glared at Chuck.Being stared at made Chuck uneasy, but he couldn’t stop himself from taunting, “What? You got a problem with that?”As he spoke, he raised his hand, about to strike Aurora again.A hand caught his wrist and flung it aside with force. The next second, a kick sent him flying as a low voice warned, “You got a death wish?”Hearing that familiar voice, Aurora opened her eyes. The man stood against the light, and as she looked up and met his worried dark eyes.In that moment, Aurora felt at ease.Lucas took in the scene—Aurora’s disheveled clothes, the blood at the corner of her mouth, and the group of men surrounding her. With just one glance, he understood what had happened.His eyes turned red with fury. Giving Aurora a reassuring
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