Chapter 1261

Hearing that, the black-clad reporter finally showed fear. All his earlier arrogance and defiance were gone.

Flustered, he blurted out, “I was just hired to do this. I took the money and did the job–that’s how our business works. I honestly didn’t think it through.”

After saying that, he turned toward Aurora. “I’m sorry, Miss Walton. This was my mistake. Please forgive me. I promise it won’t happen again.”

He understood well enough that the reason he’d been exposed today was because Aurora had caught on. And judging by the crowd’s reaction, it was clear her opinion mattered most here. If he couldn’t read the situation now, he might as well quit the field altogether.

In this line of work, you had to be ready to face the risks. And right now, it was obvious–both Daniel and Lucas deferred to Aurora. That meant he needed to apologize to her first and foremost.

The sudden shift left the onlookers stunned, unable to process how quickly things had turned. Aurora herself was caught off guard. Hearing his apology, she didn’t even know how to respond.

“Do you know who sent you?” she asked at last.

The reporter quickly shook his head. “I really don’t. He only ever contacted me online. I even tried to check, but there was no way to trace who he actually was.”

A murmur of sympathy spread through the crowd. It was obvious–whoever was behind this had deliberately targeted Aurora. One by one, people turned to her, curious how she would handle it. After all, facing this kind of sabotage on her studio’s opening day would leave anyone unsettled.

Megan’s outrage spilled over. “The person pulling the strings couldn’t be more obvious. Their intentions are downright malicious.”

Ian stayed silent, though suspicions had already formed in his mind. Lucas, meanwhile, kept his composure, watching Aurora closely to gauge her reaction. With Aurora remaining silent, the rest of them held their tongues as well, waiting on her lead.

The black-clad reporter’s heart was pounding like a drum. “Miss Walton, I’ve already told you everything I know,” he said quickly. “I haven’t done anything truly harmful. Please let me go. I promise I won’t spread anything online again.”

Aurora couldn’t help laughing at that. “Of course I know you haven’t done anything unforgivable,” she replied lightly. “I was only curious who sent you. But since you don’t even know that yourself, what’s the point of me coming after you?”

The crowd immediately understood. They hadn’t expected Aurora’s perspective to be so broad. She never looked at things just from the surface–she always turned them around and approached them from another angle. That way, she avoided making enemies while still achieving her goal.

The black-clad reporter hadn’t expected her to respond so quickly or so cleverly. Now he just stood there, frozen, not knowing what to do next. Seeing him like that, several people couldn’t help chuckling.

One well-meaning voice called out, “What are you still standing here for?”

“Better get moving while you can. Miss Walton has already let you off the hook.”