A familiar female voice rang out. Aurora’s eyes lit up. “Finally,” she thought. Joseph flinched at the sound, a jolt of cold creeping up his spine. Everyone turned instinctively toward the voice. And when they saw Judy, standing there looking like a delicate damsel, full of wounded innocence, the crowd collectively paused. Just moments ago, they’d been so sure Joseph was the perfect gentleman. Now, doubt spread like wildfire. Joseph cast a quick, nervous glance at Aurora, only to find her watching with an amused smile, arms crossed, clearly entertained.
Panic prickled at his neck as he rushed over to Judy, lowering his voice in a hurried whisper. “What are you doing here?” “Am I not allowed to be?” Judy shot back, her tone edged with mockery as she looked past him toward Aurora. “If I hadn’t shown up, would the two of you have gotten back together by now?”
Joseph hissed, “What are you talking about? You know how I’ve treated you–don’t let someone else put ideas in your head." “Is that what this is? Someone told you something, and now you’re overreacting?” Before Judy could reply, Joseph pressed on, desperation creeping into his voice. “Come on, don’t do this. Go home, I’ll explain everything later. You know you’re the one I love. Don’t let this get to you.” As he spoke, he subtly tried to guide her away, wanting her gone before she could say anything else. His heart was pounding. Something was slipping out of his grasp, quickly spiraling beyond what he’d planned. “Do you really mean all that?” Judy asked sweetly, tilting her head with feigned innocence. But inside, she knew exactly what kind of man Joseph was–calculating, self-serving, and only loyal when it benefited him. Everything he was saying now was just another tactic to buy time.
The crowd watched the tug-of-war unfold, glancing between Aurora, still calm and collected, and the awkward, unraveling pair in front of them. Wasn’t this supposed to be a love confession? How had it turned into whatever this was?
Who was this other woman, and what was her relationship to the man with the banner and the band? Had this all been one elaborate farce? Aurora remained perfectly composed, a quiet smile playing on her lips, her expression serene, as if none of it surprised her in the slightest. But that smile never reached her eyes. Anyone who knew Aurora well could tell that she was laughing on the inside, and none of it was kind. “Well, Mr. Hunt, since your family is here to claim you, why don’t you clean up this mess and stop blocking the entrance to Walton Corp?” she said coolly, arms folded as she looked down the steps at him. Her stance was casual, but her words cut like glass. “Maybe the Hunt family’s fine airing their dirty laundry in public–clearly, since they raised someone as pitiful as you–but Walton Corp doesn’t play that way.” Then her voice dropped, crisp and cold. “If you don’t move, I’ll call the police.”
Joseph’s hand instinctively tightened around Judy’s arm. Her soft cry of pain snapped him back to his senses. Judy looked up at him, startled, and he quickly gave her a reassuring look before stepping toward Aurora. “Aurora, don’t be like this. She’s just a neighbor. She came to see me about something, that’s all. She’ll leave right away. I swear.” That last line–she’ll leave right away–carried weight only he and Aurora could understand. Because they both knew: it was Judy’s sudden reappearance, his precious “first love,” that had exposed the joke he’d made of their relationship. That was when Aurora realized what she truly meant to him–nothing but a temporary stand-in. And now? Now Aurora found it almost funny. It took her this long to finally see Joseph for exactly what he was.