Today, Aurora slept in until noon again. When she came downstairs, she got looks from the servants and a knowing smirk from Mr. Whitmore. Aurora pretended not to notice and walked into the dining room.One of the servants brought her a bowl of soup, placing it in front of her. Aurora lowered her head and started sipping the soup when Mr. Whitmore suddenly remarked, “Aurora, take care of yourself. Have some soup to replenish your strength.”Aurora almost choked on her soup and started coughing into a napkin. Heath, ever attentive, patted her back and poured her some water, gently saying, “Take your time. No one’s going to take it from you.”In between her coughing and drinking, Aurora shot Heath a fierce glare. If it weren’t for him keeping her up, she wouldn’t be sleeping in every day.Heath, completely ignoring her glare, smiled at her and said, “Eat more, you need the energy.”Aurora muttered under her breath, “Energy for what, exactly?”After hastily finishing her meal, Mr. Whitmor
Dominic was chilling in the backseat, barely glancing up when the car door opened. He didn’t need to see to know it was Isabella Whitmore, thanks to her expensive perfume. If Mr. Whitmore hadn’t specifically asked him to accompany Isabella to meet some clients, he definitely wouldn't be wasting his time here.Not five seconds after the door closed, the front passenger door opened. Dominic looked up, surprised. It was Aurora climbing in. He eyed her curiously, but she acted like he wasn't even there, buckling up and fiddling with her phone, waiting for the driver to start the car.Dominic shot Isabella a look. She awkwardly smiled and said, "Aurora just got back home. Grandpa asked me to let her learn the ropes, so I’m bringing her along to meet the clients today."Dominic nodded without a word, and Isabella shut up too, clearly uncomfortable. Aurora, oblivious to the conversation behind her, stayed silent. The car ride quickly turned into an awkward, deathly silence.Out of nowhere, D
The client looked at Isabella's panicked expression and asked if she was feeling unwell. Isabella shook her head, but the client was still waiting for her explanation. With no choice, Isabella tried to speak, but she only managed a few words before she couldn't continue. She usually relied on her assistant to prepare the proposal, get it approved by her father, and then present it to the client. Now, she was expected to explain it herself, and she hadn’t memorized the whole plan!Seeing Isabella stammer, the client frowned and asked, "Does your company not want to proceed with this cooperation? Why do I not see any sincerity?"Isabella waved her hands nervously, not knowing what to say. Aurora, however, smiled and said, "If you don't mind, I can try to explain it."Aurora then went on to detail the area, price, usage, and various aspects of the development process of the property, providing a very thorough explanation with reasonable data. Finally, the client looked satisfied.Isabell
Aurora was standing at the doorway, lost in thought. Heath had already come out and was standing next to her, but she was still zoned out. Heath waved a hand in front of her face and asked, "Rory, what are you thinking about?"Aurora snapped back to reality and suddenly said, "How could I have ever thought Dominic Ashcroft was good to me?""Huh?" Heath didn't follow.Aurora cracked a wry smile and repeated, "Back when I was still Olivia, how could I have thought Dominic Ashcroft was good to me?"Heath frowned but didn't say anything. Aurora let out a self-deprecating chuckle and said, "He wasn't actually good to me at all. He just treated me a bit differently, and that made me think he cared."If Dominic had truly been good to her, she probably wouldn't have become such a hardened killer, wouldn't have collected all those scars from gunfights, and wouldn't have ended up on the fringes of the underworld.Dominic had only treated her differently - training her in hand-to-hand, teaching
The crazy mess of last night is behind them. Aurora actually got a good rest, she and Heath got up early and went for a jog. When they strolled back, the servants were already bringing breakfast to the table. Aurora and Heath went back to their rooms to shower and change, and when they came down to eat, the only one there was Mr. Whitmore.Aurora looked around, a bit puzzled, and asked, "Didn't my cousin come back?"The servants all shook their heads, saying Isabella hadn't been home all night. Aurora was stumped - she had snatched a collaboration project from Isabella, and was planning to take even more of her projects at the company. But Isabella hadn't come home to complain or try to sabotage her. This was so unlike her proud and haughty cousin.Since Isabella was a no-show, Aurora had to sit there and eat her breakfast obediently, even though she was seething inside.But then Mr. Whitmore suddenly said, "I heard the client was especially satisfied with your performance yesterday?"
So yesterday, she used shady tricks to snatch the collaboration project away from Isabella Whitmore's hands. That became her ticket into the Whitmore Corporation. But last night, Isabella was totally wrapped up all over Dominic, didn't even have time to care about Aurora wrecking her big plans. Who would've thought that overnight, Aurora Pendleton would swoop right into the Whitmore Corp, and even score the Deputy Director position? This chick is straight up bad news! She ain't here for some family reunion, she's here to snatch up their assets! She's basically a thief, a robber!Isabella didn't catch a single thing said in this meeting, or any tasks or goals set. She was just straight up death-staring Aurora like she wanted to murder her with her eyes, glaring daggers and wishing she could toss her out of this whole building!But Aurora was listening real intently to the boss's speech. Until it ended, and the chief suddenly asked, "Anyone wanna do some goal planning for the next hal
For Isabella, Olivia's face was a nightmare she wanted to bury for life. And now Aurora's appearance, her repeated provocations, almost made Isabella certain that this was Olivia, but also not Olivia.She knew Aurora was rescued from a SALE venue, but with Olivia's skills, how could she possibly end up sold at one of those places?This Aurora was delicate, fragile, a genuine rich heiress with the grace and poise of high society, yet also lively and adorable like girls her age. She had Olivia's face but didn't seem to have Olivia's body.So Isabella was confused - was Aurora claiming to be Olivia to declare war, or just using the dead woman's name to scare her? How did Aurora know Isabella killed Olivia? Who told her? Would she tell Dominic Ashcroft?Countless questions swirled in Isabella's mind. For the first time, she didn't know how to handle someone. But her principle remained the same as with Olivia - whether enemy or rival, just find a way to get rid of them. She would never let
When Olivia was all in with Dominic, he kept her hidden, afraid others would find out he had a hitman who couldn't show her face. To be worthy of Dominic’s circle, Olivia paid with her life.But now, she's totally let go, feels relieved, and doesn't want anything to do with Dominic Ashcroft anymore, nor stand by his side. And suddenly, he shows up wanting to marry her.How ridiculous it is. The deaths of Olivia and many others suddenly turned into some trivial joke. The life and death of them all meant nothing against Dominic’s whimsical decision.Aurora wiped her eyes, looked at Dominic with a smile, and said, "What makes you think I’d want to marry you?"“Because I can give you the strongest support, help you quickly take over the Whitmores, because I’m one of the richest people in the US, and I promise I’ll be faithful after we’re married,” Dominic rambled on confidently, as if asking such a thing was a privilege, expecting any woman to kneel gratefully at his feet.But to Aurora,