The catalyst for everything was Eric, who, although innocent, still made Aurora uneasy at the sight of him.
“Rory, what’s wrong?”
“I’m fine!” Aurora said, clearly agitated.
But her demeanor didn’t look ‘fine’ at all. Eric instinctively felt that something had happened.
“Just put the book down and you can leave.”
The moment Aurora opened her eyes and saw him still there, her anger intensified. If it weren’t for Eric’s own involvement with Julian, none of this would have happened.
“But it seems like you have something on your mind…”
Eric sensed that it was not a minor issue.
“I told you to leave,” Aurora burst out, knocking the coffee off the table in a fit of rage.
Eric was taken aback by her fury. He had known Aurora since their time in the United States.
It was fair to say that Aurora’s company going public within three years owed much to Eric’s behind-the-scenes support.
He had always been helping her discreetly and was familiar with Aurora’s character and methods. Normally, she would not lose her cool like this without a serious reason.
“Rory, your hand.”
He was concerned about Aurora getting burned by the hot coffee and quickly tried to wipe off the coffee from her hand with a tissue.
However, before he could touch her, Aurora, like a frenzied cat, bristled, “Don’t touch me!”
Her intense reaction made Eric even more puzzled about what could have upset her so much.
Aurora realized she had lost her composure. Even though her cold war with Julian was because of Eric, Eric himself was not to blame. Why should she take her anger out on him?
“Look, I’m just in a bad mood, I’m sorry.”
She apologized, trying to calm down.
“It’s okay, since you’re not feeling well, I’ll leave for now.”
Eric saw her initial intense reaction and thought it best to leave before possibly making her more upset.
Eric pushed the door open and through the glass saw the woman inside flustered, dealing with the coffee stains.
Her eyes had lost their usual sparkle. What could have made such a strong person suddenly become like this?
Eric turned and had his people check up on things. Aurora’s company in the United States was operating normally, and there were no earth-shattering events concerning the Montgomery family.
That left only one reason-Julian Barnet!
“Check where Julian is now.”
“Right away, boss.”
He remembered the incident between them in the movie theater restroom last night, the tender moans of Aurora still echoing in his ears.
The Aurora he saw then was unlike any he had ever seen before, completely opposite to her irritable demeanor today.
Soon, the call came back, “Boss, he went to the airport early this morning, said he was going on a business trip, left very suddenly.”
“Alright, I’ve got it.”
If Julian was just on a business trip, Aurora wouldn’t be this upset. Could they have had a fight?
If that was the case, it could be a great opportunity for himself. He then called Jason to arrange some things.
Aurora, after cleaning up the coffee, sat in front of her computer, zoning out. The proposal she was working on was filled with phrases like ‘asshole Julian’, ‘Julian the jerk’.
He went to New York without even telling her. Maybe she should just go to London now. Let him return and find her missing, and see how he likes feeling anxious.
Aurora was also befuddled, having such a childish thought that she received a call from Jason just as she was contemplating it.
“Have dinner? Mr. Gilpin, I have some things to attend to this evening. Let’s talk another day.”
Aurora didn’t know why, but ever since Julian left, she felt completely drained.
Jason, noticing the dejection in her voice, chose not to speak directly and hung up the phone, later sharing Aurora’s situation with Eric.
It was assumed that Aurora, a workaholic, would definitely take the lead on matters concerning orders, yet she didn’t even show Jason that courtesy.
She sat in the office all day and only left long after work hours had ended; Cameron was already waiting for her.
“You go ahead, I’ll walk around a bit.”
Aurora didn’t know where to go, but she knew she didn’t want to return to a place filled with sweet memories of the two of them.
She walked through the streets alone, aimless and directionless. Previously, she would have confided in her so-called friend, Susan, when upset.
Now, she had no family, no friends, and even her lover had left her.
Unbeknownst to her, someone had been following her, watching her despondent silhouette. Several times, Julian nearly couldn’t resist the urge to approach and grab her.
He kept his distance because there was also someone else watching Aurora – Eric, a man obsessively in love with her.
Both men loved the same woman deeply, though Julian’s feelings were more concealed. He noticed Eric, but Eric hadn’t noticed him.
It seemed the bait was being taken. Aurora, still engulfed in her gloom, was unaware she was being watched by both men.
Bored, she wandered the streets and saw a familiar face in a clothing store.
“We’re not hiring, move along. People like you bring bad luck to our store!” the manager said, hands on his hips.
“But your sign right there says you are hiring,” the ousted woman pointed out.
“Even if no one else were to apply, I wouldn’t give a job to a homewrecker like you,” the manager retorted harshly.
“Get out, you’re bad luck, don’t delay my business.”
The woman turned to leave and saw Aurora, dressed in a CHANEL suit, as radiant as ever, wearing everything she herself had once desired.
Now, she was treated like a pariah, a rat everyone wanted to chase away! Alison glared at Aurora resentfully.
“Isn’t this the outcome you wanted? Are you satisfied now?”
Seeing Alison, Aurora snapped back from her recent troubles with Julian.
“Wasn’t this your own scheme to bring me down?”
If she hadn’t been the heiress of the Montgomery Group, and if the senior executives hadn’t clarified things personally, Aurora’s life would be no better than Alison’s now.
“It was me who cruelly tried to drag you down, but look at you now, still fine. What about me? I lost my job, was kicked out by my family, abandoned by my lover, and shunned by all my friends, all thanks to you!” Alison’s arrogance was nowhere to be seen.
She was dressed in very ordinary street market clothes, her savings were meager, and now jobless and spending more than she earned, she lived in a rented small house, pitifully destitute.