I Will Take Everything Back

Aurora was momentarily stunned, not quite understanding the sudden toast.

Evelyn's eyes widened as she watched, entranced by the elegant man's charming gesture. Unfortunately, the one sitting beside him was that silly girl, Aurora!

Grandpa laughed and said, "Silly girl! What are you staring at? Heath is greeting you!"

Aurora hurriedly picked up the glass of juice from the table, saying, "I'm not feeling well, Mr. Fairbank. You don't mind if I drink juice instead, do you?"

She wasn't feeling unwell; she was just on a diet, refusing to drink alcohol. Ideally, she wouldn't even drink juice, just plain water.

Evelyn watched her with a cold sneer. Doesn’t she know who Heath Fairbank is? Aurora was trying to fob him off with juice!

Even Grandpa seemed a bit nervous. Heath Fairbank, the heir of the Fairbank family, was known for his unpredictable temperament. If he were to become angry over a glass of juice, it would be a difficult situation to handle.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Heath raised his glass, gently clinking it against Aurora's, the crisp sound of glass ringing out. Then came his pleasant voice, "Of course, Miss Aurora's health is important."

Aurora smiled sweetly and took a sip of her juice.

She hadn't quite figured out who Heath Fairbank was. Her grandfather seemed to hold him in high regard, and the surrounding guests always seemed to be observing him discreetly.

Grandpa looked thoughtfully at Heath and Aurora but said nothing more.

The dinner ended quickly, and the servants cleared the tableware, inviting the guests to the dance in the side hall.

As the music began, everyone glided into the dance floor. Evelyn touched up her makeup and confidently approached Heath, elegantly extending her hand, saying, "Mr. Fairbank, may I have this dance?"

Everyone looked their way. Evelyn, the hottest star in the entertainment industry, was many men's dream girl. This was the first time she had ever asked a man to dance!

Evelyn extended her delicate hand, waiting for Heath to lead her onto the dance floor. She was determined to make him notice her. Heath was hers for the taking!

Heath stood up and said, "Kieran, go say goodbye to Grandpa."

Heath had refused Evelyn!

The popular actress was rejected for the first time when inviting someone to dance!

Aurora stood to the side, finding the situation rather amusing. She could already imagine how the gossip reporters would write about it.

Evelyn stood frozen, using all her strength to maintain her composure. She brushed her long hair and smiled gracefully, stepping aside to let Heath pass.

Heath walked to the door, saw Aurora standing to the side, looking amused at Evelyn's embarrassment. He approached Aurora, whispering, "Don't forget dinner on Saturday."

Aurora nodded, asking, "Do you have anything specific you'd like to eat?"

Heath also nodded, saying, "Anything's fine. You decide."

Then he left the Pendleton home.

Evelyn watched their interaction, her fists clenched so tightly that her nails were digging into her palms.

This was the first time she had been rejected in public!

Yet Heath turned and chatted warmly with Aurora. That chubby girl, Aurora, how could she compare to her?

Such a disgrace, she would not let it go!

The guests were abuzz, discussing the recent events. They had thought the old Pendleton was introducing Evelyn to Heath to facilitate a marriage alliance. They hadn't expected Heath to ignore Evelyn and show favor to the late-arriving Aurora.

Could it be that Aurora was the most formidable daughter of the Pendleton family?

Grandpa also observed this scene, thinking that Evelyn seemed more attractive, but Heath appeared more interested in Aurora.

If that were the case, he would have to pay more attention to his granddaughter Aurora. Perhaps, in the future, the alliance with the Fairbank family would be with her?

Everyone had their thoughts, and no one noticed the angry expressions on the faces of Madeline and her daughters.

They had bullied Aurora for over a decade. How could they tolerate being trampled on by her one day?

Aurora watched Heath leave, then turned to see the angry glares of Madeline and her daughters. She curled her lips into a bright smile, beaming at the three of them.

Ha! Do they still think I'm the same old Aurora they used to torment?

Grandfather's attention, the Pendleton family's wealth, the status of a wealthy daughter—I will take them all back, one by one, from your hands!

---

After the dinner party and seeing off all the guests, Grandpa called Aurora over and told her that he would give her an extra fifty thousand in pocket money every month.

Aurora was a bit taken aback. She hadn't done anything remarkable, and the best outcome she had expected from this birthday banquet was to gain her grandfather's attention. The only variable was the appearance of Heath, a man she had never known.

Neither in Aurora's memory nor in Olivia's past life had she ever heard of Heath.

That night, Aurora searched for Heath online and found only one result—CEO of Fairbank Group.

Further searching for Fairbank Group, besides miscellaneous information, yielded only one result—a century-old wealthy family in the capital.

So the man who caught her behind the villa was a scion of a wealthy family?

That must be why her grandfather's attitude had changed. Everyone thought she had a connection with Heath, but they had only met that day.

Such were the emotions of the wealthy; they could be used and discarded like pawns at any time.

Aurora didn't dwell on this. Her mind was set on revenge, and she wanted to get closer to the Whitmore family and the Abyss Group step by step.

That night, Aurora dreamt again of her tragic death in Cambodia, of Isabella Whitmore shooting Mike without hesitation, of Isabella Whitmore and Dominic Ashcroft killing all her loyal followers.

In her past life, she had risked her life for Dominic Ashcroft and his Abyss Group, stealing business secrets, assassinating competitors, and even operating in the grey area on his behalf. But all she got in return was a brutal death in Cambodia.

In this life, she would never trust anyone again!

These days, because Grandpa often inquired about Aurora and even invited her to dine with him at the ancestral home, the servants in the villa were very observant. They knew that Aurora was different now, so they often tried to please her. Aurora's life had improved a lot.

This week, she controlled her diet even more crazily, increased her training intensity, and successfully kept her weight below 110 pounds. She looked very slim and stylish.

With the extra pocket money from her grandfather, Aurora planned to find a box training class outside. She knew all the fighting techniques and training methods, but her body was too weak. She needed a sparring partner.

On Saturday, because she had arranged to have dinner with Heath, Aurora left early.

When she arrived at Times Square, she saw Heath getting out of his car, still dressed in a suit, exuding an air of wealth.

Aurora, wearing a hooded sweatshirt and showing off her smooth legs in the mild weather, was youthful and energetic in her white sneakers and bun hairstyle.

Heath walked over, and Aurora peeked at his car, asking, "Are you alone?"

Heath asked, "Who else did you think would be here?"

"The person who's always with you. I thought he might come too," Aurora said.

"Kieran, my assistant. He had something to do, so I sent him back to the office."

"Oh, okay. Shall we have hot pot then?" Aurora asked.

Heath nodded, and Aurora led him into a hot pot restaurant. Perhaps because it was noon, the restaurant wasn't crowded, and they found a window seat.

Aurora ordered, and Heath seemed to have no dietary restrictions. He ate whatever she ordered, so she chose a spicy pot and ordered lots of meat and vegetables.

The wait for the food was a bit awkward, and Aurora didn't know what to talk about, feeling somewhat uneasy.

"Do you always have hot pot when you invite someone to dinner for the first time?" Heath asked.

In his mind, these wealthy young ladies would choose Western food or something more elegant when dining with a man. Hot pot was definitely not on the list, so he was surprised when Aurora invited him for hot pot.

"No, I've never invited anyone to dinner before," Aurora said.

As Aurora, she was timid and friendless. As Olivia, she never had a proper meal in a restaurant with friends.

"Your previous life doesn't seem to have been very pleasant," Heath said.

Aurora smiled and said, "I used to be a bit introverted and didn't like to talk."

Heath looked at her, this clear-eyed girl who didn't seem introverted at all.

Fortunately, the food arrived quickly, bypassing the awkward topic. Aurora, who had been dieting so hard, was overjoyed to see hot pot.

"Do you like hot pot that much?" Heath asked.

"Yes! You can throw anything into the pot and cook it. You won't starve even in the wilderness," Aurora said happily.

"You talk as if you've been to the wilderness," Heath said.

As soon as the words were out, he clearly saw Aurora's hand pause as she picked up her chopsticks.

This girl was interesting.

Aurora smiled but said nothing.

She had indeed been to the wilderness, trapped in the mountains for half a month before escaping the encirclement, experiencing the harshest environments in the world, but unable to escape a man's deceit and a woman's cruelty.

Thinking about it, she found herself rather ridiculous.