apter 204
Tessa deliberately paused at the end of her sentence.
Anyone paying attention could read between the lines.
+29 BONUS
Grace let out a cold snort, her eyes turning toward Aurora in clear displeasure.
“So, what are you implying? That Aurora’s proposal wasn’t solid enough?”
A flicker of hesitation passed through her.
She truly didn’t know which way the scale should tip
“That’s enough<b>,</b>” Aurora <b>said </b>firmly. “Whatever mistakes I’ve made, I’ll take responsibility for them.”
“Oh really?” <b>Grace </b>countered, cing the evidence right in front of her.
“You’ve already made quite a few. These media outlets–each one carries real weight in the industry. How do you n to handle this?”
Then, with carefully measured hesitation, Tessa added,
“It’s already damaged thepany’s image. Who knows how much more trouble it’ll bring…”
She looked up at Grace with wide, concerned eyes, as if she were genuinely thinking only of her mother’s burdens.
<b>Grace </b>narrowed her gaze. Tessa had a point.
Thepany’s reputation came before anything else.
And as its leader, she couldn’t afford to make decisions based on emotion.
She nced at Aurora, who remained silent, and then at Tessa
In that moment, Grace couldn’t even pinpoint what she was feeling
“That’s enough for today. We’ll leave it here,” she said, waving her hand tiredly.
“In any case<b>, </b><b>handle </b>the media issue immediately. I don’t want to see any more bad press.”
Aurora gave a faint “Alright,” then turned and walked out of the office without another word.
She wasn’t sure what she was feeling only <b>that </b>none of this had surprised her.
Hadn’t she already known how it would end?
Behind her, <b>Tessa </b>watched her go, a triumphant smile tugging at her lips.
“This is just the beginning, Aurora Walton. Soon, I’ll <b>chip </b>away at every ounce of trust Mour has in you. And when that happens, thepany’s future will be mine to im,” she thought.
She turned to Grace, her voice soft and full of warmth..
“Mom, don’t let it upset you too much<b>. </b>Aurora’s still young–she just doesn’t see how much you’ve done for her.”
“It’s fine,” Grace sighed. “I don’t need her to understand. As long as thepany runs as it should<b>, </b>that’s all I care about.‘
<b>Tessa </b>gave a gentle smile and said nothing more.
Alter leaving the office, Au
<b>office</b>, Aurora headed straight to
While waiting at a red light, her mind spiraled through a thousand boughts.
In the end, it all circled back to the moment her mother had officially appointed her as general manager.
Her grip on the steering wheel tightened.
She didn’t even <b>know </b>what she was feeling anymore
Was it disappointment?
No… hadn’t she seen thising all along?
Then what was she doing here, feeling sorry for herself?
<b>“</b>Pathetic,” she thought. “You’re actually pathetic, <b>Aurora </b>Walton
And <b>yet</b>, no matter how rational she tried to be, she couldn’t shut it off.
She was her mother, after all,
The doubts, the pain wouldn’t stop swirling in her head like <b>a </b>storm
She admitted it to herself:
She cared more than she wanted to.
So, she <b>picked </b>up her phone <b>and </b>called Megan.
The line barely rang once.
“Hey, babe, what’s <b>up</b>?”
“Are you busy?”
“For you? Never.”
On the other end, Megan was frantically waving off her instructor, silently mouthing for him to back off.
She was on the phone with her girl–nothing else mattered.
And the moment she heard Aurora’s voice, she knew something was off.
She wasn’t about to leave her hanging
Aurora forced a <b>casual </b>tone.
“Come out. Drinks?”
“Hell yes. <b>Usual </b>spot?”
A small smirk tugged at Aurora’s lips. “Yeah. I’ll be there.”
They both set out immediately <b>and </b>met up at their usual ce.