Chapter 1269
She snatched up her phone and fired back furiously: “You didn’t even get the job done, and you still dare to ask for the final payment? You must be dreaming.”
“Instead of trying to make a living off things you clearly can’t handle, why don’t you get yourself a proper job? If you don’t have the ability, then don’t take the work.”
With that, Tessa blocked the black-clad reporter.
She’d been using a different number all along.
After blocking him, she destroyed the SIM card. Even if someone tried to track her down, it would be impossible—she’d wiped away every trace.
In his rented flat, the black-clad reporter stared blankly at her messages.
Good thing he’d kept himself well covered; otherwise, he’d never survive in this line of work again.
He had counted on Tessa paying him the rest, but her response left him stunned. When he tried to send another message, a glaring red exclamation mark popped up.
His expression darkened, teeth grinding. “So that’s it, you’re really the kind to burn the bridge after crossing it. Even if I didn’t finish the job, at least I managed to cause Aurora some trouble.”
But the bitterness gnawed at him. His fist clenched tight at his side.
Taking a deep breath, he told himself to calm down. But when he dialed again, the number was already disconnected. His face grew darker still.
She dared to vanish like this, leaving him to swallow the loss. There was nothing else he could do.
At least, he consoled himself, she had already paid part of the fee upfront.
Still, the more he stared at her number, the angrier he grew. Finally, he spread word through the network, warning others not to take any jobs from her.
And with help from a hacker friend, he traced the IP address from her earlier chats, determined to find out exactly where she was. The black-clad reporter refused to let himself be played so easily.
But Tessa knew nothing of this.
Looking at the wreckage on the floor, a twisted smile spread across her face. She crouched down, picked up a shard of glass, her gaze dark and menacing.
“Aurora, since you refuse to let me live in peace—since you insist on holding on to that project so I can’t secure it—don’t blame me for showing no mercy!”
The maid who had come upstairs to clean took one look at Tessa’s expression and bolted downstairs in fear. Tessa was having another episode. This was the worst possible time to approach her. Otherwise, she’d be the one to suffer.
After the studio’s grand opening, Leonard didn’t show up again. But online, he quietly kept track of every update about Aurora’s new studio. Neither Aurora nor Megan had any idea.
Meanwhile, footage from the opening—Aurora’s poised yet cutting takedown of the black-clad reporter—quickly caught the attention of entertainment media and began circulating online. With a few exaggerated reports and headlines, Aurora became an overnight sensation.
WaltonHeiressOpensHerOwnStudio!
BeautyBeyondCompare
AuroraWaltonGoddess
AuroraWaltonShutsDownShamReporter
Those trending tags quickly sent her reputation soaring. At first, people had been skeptical—was she really as stunning as the posts claimed? After all, the entertainment industry was flooded with beautiful women, and most audiences had grown numb to it.