When Aurora stepped outside, her vision momentarily darkened. And in that instant, everything made sense—Ian’s hesitation and his half-finished warnings.
Joseph had gone all out. Acting subtle clearly wasn’t in his vocabulary. The scene was chaos. Reporters crowded the entrance of Walton Corporation, cameras slung over shoulders and lenses pointed straight at the doors. Joseph had even set up a life-sized cutout of her beside a massive banner. The banner read: Aurora Walton, General Manager of Walton Corporation, I’ll love you forever. All I want is a lifetime with you. There were balloons, flowers, and a blaring sound system playing some cheesy love song.
To be fair, if this were a genuine confession of love, the setup could’ve been considered romantic and even touching. Unfortunately, the woman being confessed to was Aurora. And coming from Joseph, all of it felt more like harassment than affection. It was nauseating. Her disgust toward him ran deep, and now every move he made only amplified it.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
At the sound of her voice, Joseph’s eyes lit up. He gave a quick signal to the press, who instantly caught on and followed him in stride. The moment Aurora stepped into view, the reporters sprang to life. Some didn’t even need prompting; they surged forward instinctively.
Joseph, putting on his most tender voice, began, “Aurora, I mean no harm. We were together for three years—you were the one who chased me first. You always said I wasn’t romantic enough. So here I am, showing you I can be. Proving it to you.”
The crowd responded with enthusiastic applause and cheers, swept up by the spectacle.
Aurora’s mind buzzed with static. Her skull felt like it might burst. She fought to keep her composure. With so many eyes on her, she couldn’t afford to lose it.
Behind the scenes, Joseph allowed himself a small, satisfied smile. Perfect. Things were going even better than he planned. This was exactly what he wanted—to force Aurora, little by little, back to his side under the weight of public pressure.
Aurora couldn’t help but laugh—sharp and breathless, the kind of laugh that came from sheer disbelief. This man really had no shame, did he? Calling him thick-skinned was far too generous. What happened to his precious Judy, the so-called love of his life?
Her eyes narrowed. Right, there was still Judy in the picture.
“And who are you?”
The question cut through the noise like a blade. The crowd fell into stunned silence. Even Joseph froze in place, staring at her in disbelief.
“Aurora… are you joking?” He forced a smile, lips twitching awkwardly. “Have you really forgotten the three years we spent together? I came here today to win you back. Just give me one more chance, will you?”
While he spoke, Aurora had already hit record on her phone. Without so much as blinking, she forwarded the audio to Judy, along with her current location.
“Oh… well, now that you put it that way, it rings a bell,” she said airily. Her slender fingers twirled lazily around a strand of hair, her whole posture exuding the unbothered elegance of a lounging Persian cat.
The shift in her demeanor stirred something in the onlookers. They could sense the change, even if they didn’t understand it. Even the reporters, used to all kinds of dramatic scenes, found themselves holding their breath.