“The posts online weren’t wrong. I am the CEO of Vanguard Group.”

“Then that settles it, doesn’t it?” Aurora cut him off at once. “As for the rest, I don’t want to hear it. I just needed to confirm this one thing.”

“I can explain, Aurora.”

But she refused to give him the chance, not even wanting to look at his face.

“What’s the point of explaining now? A lie is still a lie. And after all this time together, you should know better than anyone that the thing I despise most is being lied to.”

Lucas' lips parted slightly, but no words came.

Of course, he knew deception was what she hated most. Every time he thought about what he had done, he wished he could go back and slap himself. But what was done was done. The only thing left was to try and make it right.

“I know I was wrong, but the only thing I can do now is make amends.” He stepped closer, his expression earnest. “I hope you’ll give me that chance.”

Aurora slowly finished the food in front of her, his words leaving her in a daze.

“And how exactly am I supposed to give you that chance?”

A hollow laugh slipped from her lips. “From beginning to end, I’ve been the one hurt here. You had so many opportunities to tell me the truth, and you never once did.”

“Even those trending posts online–you had them taken down, didn’t you?”

Lucas froze where he stood. He hadn’t expected Aurora not only to see the rumors but to guess that he had been the one to pull the strings. Did that mean everything he’d done up until now had been meaningless? That in her eyes, he was nothing more than someone covering up his crime? The thought left him bitter, and a helpless smile tugged at his lips. “Yes, it was me.”

At this point, he had no choice but to admit it. He knew too well that if he kept denying it, the outcome would only be worse.

It would have been better to confess earlier–at least then he might have earned some credit in Aurora’s eyes.

“Since you admit it was you who had them taken down, I have nothing more to say. If you were so afraid of me finding out, then why are you so quick to confess now?”

Aurora folded her arms, thinking Lucas was contradicting himself.

His gaze lowered. “Because I don’t want to hide from you anymore. The whole time I kept it from you, I was miserable. I knew it was wrong, but I didn’t know how to tell you the truth.”

“There’s no need.” Aurora’s face was cold. “You already have your excuses. If I keep pressing, it’ll only make me look heartless.”

Lucas rushed to explain. “No, no, I know it’s my fault. From the beginning, not telling you was my mistake."

“You have my word–I’ll make it up to you. From now on, I’ll never keep anything from you again. If something comes up, you’ll be the first to know.”

He looked straight at her, eyes clear, his voice firm.

This time, Aurora knew he wasn’t lying.