Chapter 462

Aurora moved to stride past him. She was already running late for lunch, and she had another client meeting with Leonard in the afternoon. She didn’t have the time or patience to be dragged into whatever drama Joseph was spiraling through. But just as she stepped forward, his hand closed around her wrist.

“Can’t you just talk to me like a normal person?” he asked, his voice strained. “I’m exhausted. I just wanted to have a real conversation with you.”

“Get lost,” Aurora shot back coldly. “You’ve got a hell of a sense of humor. And for the record, I couldn’t care less how you’ve been.”

Her irritation was no longer masked. It was right there on her face, unfiltered and crystal clear. But Joseph had been knocked down too many times lately. Add to that his father’s recent words, “Aurora Walton is in a league of her own”—and that thought had been bouncing around in his head ever since. The way he looked at her now was different. It wasn’t just longing anymore. It was admiration and aspiration. He wanted to be like her.

“I really just want to talk,” he said, his tone softening into something close to pleading.

To Aurora, it sounded pathetic and almost laughable. Did he really think she was there to comfort him? The sheer audacity of it was almost laughable. That delusional sense of entitlement—where did it even come from? He was lucky she hadn’t pressed charges and thrown him right back in jail where he belonged.

Rolling her eyes, she didn’t hold back. “Yeah? Well, I don’t.”

“Joseph, you’re an adult. So, stop acting like some lost little boy wandering the streets looking for his mother.” She frowned, voice full of sharp disdain. “Go home, sweetheart. Please. I’m honestly worried your IQ is contagious.”

Joseph stood there, speechless with frustration.

Every word out of her mouth stung like a slap. These days, Aurora didn’t just dislike him–she couldn’t even look at him without bristling.

But still, Joseph’s voice was thick with confusion. “Aurora, how did we even end up like this? You weren’t always like this. You…” He hesitated, “You were the one who chased after me, remember? You came to me first. You were the one who flirted with me.”

Aurora stared at him—at the unshaven, defeated man standing in front of her—and felt a wave of regret crash through her. What the hell was I thinking back then?

“Yes, I was blind before,” Aurora said sharply. “But now I see things clearly. I want nothing to do with you. The farther you stay from me, the better.”

She yanked her wrist from Joseph’s grip, but he refused to let go. They ended up in a full-on struggle right outside the doors of Walton Corporation.

“I don’t believe it,” Joseph muttered, clinging to her like a lifeline. “You’re lying. I know you are.”

“Let go of me! What are you, a single-celled organism? Do you not understand human speech?”

Aurora was seething, tempted to slap him right then and there. Just then, a calm, steady voice broke through the tension.

“What’s going on here?”

She turned to see Leonard walking calmly toward them. The voice had come from him. The moment she saw him, Aurora didn’t hesitate.

“Leonard, help me out here,” she said with a scowl. “This leech won’t let go of me!”

Leonard’s eyes narrowed at once. Without a word, he stepped forward and landed a clean punch right across Joseph’s jaw. Joseph stumbled back, finally letting go as his hand instinctively flew to his face. Aurora immediately moved behind Leonard, positioning herself like she didn’t even want Joseph in her line of sight.

“You okay?” Leonard asked, his gaze still on the man crouched on the pavement.

Aurora didn’t spare Joseph a glance. “What are you doing here?” she asked, her voice calmer now, focused only on Leonard, as if the mess behind them no longer existed.

Chapter 463