Chapter 138

She understood what Lucas meant—he wanted to protect her. But she wasn’t someone who would always stand behind a man.

Besides, this was between her and Joseph. It needed an ending.

On the other side of the venue, Grace had already been informed about what was going on between Aurora and Joseph. Someone asked if she wanted to step in, but Grace stopped them.

“This is Aurora’s business. I believe she can handle it.”

At tonight’s banquet, with so many eyes watching, this was Aurora’s first real moment in the spotlight—a bold debut.

Tessa stood among the crowd, enjoying the drama. The messier it got, the happier she was. She was counting on Joseph, useless as he was, not to let her down.

Julian watched quietly from the sidelines. Ever since Aurora had exposed that recording, what little affection he had left turned mostly into resentment. What did beauty matter, if a woman’s mind was always calculating? A woman like her, even if he married her, would never give him a peaceful life.

Lucas glanced at Aurora. Though reluctant, he eventually stepped aside, giving her space. She wasn’t some delicate flower in a greenhouse–she could handle this. He pressed his lips into a tight line. He wanted her to lean on him, but he wasn’t about to clip her wings.

Aurora’s eyes locked onto Joseph. She searched his face, now haggard and clouded with malice, trying to find even a trace of the man she once knew. But no matter how hard she looked, there was nothing left.

Maybe she’d been too stubborn all along.

Joseph gave her a crooked smile, eyes flickering with hope. “Aurora, if you dump that pretty boy now, I’d still be willing to give you a chance. You loved me once, remember? There’s no way you could just…”

Smack!

The sharp sound cut him off mid-sentence. His head snapped to the side.

He turned back, stunned, and stared at Aurora. “You hit me? You actually raised your hand against me?”

“I’ve wanted to hit you for a long time,” Aurora sneered, stepping closer to Joseph with every word. “Why are you dragging up the past? Does that make you feel proud? You’re just trash, stuck in your own memories. You’re always waving the Hunt name around like it means something. Is that all your brain is capable of?”

Joseph stood there, speechless, completely shut down by her words. And on Aurora’s breathtakingly beautiful face, there wasn’t the slightest trace of love left. The woman who once looked at him like he was her world, who obeyed his every word, was gone.

Realizing that, Joseph’s first instinct was to deny it. “No—no, you still love me, right? Aurora… no, Miss Walton… those three years meant something. You can’t just treat me like this!”

Aurora stared at him, her head pounding from his delusion. Suppressing the disgust rising in her chest, she turned to the event manager. “Call security. Have him removed.”

She wasn’t interested in wasting another breath. This man was trapped in his own fantasy, and no one could pull him out.

Lucas stepped up beside her, placing a hand gently around her shoulder. “That’s enough. Don’t let garbage like him get to you. It’s not worth it.”

“You’re right.”

They exchanged a smile, leaning in close, wrapped in their own quiet world. The sight burned into Joseph’s eyes like a blade. He couldn’t accept it. Were those three years all a lie? This two-faced woman!