Aurora and Magnus arrived at a restaurant, with Magnus showing signs of fatigue on his face. “Aurora, you’ve heard about that incident, haven’t you?” he asked.
“I thought everyone knew by now,” Aurora replied nonchalantly, sipping her orange juice.
Seeing that Aurora was not angry, Magnus was puzzled. “Aurora, the whole company knows? How can you stay so calm? They are spreading rumors about us, do you know who started this? It’s outrageous!”
Aurora shook her head. “What else should I do? Should we fight everyone at the company? There are too many people, it would be exhausting.
“The priority now is not to be angry or upset, but to clear this up and settle the matter.”
“You’re right, I’ve been too emotionally unstable lately, losing my reason.”
“There’s been a lot going on at home, I understand how you feel, Dad. Actually, I already know who did it,” Aurora slowly said.
“You know who it is?”
“Yes, I just heard her admitting everything. You know her too, it was Alison, who had that mishap in the cafeteria a few days ago.”
“It was her? Because of that incident? How despicable can she get!”
Aurora had already experienced how vicious a woman could be from her encounters with Genevieve; Alison was not even close to that level, so she was hardly surprised.
“Yes, she almost got fired because of me that day and has held a grudge ever since. This whole situation involves both of us, and those outside don’t know we are just father and daughter; that’s why the rumors spread.
“This affects me, but it impacts you even more given your high position. If this turns out to be true, you could be impeached by the board.
“The board might ask you to resign to protect the company’s image. If you resign, who will take over as president?
“Paul is her partner; if you leave, then Sean and Paul are the only choices. Sean is an outsider, making Paul very likely to succeed.”
“Ridiculous, how could she be so malicious? Is this related to Paul?” Magnus was furious, still unsettled by his previous issues with Genevieve and now this connection.
“No, this has nothing to do with Paul. Paul knows who I am, he wouldn’t spread rumors about us. It seems Alison planned this alone.
“One reason is revenge; another is for her partner, and importantly, for herself. She’s somewhat clever, but she used it in the wrong way,” Aurora commented.
“I’m going to fire her right now!” Magnus was irate.
“Wait, Dad, what reason will you use to fire her now? It would only cause more gossip. Don’t you want revenge?”
“How can I not want revenge? But this kind of news is bad for both of our reputations,” Magnus felt helpless about the situation.
“Dad, I understand your concerns. Let me handle this. Just pretend you know nothing,” Aurora said with a light laugh.
“Aurora, what are you planning to do?”
“I’m just looking to clear some people from my path before I take that position,” Aurora said, finishing her orange juice in one gulp.
“My good daughter, I’m waiting to see you in action,” Magnus was ignited by her words.
“The best way is to fight fire with fire, Dad. Just wait for the show,” Aurora said with a smirk.
It had been a long time since the two had dined alone. Magnus passed the tomatoes and broccoli from his steak to Aurora.
As a child, she disliked steak but always favored the side dishes. When he shifted the tomato onto Aurora’s plate, both paused momentarily.
“It’s been over a decade. When you were little, you always rushed to eat the tomatoes from our steaks,” he reminisced.
“Yes, I used to love tomatoes, but now I’ve grown up, and Mom is no longer with us.”
“Aurora, I’m sorry for all the foolish things I’ve done over the years!” Magnus expressed remorse, especially after witnessing Genevieve’s vile tactics, regretting his past actions towards Victoria even more.
“Dad, it’s all in the past. Genevieve’s methods were beyond your control. I blamed you before, but after experiencing her tactics, I can understand you. Not just you, back then, even if everyone had teamed up, they wouldn’t have stood a chance against her.”
“Aurora, what did she do to you?” Magnus’s concern deepened as he saw the expression on Aurora’s face, realizing there was more he didn’t know.
“Dad, I’ll tell you what she did when the time is right. Dad, if, I mean if, Mom hadn’t died, what would we be like now?”
Aurora thought of a photograph, still awaiting a message from Julian; no news was good news. Lately, she dreamed often of a family reunion, her smile as innocent as in her childhood.
“If your mother were still alive, I would kneel before her and recount all the foolish things I’ve done. But she’s gone because of my failure to protect her, letting her suffer so much.”
Magnus was visibly distraught. Aurora wanted to tell him about the photograph, but feared it might end up being a futile effort that only brought more heartache.
“Dad, it’s all in the past. Things in this world are uncertain; who knows, maybe one day you’ll meet again,” Aurora consoled him.
“Perhaps our next meeting will be in the realm of the dead. I must repent for all my sins.”
Aurora sighed softly, hoping for some news about the person in the photograph soon. Seeing her father so upset, she shared many childhood stories, which opened his heart a bit.
When she returned to her office, the eight staff members were still popping popcorn. Heather hurried over to her.
“People online are getting more aggressive. Manager, you should just make a statement telling them you are Mr. Montgomery’s daughter. Look, she posted another photo,” Heather opened the new photo.
The photo showed Julian coming to pick her up; the person inside the car was unclear, but Aurora was clearly visible. The caption beneath the photo was quite provocative.
“Did you gather the things I asked for?” Aurora asked calmly.
“Here, this is what I managed to find from everyone,” Heather quickly presented the evidence.