Chapter 24: She Hacked My Phone?

David was stunned when he saw Aurora step forward to approach Max. He was about to hold her but suddenly stopped when he realized something.

’Geez, Aurora, you’re so daring, want to punch Max yourself!? Alright, girl, you can slap or punch him as you want. I’ll be your backup if he tries to return it...’ He feels an adrenaline rush as he anticipates what will happen next.

David wants to see Maxwell Hamilton get what he deserves.

’How could this jerk Max reject a girl like that? He even voiced his rejection loudly, drawing several pairs of eyes in their direction, only to humiliate Aurora!?’

...

Max’s eyes widened as he stared at Aurora in confusion. Seeing how calm she was, without a trace of anger or sadness, he realized she must be shocked by his harsh rejection.

’Oh no, she must be traumatized, right?’ Max wondered, feeling terrible. The thought made him feel a little sorry for her.

"A-Aurora, I’m sorry if my words have truly hurt you. But..." His voice trailed off when he saw Aurora lift her hand and place her finger on his lips to silence him.

He froze, taken aback.

This was the first time he had seen Aurora act so boldly, daring to face him and gaze calmly into his eyes, even touching his lips.

’She smiled...? Why does she look so different?’ Max felt increasingly confused as he observed the confident and dominating smile that flashed across her lips.

Gradually, he started to wonder that the woman before him was not Aurora Spencer, who had always been shy in his presence. Just as he was about to question her, he hesitated when he noticed her leaning closer.

Aurora leaned closer to him and whispered calmly, "Okay, sure, Maxi. I won’t do that again." She moved her hand to his shoulder before patting him casually.

She wanted to pat his head, but this little Max was taller than her; she couldn’t even reach him.

Max was frozen hearing her call his nickname.

’Maxi, how the hell does she know about that?’ His eyes stared in horror at the woman who still maintained her calm smile toward him.

"I’m heading out now. See you later, Maxi. Oh, sorry, I almost forgot you asked me to keep my distance from you. Well, I won’t trouble you anymore from now on... bye Maxi..."

Aurora chuckled when she noticed Max’s jaw drop slightly. It clearly showed how dumbstruck he was.

She didn’t wait for Max to respond; she turned around and walked away, leaving Max standing like a statue, still in shock.

’What the hell was that? She called me Maxi! Why is she acting like my big sister? And Sister Rory...?’ Max thought, utterly baffled.

’No, that’s impossible! Aurora must have gotten information from my family? Oh crap! She hacked my phone? Is that why she knows my nickname?’ Max felt his brain was about to explode as he pondered what had just happened.

He never imagined Aurora would accept his rejection so calmly this time. She was supposed to cry or be angry with him, but she accepted it calmly and walked away.

Max gritted his teeth and ran forward. "Wait, Aurora..." He abruptly stopped, not taking another step when David blocked his path. "Move, David!"

A cold hiss escaped Max’s lips as he stared at David, his gaze sharp as daggers.

"You can’t go everywhere, Max! Or I’ll seriously punch you in the face, man..." David firmly stopped him from following Aurora. He raised his hand and rested it on his chest.

His eyes narrowed at Max before he continued venting his anger. "How dare you hurt her like that? You are such a loser, Maxwell Hamilton..."

Before Max could say anything, David pushed him so forcefully that he stumbled backward.

David shook his head lightly, his eyes still lingering with annoyance.

He continued to scold him, "You’ve hurt her. Don’t you dare appear in front of her! Never again! You hear me? I’ve respected you because Aurora’s like you all this time, but now, I don’t have a reason to..."

"This time, I won’t hold back! If you try to play with her heart again, I won’t let you off easily, man!" A cold smirk crossed David’s lips before he turned to chase after Aurora, who was already walking away from the building.

Earlier, David thought Aurora might punch Max because she was so angry after hearing Max’s harsh rejection; however, he was mistaken. Aurora gracefully accepted Max’s rejection.

Although Aurora seemed calm, David knew she must be heartbroken. For three years, he had seen her develop a crush on Max, and in that time, she had done everything to win his heart, even if it made her look foolish.

"Aurora, wait. Please wait for me. Let me drive you home," David said as he approached her.

"Thanks, David, but you don’t have to. I need to go somewhere, and I’ll take a taxi," she replied, concerned that he might figure out she wanted to go to Serendipity Restaurant.

"Where are you going?" David asked.

"To the main business street. I need to buy something."

"Oh, well, well, what a coincidence... I’m heading there too," David lied. He was making an excuse to drive her. He will say anything to stay close to her. "Come on, Aurora, let’s go to my car," he insisted, blocking her path.

Aurora suddenly stopped just before colliding with him. She took a silent, deep breath before nodding. Ever since meeting him in the hospital, she had known it was difficult to refuse David.

She had no choice but to agree. "Alright, but first, you need to promise just to drop me off. You can’t follow me. Do you promise?"

David remained silent but flashed a V sign with his fingers while leading her to his car. His big smile framed his handsome face. He felt in a good mood.

***

Aurora stared silently at the road ahead, ignoring David, who was driving the car, also in silence.

Her mind was filled with her best friends, Renata and Danny.

After her miraculous rebirth, she completely forgot about them. She was too engulfed in the chaos of this abrupt and extreme change in her life to recall them. She attempted to keep her mind and heart focused and centered on her new existence.

However, after meeting Maxwell Hamilton today, she couldn’t stop thinking about Renata and Danny. She yearned to see them, even if just for a brief moment.