Chapter 90

Aurora arrived at the office the next day. The moment she reached her desk, she noticed the subtle yet lingering glances coming from Linda’s direction. A faint smile tugged at the corners of her lips. She powered on her computer and casually took a seat, pretending not to notice the stares from across the room.

Linda finally let out a quiet sigh of relief. She was busy skimming through the files on her USB drive – all of them Aurora’s project plans.

“Aurora Walton, just you wait. Once I tweak these a little, they’ll all be mine.” Her plan was simple.

“Once I present this proposal in the meeting, let’s see how you explain yourself. With everyone watching, not even the project manager will be able to protect you.”

Lucy, having noticed Linda’s odd behavior, swiveled her chair toward Aurora and whispered, "Aurora, don’t you think Linda’s acting strange?"

Aurora feigned ignorance. “What do you mean?”

“It’s just…” Lucy hesitated, uncertain. “She keeps staring at you. Like, a lot.”

Aurora gave a slight shrug. “Her eyes are on her own face. If she wants to look, I can’t exactly stop her. It’s her freedom. No one can control that.”

Lucy thought for a moment and nodded in agreement. “That’s true. Besides, with how gorgeous you are, of course people are going to stare. Let her be jealous all she wants.”

Aurora chuckled, shaking her head. “Focus on work. Have you finished that report the manager asked for?”

“Oh, shoot!” Lucy gasped. “I totally forgot! I need to get on that right now.” With that, she rushed back to her desk.

The moment Lucy left, the amusement in Aurora’s eyes vanished. From the second she turned on her computer, she had noticed that someone had tampered with it. And as for who it was, the answer was all too obvious. Aurora figured out exactly what Linda was up to – she was planning to present the stolen proposal in the afternoon meeting.

Fine. If that was the game Linda wanted to play, she’d entertain her. She’d even give her the perfect stage. A cold glint flashed in Aurora’s eyes.

“The higher someone is lifted, the harder they fall – that’s what makes it interesting,” she thought.

Linda spent the entire morning in a state of excitement. She made only a few minor adjustments to the proposal, tweaking a couple of data points. Other than that, she copied Aurora’s work word for word. It was nothing more than a name swap. Everything else remained unchanged.

Feeling smug, Linda thought to herself, “Let’s see what happens once she loses this proposal. What standing will she have left in the company? Once I land this project, Aurora will be the first person I go after!” Her thoughts grew more ruthless, and the way she looked at Aurora was filled with unconcealed malice.

This wasn’t just about avenging Chuck anymore. Now, she wanted power, recognition, and an easier life at the company. Her greed was growing.

Aurora wasn’t blind. Linda’s hostility had been blatant all morning – of course, she had noticed. But rather than react, she simply focused more intently on understanding the Vanguard Group project inside out. That was the key to creating the perfect proposal.

The project manager called the entire team into the conference room for the meeting that afternoon. Lucy walked beside Aurora, following her in. Just as they were about to enter, Linda arrogantly shoved her shoulder against Aurora’s in a deliberate bump.