The girlfriends of these young heirs exchanged excited, gossipy nces. This was a bombshell. They absolutely had to share it with their friends.


    ...


    And so, the story of Aurora and Leonard''s night together spread like a contagion.


    At first, it was rtively tame: Aurora and Leonard were in a hotel room, and Sellers had caught them. But the more it was retold, the more fantastical it became.


    Soon, Aurora''s carefully constructed ''socialite'' image was shattered. The purity and wlessness she was once known for were reced by a reputation for promiscuity. While Aurora was generally well-liked, she had her detractors. Many of the men she had rejected now seized the opportunity to nder her, concocting vivid, detailed lies.


    "She acts like she won''t give me the time of day in public," one would say, "but in the bedroom, she''s a different person... always the one to initiate."


    "Oh, man, you have no idea what her appetite is like, the things she''s into... You know Simone, right? Those two are practically sisters. They share everything, including men."


    "Heh, she''s got this little mole in a certain spot, if you catch my drift..."


    "Wow, Aurora puts on such a goddess act, but she''s really that kind of person?"


    The rumors became a wildfire in their social circles.


    Emboldened by the stories, a wealthy heir who had long desired Aurora decided to make his move. He approached her at a public event, making a series of lewd and insulting remarks.


    Aurora pped him across the face.


    The man flew into a rage. "Don''t act so high and mighty! You''re nothing but a bastard daughter who''s been passed around by countless men! ''First Lady of Society''? Don''t make meugh!"


    Then, he spat directly in her face.


    Aurora, in stunned disbelief, wiped the saliva from her cheek, her body trembling with uncontroble ragez She had been coddled and protected her entire life; no one had ever dared to treat her this way When she was young, her father and brothers had been her shield. As she grew up, her legion of suitors formed a protective barrier around her.


    Among her many admirers, there were certainly those with ill intentions. But not one had ever subjected her to such humiliation. If anyone had ever caused her the slightest distress, Leonard would have ensured they didn''t see the next sunrise P methods were


    brutal, but they were an effective deterrent.


    For years, no one had dared to cross her.


    And now, this heir had not only verbally assaulted her but had spat on her.


    Before Aurora could react, her phone rang. It was her father, Jonathan Williams, his voice heavy and grave.


    "Aurora,e home. Now. There are rumors about you circting everywhere."


    Jonathan''s tone was more severe


    than it had been even when Israel''s


    scandal broke. It was one crisis after


    another. They had just dealt with


    Israel'' mess, and now Aurora, the family''s pir of impable


    reputation, was embroiled in


    something even worse White Aurora''s situation wasn''t as


    malicious as Israel''s, the world was


    always harsher on women. These rumors were enough topletely destroy a woman''s name.


    As Aurora walked into the manor, she came face to face with Joshua, who was just returning from outside.


    She stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes locking onto him. A single, cold sentence escaped her lips.


    "It was you, wasn''t it?"