As Aurora left work, she noticed Ivy had dashed out and hadn’t returned. She smirked inwardly, letting Ivy continue on her self-destructive path without needing to stir things further.
“Heather, how’s your face feeling?” she asked, her tone softening now that they were alone in the office.
“It stopped hurting a while ago. Let’s head home together,” Heather replied, devoid of any anger, as if the assault had never happened.
Aurora withdrew her gaze from Heather’s face.
“Good, remember what happened today. Anger is just an emotion that robs us of our sanity. Climb higher, work hard, and when you reach a point where you can’t even see her head, that will be the greatest revenge.”
Heather knew Aurora was referring to the morning’s incident and smiled.
“Yes, I know. The world is full of injustices.”
Aurora noticed the forced smile on Heather’s lips.
“We can’t change our birth, background, or talents, so life is inherently unfair. But this unfairness isn’t necessarily bad; it motivates us to strive harder until one day when we stand high, we’ll see how ridiculous many people and things can be. That’s what growth is.”
“Manager, technically you’re the heiress of the Montgomery family, used to luxury from childhood, but I feel like you’re nothing like Ivy. You’re not delicate; you work harder than anyone else, not at all like an heiress,” Heather observed, seeing similarities between them.
“Heh… While I say the world is unfair, it’s also fair in its way. You think I have everything, but I’ve lost more than you can imagine,” Aurora mused.
“Manager, what are you talking about? I don’t understand at all,” Heather confessed, looking at the young woman in front of her, whose eyes seemed to hold depths of incomprehensible experiences.
“You’ll understand later. Enduring hardships isn’t bad. Let’s go,” Aurora said, waving her hand, and they both left the office.
Outside, someone was already waiting. Heather saw the handsome man and watched as Aurora walked straight toward him.
“Did you drink your tea?” Julian asked, touching Aurora’s head as if he were picking up a child from kindergarten.
“Of course, I did.”
He wrapped his arm around her and led her to the car. Only then did Aurora remember Heather.
“Where are you headed? We can give you a lift.”
But seeing Aurora so gentle in the arms of a tall man, becoming so womanly, Heather realized how well-matched they truly were. Even without words, their sweetness was palpable. So this was the manager’s boyfriend. She had wondered who could possibly match Aurora, but seeing Julian made her think they were made for each other.
In his presence, she shelved her usual prickliness from the office, and he, too, seemed less aloof with her. Their eyes held only each other.
“No need, my home is nearby. I’ll take the subway; it’s faster,” Heather declined with a wave.
“Alright, we’re off then.”
As Heather watched the luxury car pull away, she envied them.
“Ah, when will I ever ride in such a car? Probably never in my life. I must keep pushing myself, Heather, you have to try even harder.”
In the car, Aurora nestled in front of Julian, who played with her hair.
“He hasn’t troubled you, has he?”
“What right does he have to trouble me? He tried to explain himself, but I ignored him and left. Just seeing him disgusts me,” Aurora said, feeling uneasy at the mere mention of that man.
That day, she had been drugged, and if Julian hadn’t rescued her, who knows what would have happened. The incident had cast a long shadow over Aurora.
“Hmm, you should be wary of this man. He’s cunning. Also, I’ve been thinking-given his current career status, why would he leave a CEO position to become a mere financial manager? There seems to be something off about that,” Julian said, frowning deeply.
“Now that you mention it, I see the problem too. If he’s not a child of the Montgomery family, why would he join Montgomery Group in the first place?” Julian’s words made Aurora equally alert.
“If it was for you, he could have pursued you relentlessly years ago when you were alone. Why come back here early? Such a sneaky person staying at Montgomery Group can only mean one thing-he’s plotting something.”
“Plotting something? His company’s growth far exceeds that of Montgomery Group. I heard Luminary is even expanding into Europe now.
Even if Clothville’s market is good, he would return as a CEO if he wanted to expand. What could he possibly gain from Montgomery Group?” Aurora frowned.
“No matter what he wants, be careful with him. He’s obsessed with you and won’t give up that easily,” Julian cautioned, his expression tightening at the mention of Eric.
“I know,” Aurora said, her face turning grim and her mood darkening.
“There, don’t worry about whatever he wants, as long as it doesn’t involve you. Otherwise, I won’t let him off easily. Relax, I’m here for you,” Julian reassured her, seeing her unhappiness.
“Yeah, I know. You’re the only one who’s good to me in this world,” Aurora said, burying her head in his chest.
“Now that we know his identity, you probably won’t get Luminary’s orders. If Eric is scheming by mixing in with Montgomery Group, then he’s set on the vice presidency. The higher he climbs, the better it is for him.
He’s still at Montgomery Group because he hasn’t gotten what he wants yet. Although I don’t know what it is, it must be very important to him!”
Aurora’s eyelashes quivered as she fully grasped the gravity of the situation. Since the beginning, he had lured her with the promise of orders.
Now that she knew his true nature, his tactic was rendered useless, and this time, she was certainly doomed to fail.
“Although I’m reluctant to admit it, there’s nothing I can do. I can’t possibly compete with their CEO for their orders,” Aurora said with a wry smile.
“Do you still want the vice presidency?”
“Yes, I just hate to fail, especially in this way. No worries, I’ll adjust my mindset and look for another opportunity next time,” Aurora said, ready to face the situation, regardless of the outcome.
Changing the subject, Aurora added, “By the way, Julian, I want to go home tonight.”
“Then I can’t hold you in my sleep tonight?” Julian said, visibly disappointed.