Chapter 461

By the time he realized what he was doing, Joseph was already standing in front of Aurora and those amused, half-laughing eyes of hers.

“What is it now? Planning on getting yourself arrested again?” she asked, her tone light but edged like a blade.

For a second, Joseph’s mind went completely blank. He didn’t even know what to say.

Aurora looked him up and down, and for a moment, she nearly laughed aloud.

Was this really the same Joseph Hunt?

He looked like he’d just stumbled out of a war zone.

Seriously? It hasn’t even been that long, and he already looks like a refugee.

She tilted her head. Then again, didn’t he get out of jail in just a few days?

He’s the only heir of the Hunt family.

No way Albert would let his precious son rot in there for long.

Facing her teasing, Joseph’s face flushed a deep red.

His mind twisted itself into knots, and he couldn’t string together a coherent sentence.

“I… I just… I’m fine…” he muttered.

For the first time, Joseph felt something he’d never experienced around her–shame.

He had always walked tall, always been proud.

People greeted him with respect wherever he went. He’d never second-guessed himself.

But now? Just seeing Aurora made him shrink back.

“What the hell is wrong with me?” he thought. “When did I become like this?”

Aurora rolled her eyes. “If you’ve got nothing to say, then move. Don’t just stand there like a lost dog.”

She had zero patience left for him.

What a cursed day. First thing I see out of the building is this walking disaster.

Joseph’s fists clenched. “Aurora, do you have to be so harsh?”

“Why shouldn’t I be?”

She arched a brow, arms folded, coolly staring him down.

“You think just because you show up in front of my company looking miserable, I should pour you some tea and roll out the red carpet?

“Use your brain, Joseph. Stop living in whatever fantasy land you’ve built for yourself.”

As Aurora spoke, she tapped a finger against her temple–an unmistakable gesture.

Joseph’s face burned with embarrassment.

He knew exactly what she meant.

No need to spell it out.

She was calling him brainless.

Wait, that wasn’t the only thing that hit him.

He blinked, suddenly aware of something else.

When did I get so used to reading her like this?

And why the hell did I stop her in the first place?

What did I think I’d gain from this?

He stood there, silent, running in mental circles–searching for an answer that didn’t come.

But Aurora had no time to waste.

“If there’s nothing else, get out of the way. I don’t have the energy to stand here trading cheap sarcasm with you.” Joseph, in a moment of sheer stupidity, blurted out, “What, am I holding you up from closing a million-dollar deal?”

Aurora stopped mid-step.

She turned slowly, taking in his disheveled appearance–his unshaven jaw, tired eyes, and the worn-out look of someone thoroughly unprepared for this fight.

And then she laughed.

“You really asked that?” she said, incredulous. “Tell me, was your brain fully developed when you walked out the door this morning?”

Joseph’s jaw tightened. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

This whole encounter had been one insult after another, and no matter how good his temper was, it was wearing thin.

What the hell was wrong with her? Why did she keep tearing into him?

But Aurora wasn’t done. She cut through his defensiveness like a blade.

“Are you seriously this clueless?”

“Whatever I’m doing, where I’m going, and what I want have nothing to do with you.”

She narrowed her eyes, her voice low and sharp. “Focus on your own mess. And stop showing up just to be a nuisance.”

Chapter 462