"Sophia? What are you up to?" Aurora asked."Cut the act, Aurora!" Sophia snapped back.The crowd was shocked. Was this really Aurora??People didn't care about Sophia's mood; they all gathered around Aurora, chattering away."Aurora, you've changed so much, I didn't even recognize you!""Yeah, you've turned into a goddess!""Can you share how you lost weight? I wanna be like you!""We have a graduation party after the exams, wanna sign up, Aurora?"Everyone was talking to Aurora, completely ignoring Sophia.Sophia was so mad she wanted to rip Aurora's face off, or throw water on these people!Have they gone mad?So what if Aurora lost weight?She should still be the same unnoticeable Aurora, forever in the corner, making Sophia shine.Sophia Pendleton, SHE was the school beauty!Sophia walked up to the podium, affectionately linking arms with Aurora, "Yeah, Sis, there's a graduation party after the exams. I've signed up for a violin performance. You should too."Aurora smirked inside
Cheryl paused for a moment, then burst into laughter. She pulled off her hoop skirt and yanked off her wig. Only then did Aurora see that Cheryl was a short-haired girl.After removing her heavy stage makeup, her features carried a hint of tomboyish charm, yet she looked adorably naive when she smiled.Cheryl changed into her school uniform and came out to ask her, "School's out. Ready to go?"Aurora nodded. Cheryl walked over, hooked her arm around Aurora's, and they headed out with their backpacks.Aurora was a slow-to-warm-up kind of person. Years of being an assassin had made her accustomed to loneliness and caution. But meeting Cheryl today, she found her personality irresistibly likable.Cheryl was very outgoing, and she found Aurora interesting. She chatted non-stop as they walked."Don't you regret quitting the drama club so impulsively?" Aurora asked her."I joined the drama club 'cause I wanted to try out acting. But honestly, those guys
"Who??""Who's the top scorer??""No way, I must've heard wrong!""This is some next-level stuff, huh??"The classroom erupted into chaos. Sophia shrieked, "Impossible! There's gotta be a mistake!"The teacher shot her a disapproving look. "Why is it impossible?""She must've cheated!" Sophia's face twisted as she pointed at Aurora.As soon as she said that, others chimed in."Yeah, she definitely cheated, right?""If she can get first place, so can I!""From bottom of the barrel to top of the class? Who's buying that?"Everyone was buzzing, looking at Aurora with disdain. A first place earned through cheating was worthless to them.Meanwhile, Aurora sat unfazed by the window at the back of the room, calmly watching Sophia's antics.Sophia spoke again, "Sis, cheating can get you expelled. Just admit your mistake; maybe you can still stay."Aurora turned to the teacher and smiled, "So, are you gonna expel me?"The teacher was slightly annoyed, "Aurora's past poor performance was due to
As Aurora had put it, ever since she returned to school, she'd completely stolen Sophia's spotlight.People even started threads on the school forum, urging their fellow students to vote for a new "school beauty." Sophia was utterly ignored.On top of that, Aurora consistently ranked first in mock exams, while Sophia's grades plummeted. Many guys started to openly confess to Aurora, calling her their "queen of academics."Sophia returned home in a rage, smashing things. No matter how Madeline tried to soothe her, she was losing patience with Sophia.Now, her grandpa was treating Aurora like his prized possession, even arranging a driver for her daily commute. Sophia was restricted at every turn, unable to mess with her.Aurora was living the good life, spending her days at the old mansion, waiting for the exams to end so she could go hang out with Heath in the capital.She lay on her bed, flipping through some files from Harmony Media, bored out of her mind.Harmony Media had been pro
No choice but to order takeout, Aurora and her friends sat in the dining room, celebrating her graduation with delivery food.Munching on a chicken leg, Aurora asked, "You guys got your IDs sorted?"Jay took a swig of beer and grinned, "All set, man. Carly's a top-tier hacker. Making me a fake ID was a piece of cake."Aurora blinked, "Just for you? What about the rest of us?"Jasper wiped his hands and said, "Look, we talked it over. Carly and I have too many old enemies. Staying here would be a risk for you, and we've got unfinished business. So we can't stick around."Aurora fell silent. She thought Jasper and the gang would always be with her. Just when they'd reunited, they were splitting up again.Carly chuckled, "Don't be sad. You can hit us up anytime. We're just going to take care of some stuff. We'll be back when the time's right.""When are you leaving?" Aurora asked."Tomorrow morning. We're heading to Europe to dig up some dirt on the Whitmores," Jasper replied.Aurora for
The next day, Heath arrived at the Pendleton residence to pick up Aurora for a trip to the airport."Sweetheart, take good care of yourself in the capital, alright? Don't make me worry," her grandpa said, full of concern."Don't worry, Grandpa, I got it," Aurora assured him."Heath, I'm entrusting Aurora to you. Take good care of her," the old man told Heath.Heath nodded, "You can count on me, sir."The old man looked a bit down as he held her hand, "Go on, go on. I'll come visit you in the capital soon."As Aurora got into the car, her eyes reddened. Her grandpa looked so pitiful, like a forlorn old man, it broke her heart.Heath patted her hand but said nothing.After a three-hour flight, Aurora was practically dozing off.Heath drove to an apartment complex and led her into the elevator. "Where is this?" Aurora asked."Vista Apartments. You'll be staying here for now," Heath replied."Alright," Aurora followed him in.Heath turned on the lights like he owned the place, "You'll be
After breakfast, Kieran dropped her off at the base of Harmony Media Tower before heading to the Fairbank Corp with Heath.Staring up at the towering Harmony skyscraper, Aurora grinned. Soon, she'd bring Evelyn crashing down from her high perch.Walking into Harmony, the receptionist led her into an office.A short-haired woman sat behind the desk, dressed in a business suit and wearing glasses. She looked sharp and competent.She glanced up and asked, "Aurora?"Aurora nodded, "Hi, Manager Winters. I'm the new intern."Manager Winters, whose full name was Jasmine Winters, was a top agent at Harmony in the early years. She'd been promoted recently and no longer managed talents, except for Evelyn.In other words, Evelyn's rise to her current position owed a lot to Winters.Winters nodded, "Start as an assistant. Go outside and let the secretary find you a seat."After Aurora settled into her seat and completed the onboarding process, she followed the secretary to get familiar with the f
When Aurora arrived at the TV station, Evelyn sat in the makeup room, bored out of her mind and scrolling through her phone. She didn't look worried at all.Seeing Aurora soaked from the rain, Evelyn grinned and said, "Well, well, if it isn't the heiress of the Pendletons. What's got you running errands?"Evelyn's assistant chimed in, sucking up as usual, "Heiress of the Pendletons? There's only you, the eldest, and the youngest, Sophia. This one doesn't look like a rich young lady at all."Evelyn laughed, "Aurora, Sophia is young and naive, easy for you to manipulate. You think I'm like her? You dare to show up here? I'll skin you alive if you do!"Evelyn sashayed into the fitting room. Her assistant tossed the dress Evelyn had taken off to Aurora and snatched the bag containing the new gown, taking it into the fitting room.The dress Evelyn had taken off was perfectly fine; she was just making things difficult for Aurora on purpose.Aurora unzipped the old dress and tossed it onto a