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,
Heath took Aurora to the street food market. Aurora missed the flavors here, pulling Heath from one end of the street to the other, eating until they were so full they could barely walk.Back home, Aurora dragged Heath straight to their room to rest, but it wasn't until later that night, as Heath leaned against the headboard, that he finally said, "Rory, I need to go back.""Huh?" Aurora didn't catch on at first."I need to return home," Heath explained.Aurora was stunned for a moment, then realized why Heath had suddenly shown up at her office and patiently roamed the streets with her—it was because their time apart was imminent.It should have been expected. The vast Fairbank Corporation needed someone to oversee it, and Heath had been away for too long. Even Alaric couldn't manage the company indefinitely on his behalf; many decisions required his personal touch, something not achievable through calls or emails.So, this was Heath bidding her farewell.Because he knew Aurora could
Aurora blinked in surprise, scrambled out of bed, and asked, “What happened?”“Remember that project you were overseeing? The construction in the real estate district? A corner piece just collapsed,” her assistant said, voice trembling.“Collapsed? Did it hit anyone?” Aurora snapped awake and sat up immediately.Accidents on construction sites are no small matter. Collapses that result in fatalities aren’t rare, and if mishandled, the incident could blow up. The Whitmore Corporation would not only face public outrage, but the entire area’s investment plans could be ruined.“It did. A worker was right there and couldn’t get out in time. Luckily, it only hit his leg, and he’s been taken to the hospital. Ms. Whitmore is there calming everyone down,” the assistant explained.“Ms. Whitmore? Isabella Whitmore? What was she doing at the site?” Aurora was stunned.“Ms. Whitmore had lunch with some partners and stopped by the site to check on things, and that’s when it happened. She’s at the h
Aurora had just reached the hospital room door when the worker's wife spotted her, her eyes lighting up. Aurora frowned instinctively, not liking this kind of reaction.The worker's wife immediately opened the door, ushering Aurora in. As soon as she entered, the woman started sobbing about how her husband was the sole breadwinner, who thought working for the company meant good treatment and high wages, only to face this tragedy. Listening patiently, Aurora asked, "Hasn’t our company already agreed to compensate for the loss?"The company had agreed to a compensation totaling about two million, which was a fortune for a worker's family—enough for them to live comfortably for the rest of their lives without needing to work, and possibly even buy a decent house. Aurora couldn’t understand why they were still making a scene. If they felt the compensation was insufficient, they should just say so, as crying incessantly was just testing her patience.As soon as she mentioned this, the woma