Chapter 264
After Aurora left, she didn’t dwell on it too much. Lucas had given a perfectly reasonable explanation, so overthinking it now wouldn’t do her any good.
Meanwhile, the project coordinator, who had been called in by Desmond to defuse the situation, couldn’t help but look at Aurora a little differently now. He had originally assumed she was just a standard project manager, nothing out of the ordinary. But now, he wasn’t so sure. Why else would someone like Desmond, the executive assistant to the CEO—a man he barely saw once or twice a year—personally call him to intercept her? And not just that.
The call had been urgent, with one clear instruction: get Aurora out of there and bring her back, fast. And when he’d arrived, he’d caught a glimpse of their CEO himself. That alone had made his heart skip a beat. A quiet theory began to take shape in the back of his mind.
Noticing how the coordinator kept sneaking glances at her, Aurora finally spoke up, half teasing, half confused. “Is there something on my face?” “N–no, not at all,” he stammered, suddenly aware of how obvious he’d been.
Aurora chuckled. “Then what is it? You’ve been looking at me like I forgot to zip my skirt.”
The coordinator gave a sheepish laugh. “No, really… it’s just… I was thinking how impressive you are for someone so young—sharp insights, strong leadership… I ought to have my team take a page from your book.”
When in doubt, compliments were always a safe bet. And sure enough, the comment worked. Aurora’s focus shifted, and she let go of the earlier suspicion.
“Alright, let’s get back to the project then,” she said with a quick clearing of her throat, brushing off the awkwardness. “Right, of course. Let’s continue,” he replied, nodding quickly.
By the time Aurora walked out of Vanguard Group, she still felt a little dazed. She hadn’t expected Lucas’ company to have such deep ties with Vanguard Group. She clearly underestimated the extent of their reach.
Aurora narrowed her eyes, a flicker of unease passing through her. There was something odd about Vanguard—something she couldn’t quite place. From the moment she walked in, the way people treated her felt off. They were being too careful and polite. Still, she brushed the thought aside.
No matter what, a company as massive as Vanguard wouldn’t bother deceiving Walton Corporation over something trivial, right? Walton might be one of the top firms in Ravenshore, but compared to Vanguard, they were still playing catch-up, especially considering the man behind Vanguard—his background made most of the city’s elite look pedestrian.
Aurora gave a small shake of her head and headed back to Walton HQ. As for running into Lucas again at Vanguard, she couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t just coincidence. She made a mental note to find a reason to return there soon.
The moment she stepped into the office, her assistant came over to update her on everything that had happened in her absence. “Madam Grace was looking for me?” Aurora asked.
Her assistant nodded. “Yes. Someone came by asking for you not long after you left. But once they heard you’d gone to Vanguard, they didn’t say much and left soon after.”
Aurora paused, thoughtful. “Did they say if she wanted me to see her once I got back?” Ian shook his head slowly. “No, nothing like that. The aide just left after hearing where you were and didn’t leave any other instructions.”