Chapter 285

Was that really the same man she once knew? For a split second, Aurora wondered if she’d ever truly seen Joseph for who he was, or if she’d just been wrong from the start.

“Aurora, please, just listen…” Joseph reached for her hand. Without the slightest hesitation, she flipped him over her shoulder in one clean, brutal motion.

Gasps exploded across the crowd. Even Judy, watching from a short distance away, stood frozen in shock. She stared at Aurora, stunned. Hadn’t she used to like Joseph? Wasn’t she always the first one to panic whenever he so much as caught a cold? She’d fuss over him, cook for him, do everything for him. But now…

Judy swallowed hard, her gaze shifting as if she was seeing Aurora for the first time–someone unrecognizable. Joseph lay on the ground, staring up at the bright blue sky. For a moment, he didn’t even process what had happened. It wasn’t until a few people in the crowd couldn’t hold back their laughter that the reality hit him. His face flushed bright red. He’d just been slammed by a woman in front of everyone.

Aurora tilted her head, lips curling into a slow, sharp smile. She looked at him like he was something she needed to step around. “Feeling a bit more cooperative now?” She gave him a look of pure disdain. “Your old flame shows up, and your first instinct is to stage some public declaration of love to me? You’re not just shameless. You’re pathetic.”

Her voice turned cool and mocking. “Or what, are you trying to revive polygamy now that we’re in the modern age?”

The crowd couldn’t help but look at Aurora with awe. She wasn’t just gorgeous–her words came like a bullet train, no pauses, no stutters, straight fire.

Joseph lay there like someone had unplugged him from reality, completely powerless under her verbal blowtorch.

Finally, one of the reporters stepped forward, clearly torn between concern and secondhand embarrassment, and helped him up. “You okay, sir?” After all, Joseph was the one signing the checks. He couldn’t have him broken on the pavement. Once Joseph had been helped to his feet, the heat in his face finally began to subside. He waved off the reporters, trying to act unfazed. “It’s fine. As long as it helped you vent, Aurora, I can take it.” He even took a few steps toward her. “If you’re still upset about that woman showing up, feel free to throw me again. As many times as you want. Whatever it takes to make you feel better.”

Watching him cling on like this, Aurora felt, perhaps for the first time, truly exasperated. But Joseph’s pathetic display was working in his favor. The crowd’s opinion began to shift.

“Wow… this guy’s really got stamina. He must actually love this Aurora woman.” “Seriously. If someone did that to me in front of all these people? I’d lose it.” “Man or woman, doesn’t matter. I wouldn’t stand for it either.”

People murmured their approval, admiring Joseph’s supposed resilience and devotion. Aurora, on the other hand, simply shook her head. She’d been too focused on putting him in his place to realize how good he was at enduring humiliation when it served him. One throw was clearly not enough.

“Enough,” she said coldly. “Do I need to bring out the list?” At those words, the grin on Joseph’s face faltered. The list? A flicker of panic crossed his features. Could she mean…? Aurora saw the recognition spark in his eyes. Her smile deepened, slow and deliberate. That was the only thing that ever snapped him back to reality–pressure. And clearly, he needed a bit more.

Joseph wiped the sweat from his forehead, clearly rattled. “Aurora, come on. Let’s not go that far…”