It was perfect timing. Joseph had been urging Chuck to find an opportunity to deal with Aurora, and he was struggling to come up with an excuse. Now, Linda had practically handed him one. After comforting the still-sniffling Linda, Chuck stepped aside to call Joseph.
Watching him, Linda’s eyes darkened. She always knew that Chuck’s arrogance at the company wasn’t just because of his connection to the Walton family—he also had Joseph backing him. As long as they got Joseph involved, Aurora wouldn’t stand a chance!
On the other end of the call, Joseph glanced at Chuck’s name on his phone, irritation flashing across his face. Seeing the caller ID reminded him of how he had been trying to track down Walton's younger heiress, but to no avail. Ever since that brief encounter at the front desk, there had been no further news, and that only fueled his frustration. When he finally answered, his tone was full of disdain. “Useless. Why the hell are you calling me? I told you to keep an eye on Aurora, and what happened? She’s making progress on Vanguard’s project, while you’ve completely failed to do what I asked. Do you even remember what I told you?”
Chuck hadn’t even spoken yet when Joseph launched into a tirade, but facing Joseph, he didn’t dare argue back. His resentment simmered, but he swallowed it down. “Joseph, I called to discuss something with you.”
“This better be good.”
Ever since the gala incident, Joseph had been searching for a way to get back at Aurora. No matter who was backing her, all the men he had sent to test the waters had come back empty-handed. And Chuck? Chuck had proven himself utterly useless—not only had he failed, but he had also gotten himself fired. Joseph’s irritation grew at the thought.
Chuck briefly explained Linda’s situation and expressed his own grudge against Aurora. “Joseph, you have to help me. I won’t pretend I was ever that in love with Linda, but she was my woman. How can I just let this go?”
Joseph’s expression darkened. Then, his eyes flickered with a plan. “Of course, you can’t. I have a plan…”
As Joseph laid out his idea, Chuck felt a flicker of shock. He hadn’t expected Joseph to hate Aurora even more than he did. On the surface, he feigned hesitation, but deep down, he was eager to see Aurora suffer. ” Joseph, wouldn’t this be too much?”
“Too much?” Joseph scoffed. “Your woman was humiliated like that, and she didn’t think that was too much? Besides, Aurora did all this to your lover in public—doesn’t that just mean she doesn’t see you as a threat at all? Let alone respect you.”
Chuck mulled it over. Joseph had a point. “Alright, Joseph. Just wait for my good news.”
With that, they ended the call. Joseph stared at his phone, lost in thought. Who knew if Chuck, that useless fool, would actually pull this off?
At Walton Corporation
By the time work ended, Lucas still hadn’t texted her, so Aurora decided to take the company car home. She grabbed her coat and walked out of the office. Down in the underground parking lot, just as she rounded a corner near her car, a sharp pain shot through her neck. Her vision went black, and she instantly lost consciousness.
Chuck, wearing a mask and a cap, revealed only a pair of cold, calculating eyes. As Aurora slumped forward, he caught her and signaled to the others. Together, they carried her away into an unknown warehouse.
When Aurora regained consciousness, she found herself in a run-down warehouse. She was tied to a chair, her wrists and ankles bound tightly. A cloth had been stuffed into her mouth, gagging her so she couldn’t speak.