Chapter 14

Aurora put down her cutlery and sipped her tea before looking calmly at Chern. “Are you mocking me?”

Owen chuckled, but said nothing.

“I have nothing to do with Sidury, so please don’t make false accusations about me. Yes, the marriage alliance between the Sander and Klein families started because of me, but I didn’t agree to it. I’m pitifully alone. I’ve explained this clearly enough to you.”

“Pull you? You have high standards for your partner, huh? I sure wonder what your standards are, Professor,” Owen said.

“Well, I’ve chosen you, haven’t I? You meet the standards,” Aurora gazed at Owen and calmly replied. “Not only are you tall, rich, and handsome, but you also have high Hand FQ. You’re practically perfect. This is why I’ve become Mr. Jenson, a position every…”

Chern was at a loss for words after hearing Aurora’s reply.

How should he even reply to this? Dani Aurora was good at making arguments.

“Do you still have any questions, Mr. Jenson?” Aerma asked casually, still caringly pouring a glass of water for them.

“Sometimes, not arguing is a sign of passive consent, Professor Reed,” Owen replied. “Hot still, something like this might damage your reputation. Perhaps you should—”

Aurora raised her hand to interrupt Owen, saying, “It’s not a big deal. It’ll be so troublesome to explain every rumor about me. Rumors stop with the wise. I’ve heard so many rumors about me in all these years, each getting worse and more vicious. Where would I find the time and effort to explain every single one of them? Where would I even find the time to get the evidence to defend myself?

“Should I just give up on my education? Should I stop writing my thesis? I was enrolled in Astrait University when I was 14 and then completed a combined bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD program. It took me seven years to complete my education, and I subsequently went abroad for a couple of years.”

“You, too, have a combined bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD. Do you really believe studying is all about talent and has nothing to do with hard work?”

A hint of resignation and supposed annoyance appeared on Aurora’s usually cold expression.

“I worked hard day and night, going through all the resources in the library and studying all the works of past researchers. I focused intently on research, conducting countless experiments and practices, only to face numerous failures. But I stood back up each time after finding out the reasons. Would I have achieved what I have today if not for all of that?” Aurora ranted.

“Do you think I’d have the time to date that moron, Sidney, who can’t even identify a whore when he sees one? Do you think my brain was kicked by a donkey and I can’t think straight? I’d rather you kill me than discriminate against me like this! There’s no cure for being a lovestruck fool, Mr. Jenson. I believe you’re not that kind of person, are you?”

“Lovestruck fools should just get married and have kids early. Their only contribution to society is to produce some more talents to the pool,” Aurora said.

Owen was left speechless. It seemed like not only was Aurora great at arguing, but she had a sharp tongue and could spew cutting words! She left him at a loss for words.

“Ouch, Professor Reed. You don’t have to be so harsh with your words,” Owen finally replied after taking the glass of water from Aerma.

“Well, didn’t you want me to explain?” Aurora glanced at Owen. “If we have a problem, then we should share it. Only then can we efficiently resolve it. Human relationships are just that simple. I hope you can understand that, Mr. Jenson.”

There was no denying that Aurora’s words made sense. Otherwise, how could she live a wise and unfazed life with such stable emotions?

Owen stared at Aurora for a moment. He did understand why he asked such a senseless question. After all, it was just her past relationship.

Forgive me for asking too much. I hope it’s as you said and that it won’t cause any trouble. I won’t interfere with your past too much. And I hope you can deal with it properly.

Aurora furrowed her eyebrows at Owen. But he had already put his glass down.

Did that mean the lud explained herself clearly?

After a moment of hesitation, Aurora stopped pondering about it. It was just about—was it more important than her work?

She headed toward the bedroom. After taking another sip of her tea, realizing her work was centralized, it was already approaching midnight.

Mota went to the lan hen to prepare overnight oats before realizing a dishwasher had been installed. Steppede uiler braklastingardiends for tomme before going to the bedrooms. Chad taken his hat and returned to the study. That saved Aurora some trouble. She took a shower and then went to bed.

Chapter 11

The next morning, Aurora went for a jog, which she always did regardless of rain or shine. When she got back home, she had enough time to get changed and prepare breakfast.

When Owen woke up, Aurora had already left for university. But breakfast was already on the dining table. There were overnight oats, sunny-side-ups, bacon, sausages, hash browns, and a fruit platter. But unlike before, there was a sticky note beside the breakfast.

Owen took it and had a look. The words written gracefully on the sticky note said, “Mr. Jenson, I’d like you to meet my family in the next couple of days. Please text me if you’re free. Thank you.”

Her handwriting was beautiful. The letters flowed smoothly and elegantly, with a distinctly individual style. They were also highly recognizable—bold and dynamic yet unrestrained.

Owen folded the sticky note and took out his phone to text Aurora. “Sure. Let’s make it noon tomorrow for lunch.”

After sending the text, he put down his phone and ate breakfast. He never used to eat breakfast and didn’t have a consistent eating schedule. As time passed, he developed a stomach problem. The doctor told him to look after his health after his medical check-ups. But each time, he only managed to change and maintain his diet plan temporarily after the doctor’s visit.

He was feeling a slight stomach ache right now. He had some alcohol last night and didn’t have a lot of food. So, his old stomach problem struck once more.

Owen noticed Aurora lived a fairly disciplined life. He saw her going out for a jog when he woke up to freshen up, but she still had time to prepare breakfast.

After eating the overnight oats, Owen’s stomach felt better. After finishing breakfast, Owen asked the maid to come for housekeeping. Naturally, he wouldn’t do the dishes. He was a man with thousands of tasks. How could he have time for house chores?

Timothy was called to the CEO’s office the moment he arrived at Quinox Corporation.

“Do you need me, Mr. Jenson?” Timothy asked carefully. He was afraid of disturbing Owen, who was busy reading documents.

Owen glanced up from the documents and ordered, “Cancel the lunch tomorrow and make an appointment at Southbay International Hotel instead. Also, please prepare some gifts.”

Timothy was stunned before quickly asking, “Are you meeting an important guest, Mr. Jenson?”

Owen never simply changed his schedule. He had to have an important appointment to suddenly change his plan. After all, tomorrow’s lunch was with a very important business partner.

“I’m meeting Professor Reed’s family tomorrow. Please prepare some gifts,” Owen replied with a calm expression. Although he didn’t look like he cared much, it was hard to say otherwise. After all, he declined such an important business lunch to meet with Aurora’s family.

Timothy wanted to ask more questions, such as who was invited to the lunch. But when he looked up, Owen was already busy with his work. Of course, Timothy didn’t dare to disturb Owen. He sighed under his breath and considered asking Aurora instead.