Julian was clearly lying. What could be in the box that mattered so much to him? Curiosity is a part of human nature, and the more he didn’t want her to know, the more Aurora wanted to find out.
“So it’s just miscellaneous items, huh, Julian? You still haven’t told me which ones you painted?”
Aurora smiled at him.
“Those over there are my paintings,” Julian said, thinking Aurora would no longer be interested in the box. As soon as he turned around, however, Aurora quickly opened it.
Inside the large box were papers of various sizes, including sketchbooks and drawing papers.
Aurora casually picked up a sketchbook and flipped it open to a page that depicted herself at about ten years old, with a ponytail, holding an ice cream, and happily bouncing around.
“Is this me?”
Aurora was stunned. She had thought he was hiding some secret, only to discover that she was the secret.
Seeing that Aurora had uncovered his secret, Julian could only confess, “Actually, after we left on that boat years ago, I never stopped thinking about you, waiting for you to grow up. It’s no exaggeration to say that you were like a little sun shining into my heart, dispelling the darkness that once enveloped me. You became the only light in my life.”
“Before, I lived for revenge. After you appeared, I lived with a new purpose-to stand tall and proud before you one day, to come for you on a white horse and make you my princess. I often watched you from afar, capturing everything about you in these drawings, as if you were always with me.”
Listening to him, Aurora crouched on the floor, looking at the entire box of various drawings, where she was always the heroine, and always depicted with a sweet smile.
Each drawing was imbued with Julian’s deep affection for her. Seeing so many images of herself, Aurora could no longer hold back. She rushed toward Julian and hugged him tightly, realizing how important she was to him. His love for her made her past with Hayden seem like a thorn in his eye.
“Julian, I’m sorry, I didn’t keep that promise and got together with Hayden. You must be very upset,” she said, burying her face in his chest.
Holding her gently, Julian said, “To say I wasn’t upset would be a lie. I didn’t expect you to be with him. When I heard the news, I was indeed torn. I have loved you for so many years, how could I let you go to someone else? I wanted to take you back, dreaming of you every night, wanting you to stay by my side and smile only for me.”
“For a long time, I couldn’t calm down enough to paint you, until one day I returned to the studio and saw the painting my mother had made. She had been so unhappy, so I decided not to interfere in your affairs anymore. If I truly loved you, I should let you live freely. Many times, I wanted to burn these paintings, to completely erase our past that should not have been.”
“Burn them? What a pity that would have been. I’m glad you didn’t. I’ll take these paintings with me tomorrow and look at them slowly,” Aurora said quickly, standing up and clenching her fists.
“Alright, take them all. Now that we are together, I no longer regret my decision back then. I gave you freedom, and fate has brought you back to me.”
“Yes, if your father had let your mother go all those years ago, perhaps there would have been a different ending,” he said.
“Who knows? From these stories, all I know is that I will love you with my life,” Julian declared solemnly, as if making an oath.
Aurora nodded, “We will definitely be happy.”
There was a knock at the door. Julian released Aurora and helped her up to see the butler standing by the door.
“Young Master Julian, Madam Aurora, the master asks that you come to the hall to speak.”
Hearing the title ‘Madam Aurora,’ her cheeks instantly turned red, “I’m not yet… please, call me Miss Montgomery.”
“That will be your name soon enough, since you’ll be marrying me eventually,” Julian gave the butler an approving look.
A bit resigned, Aurora thought it was just a title after all, not so important since she was going to marry him anyway.
Following the butler, they entered the villa where the main figures of the Alvarez family had also arrived, making it a significant evening for everyone.
“Sit,” Joaquin beckoned Aurora and Julian as they entered.
“Why call us here for a family meeting?”
Julian asked with a nonchalant air.
Joaquin, anticipating this reaction, simply replied, “You may listen.”
Susan’s eyes brimmed with hatred upon seeing Aurora. She had thought that sending the video to Julian would keep him from tarnishing her reputation as agreed.
However, she woke the next day to find the crisis not only unresolved but worsened, with the media catching her in a nightclub. Unable to cleanse her image, the media coverage grew uglier, especially since she spent her wedding night there instead of with Hayden.
Susan called Julian, expecting that he hadn’t yet managed to pull the news, but by the afternoon, the stories were still circulating. Just a word from him could have retracted all, yet the smear against her grew more severe.
Now, even her past indiscretions in the entertainment industry were being dug up, like how she suppressed newcomers, stole roles, or acted haughtily.
The more her dark history was exposed, the more the public attacked her, leaving her now afraid to even step outside, staying cooped up at home all day.
That afternoon, she confronted Julian, questioning why he hadn’t followed through on their agreement. Julian retorted, “Agreement? Where’s the contract? Miss Simmons, as a businesswoman, you should know that deals rely on written words, not just spoken ones!”
Furious, Susan snapped, “Julian, you despicable man, fine, if you show no mercy, don’t blame me for my ruthlessness. I will release the video of Aurora and that man. Though she’s no celebrity, she’s not insignificant and it will certainly stir up trouble for you,” she threatened viciously.
Yet Julian remained unmoved, merely responding, “Do as you like,” before hanging up.
Susan couldn’t understand-considering his fondness for Aurora, why he seemed indifferent. She felt cornered, ready to drag Aurora down with her if necessary.
Aurora, under Susan’s glare, felt like prey under the watchful eyes of a starving wolf.
Seeing the bracelet on Aurora’s wrist, Susan gritted her teeth in anger. Hayden, noticing her distress, quickly squeezed her hand.
This was not the moment for Susan to cause a scene, as it might prompt Joaquin to reconsider.
With a realization of the stakes for Hayden’s future, Susan restrained herself.
“Now that everyone is here, let me explain why I’ve gathered you today,” Joaquin began slowly.