Chapter 285
“You are the big star!” Aurora exclaimed in surprise as she laid eyes on Rowena.
Rowena forced a smile, doing her best to hide her unease. “You can call me Rowena,” she said, trying to maintain some composure.
Aurora beamed at her. “You look so young and pretty!”
“That’s so sweet,” Rowena responded, genuinely touched. “What’s your name?”
“My name is Aurora Ryan. Just call me Aurora,” the young girl replied with a bright grin.
“Hello, Aurora,” Rowena greeted, her tone softening as she connected with the girl.
The two exchanged a few more pleasantries, but then Rowena’s gaze unintentionally met Cormac’s. Their eyes locked for a brief moment, and Cormac quickly stepped in, breaking the silence.
“Aurora, Miss Blaire is very busy. We’d better go,” Cormac said gently, nudging Aurora to move along.
“Oh, right!” Aurora responded, looking at Rowena one last time. “See you later!”
Cormac gave Rowena a polite nod, then took Aurora’s hand and led her toward the elevator, pressing the button with urgency. Rowena watched them leave, the encounter feeling strangely distant and detached compared to their last meeting.
As Cormac and Aurora entered the elevator, Aurora, ever curious, turned to him with a serious expression.
“Uncle, Rowena is your ex-girlfriend, right?”
Cormac froze, startled by the question. “What are you talking about?” he asked, his voice a little sharper than intended. “Who told you that?”
Only Alaric and Stellan knew the truth about his relationship with Rowena, and neither of them would have shared it with Aurora. How had she figured it out?
Aurora shrugged nonchalantly. “I guessed it. I’m in middle school now, not a little kid.”
Cormac raised an eyebrow, surprised by her maturity. “You guessed it?”
“Yeah,” Aurora continued, “Actually, I guessed it last time at the entertainment center, but you were in such a bad mood that I didn’t want to rub salt in your wound and ask about it.” She spoke with the confidence of someone who thought they had everything figured out.
Cormac was speechless, taken aback by her bluntness. “Not wanting to rub salt in the wound?” he repeated, trying to process her words.
Aurora looked at him with a slight frown. “I must’ve guessed right. I can tell that you don’t think you can give her happiness now, so you lied about being married, right?”
“Where did you learn all this?” Cormac couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re just a little rascal.”
“I told you, I’m in middle school. Even elementary school kids understand this stuff nowadays,” Aurora said, rolling her eyes as if it were common knowledge. “Anyway, you two were a great match. You’re way more handsome than her current boyfriend.”
Cormac couldn’t help but smile bitterly at her words. He gently tapped her on the head. “You’ve been watching too many TV dramas. Back to reality: she and I have broken up. She has a boyfriend, and all I can do is wish her well. That’s it. Understand?”
“Coward, wimp!” Aurora teased, her words playful yet pointed.
Cormac could only shake his head, chuckling despite himself. Kids these days were something else; he didn’t know whether to be impressed or defeated by their bluntness.
In the following days, everyone continued with their own busy lives. Far East International had completed all the necessary procedures for acquiring the jewelry company, and Todd was riding high on the success.
“Mr. Knight, Todd is here,” Silas reported one afternoon. “If you don’t want to see him, I can send him away now.”
“No need,” Alaric replied, his tone calm but firm. “We’ll have to meet sooner or later. If the Storm family’s bankruptcy is tied to the Vale family, the sooner we handle it, the better.”
“Understood,” Silas nodded and left. Only moments later, loud, boisterous laughter echoed outside Alaric’s office before Todd stepped in, grinning widely.
“Mr. Knight, it’s an honor to see you again,” Todd said with exaggerated politeness as he walked in. “I didn’t expect to be welcome here again, but I’m pleasantly surprised that we’ve met so smoothly. I’m flattered.”
Alaric didn’t hide his displeasure. “If I refuse someone as shameless as you once, you’ll just come back twice. My time is precious; I don’t want to waste it.”
Todd chuckled, seemingly unfazed. “Your insults are as direct as ever, Mr. Knight, but I’m in such a good mood today that even your insults sound pleasant.”
Alaric’s eyes narrowed. “Of course. When you’re in a good mood, even something that stinks smells sweet.”
Todd’s smile faltered for a moment before he recovered. “Mr. Knight, I know you’re not in the best of moods right now, so I’ll keep my words brief. I brought you an invitation.”
Todd placed a sleek envelope on Alaric’s desk. “This is an invitation to the International Jewelry Exhibition. Only selected jewelry companies and members of the jewelry committee are eligible to attend. I thought you’d definitely want to be there.”
Alaric didn’t hesitate. “Alright, I’ll take the invitation. I need to see what kind of filthy work has replaced the designs that originally belonged to Nexus Innovations.”
Todd pretended not to understand the implications, but Alaric’s sharp words hadn’t gone unnoticed. “Then it’s settled. Since you’re such a prominent figure, the organizers wanted to invite you personally. But, considering your recent acquisition loss, they weren’t sure how to approach you. So, I came to ask if you’ll be attending alone or with Mrs. Knight. I’ll need to inform the organizers.”
“I’ll be attending with my wife,” Alaric said flatly.
“Understood. Mr. Knight, I know you’re busy, so I’ll take my leave,” Todd said, his voice dripping with false sweetness as he prepared to exit.
Once Todd had left, Alaric turned to Silas, who had been standing by. “Keep an eye on him. He’s getting too confident. Let’s see what he’s really up to.”
Meanwhile, Todd couldn’t contain his satisfaction. As soon as he was in his car, he couldn’t help but boast.
“I’m increasingly convinced that Alaric is all talk. How do you fellows all see it?” Todd directed his words at Ambrose and Bill, who were seated beside him.
“Don’t get carried away, Todd,” Bill warned. “The acquisition just succeeded. We still need to play this carefully.”
Todd laughed, unfazed. “Relax, Bill. I’m not getting cocky. I just can’t stand how Alaric acts like he’s some untouchable god. He’s nothing compared to us.”
Turning to Ambrose, he continued, “You’ve done well this time. Keep taking developer jobs in Arizona. Compared to Alaric, we’re still on the same team. We need to grow strong there and take control of the place completely!”
“Thank you, Todd,” Ambrose replied, though his words were laced with a certain coldness.
Todd grinned. “Alaric will attend the jewelry exhibition with Stellan. I’ll finally get to feast my eyes on her again. I can’t stop thinking about her. She’s so beautiful, and I can’t wait to have a taste.”
Ambrose’s eyes darkened, his expression hardening. His thoughts turned dark, and a murderous aura seemed to emanate from him. He wasn’t interested in sharing his prize with Todd. This was all for himself.