Perhaps it was because Ian had seen Gemma’s true colors, but now any time she touched him, he felt nothing but disgust.
“Let go. This is your problem, and I’m not getting involved,” Ian said impatiently, shaking off Gemma’s hand.
“Ian, please help me. I’m begging you,” Gemma pleaded, her voice soft and pitiful.
Even the others couldn’t help but feel bad for her. She was, after all, a beautiful woman practically begging Ian for help.
“Ian, if you really have a connection with the president, just help her out. It’s not a big deal,” Leonard said, trying to mediate.
Ian glanced at Leonard and saw shades of his former self in him. Once, he too had been deceived by Gemma’s facade.
“I don’t want to discuss anything unrelated to work while I’m here. If you want help, deal with it yourself.” As soon as the elevator doors opened, Ian stepped out without looking back.
Gemma stomped her foot in frustration. How could she possibly face Aurora and apologize? And if she didn’t apologize, who knew what Aurora might do to make her life miserable?
The truth was, Aurora hadn’t even given the incident a second thought. She rarely wasted energy on people who had no real connection to her. Someone like Gemma wasn’t even worth her anger.
However, what Aurora didn’t know was that the interview she’d given earlier had already gone viral. Her name was once again dominating the headlines.
Aurora sighed when she saw the news. She wasn’t a celebrity, yet somehow she kept ending up in the spotlight every few days. At least this time, it wasn’t a negative story.
“‘The Young and Beautiful Mastermind Behind Sun Company,'” read the headline in bold letters.
Aurora nearly spit out her coffee. Young and beautiful? She wasn’t exactly old, but the media definitely loved to exaggerate. Still, she understood that flashy headlines were necessary to grab attention.
The article focused on her positive qualities, painting her as an inspiring figure. A student who hadn’t even graduated from college, a wealthy heiress, and now a successful entrepreneur. Her background alone was enough to captivate readers.
The Montgomery family’s recent scandals had only added to her visibility, keeping her name in the public eye.
—
Meanwhile, Oswaldo was tending to his garden, sprinkling fertilizer on the flowers, when the butler came rushing toward him.
“Master, you need to see the news right away!”
“What’s going on?” Oswaldo asked, puzzled by the butler’s urgency.
“It’s Miss Aurora. She… you’ll have to see it for yourself,” the butler said, almost too excited to speak.
The butler had worked for the Montgomery family for many years and saw himself as part of the family. Seeing Aurora succeed felt like a personal triumph, as though she were his own granddaughter.
Oswaldo, thinking it must be something serious, opened the news app. The first thing he saw was Aurora’s face, followed by the headline about her founding Sun Company.
“Am I seeing this right? Sun was founded by that little girl?” Oswaldo exclaimed in disbelief.
He had been keeping an eye on the new company but had always wondered about the mysterious owner. Now that the mystery was solved, he couldn’t believe it had been his own granddaughter all along.
“Master, you’re not mistaken. Miss Aurora is truly the founder of Sun. She’s incredible! I once passed by Sun and thought it was just a shopping mall. But someone spent an enormous amount of money converting it into an office building.
“For a while, it sat vacant, but now that the company has launched, it’s already causing a stir in the industry. I’ve heard people are quitting their jobs to join Sun because of its promising future,” the butler said, his excitement evident.
“Yes, I even had someone investigate the company’s owner before. All they told me was that the person had returned from Wall Street. I thought about reaching out to propose a collaboration. Who would’ve thought the owner would turn out to be my own granddaughter? Amazing!” Oswaldo said, his voice filled with pride and emotion.
He remembered Aurora casually mentioning that she had started her own company, but he hadn’t paid much attention at the time. Now, seeing the scale of Sun, he realized just how significant her accomplishments were.
In such a short time, she had not only built a publicly listed company but had also established a new one. Oswaldo felt tears welling up in his eyes.
The recent scandals involving Magnus had caused quite a stir among the upper class. Oswaldo had been avoiding social events to spare himself the humiliation.
But now, the news of Aurora being Sun’s president overshadowed all those scandals. He wanted everyone to know how extraordinary his granddaughter was-more capable than anyone else.
“Prepare dinner. Make sure Aurora comes home tonight. I have so much I want to ask her,” Oswaldo said, his eyes glistening with pride.
“Yes, I’ll call Miss Aurora right away,” the butler replied, hurrying off.
—
The Montgomery family wasn’t the only one in shock. The Alvarez family was just as stunned.
Mary had been in a terrible mood ever since Hayden’s injury. Although his condition had stabilized, the fact that he would never regain full use of his hand was unbearable for her. She blamed Aurora for turning their lives upside down.
“Hayden, I made some soup for you. Try it and see if you like it,” Mary said, bringing a bowl of chicken soup from the kitchen.
“Mom, I’ll help him. His hand isn’t fully functional right now,” Susan said, stepping forward. She had been sidelined due to the recent controversies and had no work to occupy her time.
“Look at how thoughtful Susan is. You go ahead,” Mary said, handing the bowl to her. Susan smiled gently, putting on the perfect display of care.
Mary opened the curtains to let sunlight flood the room. Hayden, who had been quietly watching the news, suddenly clicked on a video. Aurora’s face appeared on the screen.
The clip was from her interview in front of her company, and both Mary and Susan heard the reporter refer to her as “Miss Montgomery.” They immediately crowded around Hayden.
“Why is Aurora on the news again?” Mary asked impatiently. But when she saw the headline, her eyes widened in shock, and the bowl of soup nearly slipped from her hands.
Susan clenched her teeth in anger. Aurora had started a company! The camera panned to the distinctive Sun building, and her expression darkened even further.
Meanwhile, Hayden stared at Aurora’s face on the screen. She had changed so much, becoming someone completely different from the girl he once knew. In just three years, she had grown beyond recognition.
“She’s the owner of Sun?” Mary asked, her voice trembling. She had heard of the company but never imagined Aurora was behind it. She had severely underestimated her.
“What’s so great about this?” Susan snapped, grabbing Hayden’s phone and shutting off the video.
“Yes, it’s nothing special. Let’s focus on the soup,” Mary said, trying to lighten the mood.
Hayden didn’t respond. His face remained pale and weak, but his expression was unreadable, a mix of emotions that no one could decipher.