After a full day at the office, Aurora had gained a basic understanding of all the new employees.
Since she would need to divide her time between Montgomery Group and Sun, she wouldn’t be able to stay at Sun every day. But she made it a point to familiarize herself with everyone. While most employees were filled with excitement and enthusiasm, Gemma was the only one who remained uneasy.
Gemma couldn’t stop worrying about how she had clashed with Aurora earlier. She was convinced Aurora wouldn’t let her off easily. Having worked so hard to secure such a good position, she couldn’t afford to be fired.
“Alright, today was the first day of work. I hope in the days to come, everyone will continue to work hard,” Aurora encouraged them.
“Yes, President! We’ll do our best!” the employees replied in unison.
“The company will never treat you unfairly. If I’m not here, you can approach Mona. She is the company’s acting manager and has full authority,” Aurora said, placing a hand on Mona’s shoulder with a smile.
Aurora would never hand over such significant responsibilities to anyone she didn’t trust completely. Mona, standing beside Aurora, felt a strong pang of guilt.
She didn’t dislike Aurora-in fact, she liked her a great deal, which was why they had become such good friends. Mona loved Asher just as much as Asher loved Aurora.
But unlike other women, Mona didn’t harbor resentment or jealousy toward Aurora. In the strange dynamic of the three, Mona had chosen to let go.
She once believed Aurora’s lack of romantic involvement was due to her unresolved vendetta. Mona had thought that once Aurora’s revenge was complete, she would naturally end up with Asher.
Mona’s concept of love was selfless-what mattered most to her was that Asher found happiness, even if it wasn’t with her.
But everything changed when Aurora returned and became entangled with Julian. Asher had spent three years trying to win Aurora’s heart, yet Julian had somehow managed to capture it in a short time.
At first, Mona couldn’t believe anyone could win over Aurora so quickly. She began digging into Julian’s background, determined to learn more about him.
Her research didn’t reveal much. Julian was a low-profile man, his wealth immeasurable, and he had no scandals to his name. In photos, he appeared cold and composed, his sharp features rivaling even Asher’s. Mona couldn’t find a single flaw in him.
Though Asher outwardly claimed he had given up on Aurora, Mona knew the truth. She had seen him drowning his sorrows in alcohol and burying himself in work.
Unable to stand by and watch Asher suffer, Mona volunteered to work at Aurora’s new company. Asher, thinking she was going to help Aurora, had readily agreed.
But Mona had an ulterior motive. She couldn’t bear to see the light in Asher’s eyes-the light that only Aurora could bring-fade away. What would he do without Aurora?
Mona silently vowed to break up Aurora and Julian, even if it meant using herself as bait.
Her initial plan was to observe Aurora and Julian’s relationship and carefully plot their downfall. But what she saw left her conflicted.
Aurora had changed. The hatred in her eyes was gone, replaced by a newfound gentleness. It was clear Julian was the one who had healed her.
Seeing how well the two got along made Mona hesitate. Asher was her love, and Aurora was her friend. Could she really betray Aurora like this?
Her internal struggle consumed her one night over drinks. When Aurora stepped away to take a call, Mona’s resolve wavered. Ultimately, she decided to proceed with her plan to bring Aurora back to Asher.
But her attempts failed spectacularly. Julian saw through her immediately.
Now, Mona was caught in a storm of guilt and self-doubt.
“What’s wrong?” Aurora asked, noticing Mona’s distracted demeanor.
“Nothing, I guess I’m just a little tired lately,” Mona replied, quickly masking her thoughts.
“You’ve been working so hard to help set up the new company. You should take care of yourself,” Aurora said, her concern evident.
Meeting Aurora’s kind gaze only deepened Mona’s guilt. Julian had been right-her actions weren’t helping Aurora but pushing her into the abyss. She was grateful Julian hadn’t let things spiral out of control.
“It’s nothing. I still have some tasks to finish. I’ll head back to work now,” Mona said hurriedly, leaving before Aurora could ask more questions.
Aurora didn’t think much of it and let her go.
Ian adjusted his glasses, his gaze fixed on Aurora. His heart was no longer his own.
Aurora seemed to carry an inexplicable allure, a poison that seeped deeper the closer one got to her. Ian knew she was someone he could never touch, but he couldn’t help wanting to stay near her, even if it meant loving her from a distance.
His feelings for Aurora didn’t escape Gemma’s notice. She knew Ian too well. It all made sense now-his indifference toward her was because he had fallen for someone else.
And that someone was Aurora, the person Gemma despised most.
How could this be? Gemma’s jealousy flared, burning like wildfire.
Jealousy, once planted, takes root and grows, spreading like a tree until it consumes everything.
A jealous woman’s face is often ugly, but Gemma was unaware of how twisted she had become. Clenching her fists, she vowed to herself that Aurora would lose everything one day.
—
“That’s all for today. You’re free to go home now,” Aurora announced after checking her watch.
It was only the first day, and there wasn’t much work to do. The company was still in its trial phase and hadn’t officially launched, so things were relatively quiet.
“Thank you, President!” The employees respected Aurora, impressed by her success at such a young age.
As everyone began packing up, Ian suddenly spoke up. “President, I have a question I’d like to ask you.”
Aurora had already decided to groom Ian as a key team member. Mona couldn’t handle everything on her own, and Aurora needed to quickly promote two reliable assistants. Ian was her top choice.
“What’s your question?” Aurora asked, walking over to him.
“President, you recommended some books for me to read. I recently went through The Little Book of Common Sense Investing, but I had some questions about overcoming issues with liquidity and transaction costs,” Ian said seriously.
Aurora stood by Ian’s side, patiently explaining the concepts to him.
Gemma, standing nearby, watched the two interact. Her jealousy burned brighter as she saw how effortlessly they worked together. Her eyes were practically shooting daggers.