Chapter 289

What was he thinking about her now? If he really was this kind of person, how could he face her sister?

Aurora drew in a deep breath and finally replied to her assistant. “Got it. Don’t tell anyone about this.”

“Miss Walton, are you alright?”

She didn’t know how to respond to that. Instead, she leaned back against the seat, trying to steady her emotions, and left the message unanswered.

Ian, watching the lack of response, started to worry. Under normal circumstances, Aurora would’ve replied right away. Honestly, if it were him in her shoes, he wouldn’t know how to accept it either. After all that effort tracking the man down, it ended up being her future brother-in-law?

After a while, he decided not to bother her anymore. This wasn’t something she could brush off; she needed space to process it.

Aurora, still stunned, tapped into Julian’s contact profile and stared at it for a long time. She still couldn’t figure out why her brother-in-law had been following her. Eventually, she put the phone down and decided to let it go. There was only so much she could control. No one knew what was really going on in Julian’s head, or where exactly he placed her in his heart. Things had already been awkward enough after what happened last time. She never expected he’d pull something like this again.

Meanwhile, after abandoning his plan to follow Aurora, Julian finally came to his senses. What was he even doing? What would he say if Aurora had caught him? Given the current situation, the only thing he could do now was nothing—just wait and see what happened next.

But the more he thought about Aurora’s growing influence, the harder it was to let it go. If he had just stayed with Aurora in the first place, none of this would’ve happened. But regrets meant nothing now. Julian never expected Aurora to be so capable and make this much money. That part had completely caught him off guard.

Still, it was too late for second thoughts. All he could do now was figure out how to win her back. As for Tessa, she was still somewhat useful for now. At least his parents were fond of her. That counted for something. He’d keep them steady on that front first.

In his mind, Julian’s plans were clicking into place one by one. He already knew exactly how to move forward. If nothing else, he wanted a piece of the fortune Aurora was raking in. Ideally, he’d have it all in his hands. With her support, his position in the Hayes family could become unshakeable. The thought alone made the corners of his lips twitch with satisfaction.

His family would understand. They always did when it came to power and money. Even if Tessa found out, so what? As long as he explained the bigger picture to her, she’d get it. She might even take his side. The mere thought nearly made him laugh.

But then he remembered Joseph’s confession to Aurora—the way he pursued her and how Aurora hadn’t shown much reaction. Would it be the same if he made a move? What if it didn’t work? What would people say?

Julian gripped the steering wheel tighter. He was filled with thoughts and uncertainties.

Still, he knew one thing for sure—if he didn’t take the first step, someone else would. Aurora wasn’t short of admirers. A woman like her, with money, power, and presence—anyone would want her. That was precisely why Julian decided he had to ask her out to somewhere private where there weren’t many people around.