“Worried about me? Heather, don’t think of me as so fragile,” Aurora said as she handed her phone to Heather.
These past three years had been the fastest growing period of her life. Perhaps it was the brushes with death, the betrayal by those closest to her, and the death of loved ones that had matured her beyond her years. It was these trials and tribulations that had forged the Aurora of today.
Such circumstances would devastate anyone else. What normal woman would enjoy being labeled as a mistress or homewrecker?
Even the most graceful people would feel some anger, but no one seemed as composed as Aurora.
“The manager, you might not fully understand the situation. That person is deliberately spreading rumors about you, and people have already started doxxing you. Those online are quite capable; even if you were the president, they could dig up everything about you-your past relationships, who you’ve been with; everyone can find out. Nowadays, people despise mistresses terribly, and if they dig deep enough, I’m afraid you might get hurt.”
Heather tried to explain the severity of public opinion and wanted her to be cautious, but Aurora seemed unaffected despite Heather nearly talking herself dry.
“Manager, are you even listening to me?”
“Yes, but you’re talking about those irrelevant people, what do they have to do with me?”
“I just want you to be careful,” Heather conceded, frustrated by Aurora’s unwavering calm.
“Alright, I understand. You can go back to work,” Aurora said with a wave of her hand.
“Yes,” Heather replied, knowing there was no point in arguing since Aurora didn’t seem to care.
Only the sound of popping popcorn remained in the office.
Aurora didn’t care, but for Heather, it was unbearable to see someone insult her idol.
Initially, she created several accounts to clarify matters, but the netizens were too powerful; even if one gave up, thousands more would continue the fight.
The public grew even angrier, thinking she was colluding with Aurora, probably also a mistress to defend her in such a way.
Their combativeness was off the charts, and Heather realized that her lone efforts were insignificant. To resolve the issue, she needed to address the root cause.
She opened the two photos, which didn’t show Aurora and Magnus being particularly intimate.
To Heather, they didn’t look like lovers at all, more like family.
Lovers would be seen embracing or holding each other, like Paul and Alison she had witnessed, which was not the vibe these photos gave off.
However, these facts had been maliciously twisted, and the relationship between the two was misinterpreted, leading others to make irresponsible comments without thinking things through.
Right, Alison-Heather glanced at the photo’s angle and suddenly had an idea.
She ran out to the spot where she had met Alison that day, looking from there to the corridor captured in the photo.
The timestamp on the photo matched, and the photographer was definitely someone from their company since her first post was on their company forum.
From here, she was even more certain it was Alison, who, feeling aggrieved by Aurora, sought revenge.
Heather thought of the harsh and embarrassing language on the internet and felt terrible, believing that the enmity between Aurora and Alison was all because of her. At noon, during the lunch break, she forcefully pulled Alison aside.
“Are you crazy? What are you doing?” she demanded.
Heather dragged her to the bathroom. “Did you do this?”
“Are you sick? What did I do?” Alison retorted, convinced that Heather was out of her mind for dragging her there.
“Are those posts yours?” Heather asked coldly.
“What posts? I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Alison laughed, her mouth feigning ignorance, but the smug look on her face clearly indicated her guilt.
“Stop playing dumb. Go delete those posts and apologize to the manager now, or I won’t let this go!” Heather said, visibly upset by her expression.
“Delete them? Who do you think you are? Why should I listen to you? She should just admit who she really is. I just wanted everyone to see her true face,” Alison said, hands on her hips, smirking.
Aurora had also challenged her, and Alison was determined to see her reputation ruined. “Let me tell you, Heather, this will blow up soon. Anne won’t just be vilified by thousands; it’ll catch the higher-ups’ attention. She won’t be able to stay in the company, let alone manage anything. She’s already tarnished the company’s image. Once she’s fired, no other company will hire someone so disgraced. I can’t wait to see her thrown out.”
Another reason Alison revealed their identities was to help Paul take over as president. The incident affected not just Aurora but also Magnus. If Magnus caused a negative impact on the company, he would certainly face a board impeachment. Once he was out, Paul could take over, and having supported him, Alison believed he would surely favor her more.
Alison thought she had hit two birds with one stone, not just striking at Aurora but also pulling down Magnus. “How can you be so cruel! How can you harm an innocent woman like this? Don’t you fear retribution?” Heather was furious, appalled to discover someone could be so shameless.
“Retribution? Such a naive girl. Look around, do good people live well? Everyone wants to climb higher, and I crush anyone who stops me!” Alison pushed her away. “I always get back at those who wrong me.”
“Alison, you deceitful woman, you will regret what you’ve done today,” Heather shouted after her.
“Heh, I never regret. To survive in this world, you have to be ruthless.” After washing her hands, she threw the paper towel in the trash.
“Clap, clap, clap.” The sound of clapping echoed near her ears. “I’d like to see just how ruthless you can be.”
“Manager,” Heather said, noticing Aurora walking in slowly, a smile playing on her lips that sent a chill down her spine.