No wonder she acted so high and mighty; she must've thought Walton belonged to her alone. Even her own sister said as much. If that was how Tessa saw it, how could Aurora not feel the same?

The whispers grew louder, more frequent, and eventually reached the ears of her assistant. Furious, he clenched his fists. Aurora was clearly doing all of this for the company. How could these people be so blind? Were their minds completely stuck? He felt it was beyond unfair. Aurora had always been sincere, a hardworking woman with a clear vision, yet no one seemed willing to truly take her seriously.

It sat heavy in his chest, that bitterness, and he couldn’t keep it to himself. Without hesitation, he went straight to Aurora and told her everything. But upon hearing it, Aurora didn’t react much at all. After all, these people were irrelevant. Paying them too much attention would only drag her down.

“It’s fine,” she said calmly. “We just focus on doing our work. There’s no need to worry about the rest. Our time is limited; wasting it on things that don’t matter won’t help anyone.”

Since she’d already proposed the plan, she was committed to seeing it through. She wouldn’t wait around for approval—she was always the kind who liked keeping control in her own hands. Her assistant stood there, watching her composed expression, and felt even worse. He didn’t understand how she always stayed so quiet in the face of all this. No matter how many times she was wronged, she never said a word, just pushed forward alone.

Seeing him still standing there, Aurora gave him a puzzled glance. “What’s wrong? Do you have something else to say?”

He hesitated, held it in, and then couldn’t anymore. “Miss Walton, why are you always so patient?” he blurted, pointing toward the door. “Do you know what they’re saying out there? They’re laughing at you, saying your proposal’s nothing but a fantasy. They’re claiming you think this company belongs to you—that you just want to do whatever you please.”

The more he spoke, the more emotional he became. “But you’re doing this for them! For the company! You just don’t want Walton to stagnate. Why can’t they see that?” He’d followed her from the start, risen under her guidance, and every bit of his loyalty came from watching her pour herself into the work. To him, everything began and ended with her. In many ways, he was a reflection of Aurora herself.

Seeing how fired up he was, Aurora quietly set down the pen in her hand. Her gaze was calm but firm as she looked at him. “Ian, don’t get too worked up.”

“Miss Walton, I’m not you. I don’t have your patience,” he muttered, turning his face away so he wouldn’t have to look at her composed expression. Because every time he saw her this calm, all he could think about was the sneering faces of those people outside.

But Aurora didn’t get angry. “It’s alright. Like I said, we can’t expect everyone to agree with us. What matters most is doing our own job well. And as for that land overseas… even if they don’t support it, I’m still going through with it.”

Her voice was steady, and by the end of her sentence, her eyes were resolute. Ian nodded slowly. He knew her better than most. Once Aurora made up her mind, there was no stopping her. No one could stand in her way.

“Miss Walton, I believe in you,” he said, full of conviction. “You’re going to pull this off beautifully. And in the end, you’ll prove them all wrong.”