Chapter 23: First Rejection

Max’s cold voice cut through the air. "David Morrison, if you don’t accept the result, you can go to Stardust and protest there. Stop embarrassing yourself by spreading how foolish you are in front of others."

David was shocked. He turned to Max, who was already standing beside him. An awkward smile crossed his lips as he stood and patted Max on the shoulder.

"Oh, Max, when did you get so... so... tall?" David playfully asked, trying to sound casual and ignoring Max’s sulking.

Aurora stifled a laugh at David’s silly comment but remained quiet.

"What do you mean, David? I’ve always been this tall. I’m a few inches taller than you..." Max said coldly, shooting him a get-lost expression.

David chuckled as he scratched his head, realizing Max had ignored his joke. "Right, right! Sorry, I didn’t notice you had grown this tall!" He cleared his throat before continuing hurriedly. "Hey, do you want to join us for lunch?"

Max sighed heavily, feeling drained from the conversation with this foolish David.

Ignoring Max’s annoyance, David continued to tease Max, "To be honest, we’re finished. You can join us for lunch next time. Right, Aurora? Let’s go..."

David grinned at Aurora, picked up his cell phone from the table, and gestured for her to follow him.

Walking beside David, Aurora leans closer and whispers, "Why bother to talk to him like that, David?"

"Well, I’m just trying to be nice. You know, to protect us from him." David smiled, walked faster, and left the cafeteria. Aurora remained silent but followed him as they walked toward the door.

Max stood in disbelief as he watched them walk away, completely ignoring him while he was still speaking.

Grinding his teeth in frustration, he called out, "Wait, Aurora Spencer! I need to talk to you!" as he hurried toward them.

"Just ignore him..." David whispered. He pulled Aurora out of the building.

Aurora halted her steps and released David’s hand. "David, you go ahead; I need to hear what he has to say—"

"No way. Are you falling for his charm again?" David was surprised to hear Aurora’s still curious voice, wanting to hear Max’s words.

"Wait for me outside," Aurora said firmly as she turned to Max. "What do you want to talk about?" she asked.

Max didn’t rush to respond; instead, he stared at David, standing behind Aurora like a bodyguard. After giving David an intense glare, he turned back to Aurora. "We need to talk alone!"

Aurora glanced at David, who shot a glare back at Max. She couldn’t help but laugh inwardly as she watched the two men seemingly compete with their eyes.

"It’s fine. You can talk here. David can listen if he wants," Aurora said casually, noting the broad smile on David’s face. He was pleased that she had allowed him to stay.

"Go ahead, Max! You don’t need to be afraid of me. I won’t harm you, man," David said, crossing his arms over his chest and narrowing his eyes at Max. "As long as you haven’t harmed Aurora, I won’t beat you."

Aurora stifled a laugh.

Max glared at David, disbelief written all over his face. He couldn’t believe that this shameless man dared to threaten him. ’Does he even know how to fight?’ he thought.

Ignoring David, Max turned his attention to Aurora. "Are you sure about this? It’s personal..."

’Personal?’ Aurora raised an eyebrow, curiosity appearing briefly before she dismissed it. She didn’t have time to waste listening to Max’s nonsense.

Her calm expression shifted to one of sharp determination as she urged him to continue, "It’s fine. Hurry up and speak... I need to go somewhere."

"Aurora, I need you to stop pursuing me." Max’s profound, commanding words almost made Aurora laugh, but she maintained her composure, holding her laughter inwardly.

When Max noticed her lack of reaction, even after deliberately pausing to give her a chance to respond, he heard no words from her lips. There was no flicker of anger or sadness in her eyes, which she typically displayed in similar situations.

"I know this hurts and may make you sad, but you must accept it, Aurora. I’ve often told you I don’t have feelings for you because someone else has my heart. You need to stop now. Stop hoping that one day I will fall for you. I won’t!"

Aurora can’t believe Max has the audacity to say those words.

’What the heck! Geez, this little Max rejected me?’ Aurora felt a laugh bubbling up inside her. It was amusing to hear a man reject her for the first time, especially since she had always been the one to reject men in her past life.

But again, before she reminded him she never fell for him, she remembered her new identity as Aurora Spencer. She could only vent her frustration while maintaining her calm expression.

David was shocked to hear Max’s harsh words directed at Aurora. He felt conflicted about how to respond. On the one hand, he was overjoyed that Aurora would stop liking Max. Still, on the other hand, he felt terrible seeing her rejected like this.

’She must be sad, right? Oh no, she might cry again...’ David wondered as he looked at Aurora. However, his jaw almost dropped to the floor when he saw her calm expression—no anger or sadness was on her face.

He was too worried to notice Aurora standing like a statue, her gaze fixed on Max before he leaned closer to Aurora and whispered.

"Aurora, are you alright? Do you want me to punch Max’s handsome face for you?" He narrowed his eyes at Max. "I don’t mind fighting with him..."

Aurora ignored David, her eyes still locked on Max. Slowly, a calm smile spread across her lips as she stepped forward and halted in front of Max.

They stood so close that Max was left shocked and unable to move.

Seeing her this close, Max felt frozen, and her alluring smile stirred something in his heart. He clenched his hands tightly, trying to maintain a straight-face as he waited for her to say something.