“If their goal was to replace me, then congratulations, they’ve already failed.”
Aurora raised her brows as she spoke, her expression bright and confident, carrying a youthful spark like someone barely out of her teens.
Ian couldn’t help but stare for a moment. He had always known his boss was beautiful, but he’d never realized just how striking she truly was. After spending so much time working beside her, he found his standards shifting. His sense of beauty had quietly evolved. He’d grown so used to seeing Aurora’s face that no one else seemed to measure up anymore. Even the countless celebrities in the entertainment world no longer impressed him. He figured his time was better spent working harder on projects, improving his skills instead of chasing superficial things.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to track down who’s behind this?” Ian asked again, unwilling to give up. He couldn’t just stand by while Aurora was being attacked. But Aurora knew exactly what she was doing–she had her own rhythm and her own way of handling things.
“There’s really no need. Don’t worry about it.”
“Alright then.” Ian left reluctantly, reminding her again before heading out, “Boss, if you need anything at all, promise you’ll tell me. I can at least learn how to handle this kind of online mess.”
Aurora gave him a casual “no problem” gesture. Seeing that, Ian finally felt reassured enough to leave. He knew there wasn’t much he could do to truly help her, but he was determined to do whatever he could to ease her burden. As long as she didn’t cast him aside, he was content to stay by her side, quietly supporting her in any way he could.
Once the door closed behind Ian, Aurora finally let out a quiet sigh. By now, she had a good grasp of what was happening online. It was obvious–aside from Tessa, she couldn’t think of anyone else who would go this far or hold such deep resentment toward her. Throughout her journey, just as she’d said before, she had met nothing but friends, mentors, and allies. Only Tessa had ever been the exception, and that exception had led to everything spiraling into chaos.
Just as the director advised, she decided to wait a bit longer, to let the situation online unfold further and see what the real intention behind it was.
Meanwhile, Tessa had also seen the online uproar. She hadn’t expected Aaron to move so quickly. She’d barely finished talking to him, and now the internet was flooded with posts about Aurora. She hadn’t realized it before, but now it was clear Aaron could actually be quite useful when needed. Tessa couldn’t help feeling pleased with herself, thinking her decision to keep him around had been the right one after all. Sometimes, maintaining old connections was worth the effort.
Just then, as if summoned by her thoughts, Aaron called her. His tone carried a trace of smug satisfaction. “Tessa, have you seen what’s happening online?”
Feigning ignorance, she asked lightly, “What’s going on?”
“Didn’t you ask me to stir things up about her online?” he said with a hint of pride. “Well, now the internet’s flooded with talk about Aurora. You should take a look at what people are saying. I’ve made sure the buzz got even bigger. Her show’s probably getting scrapped by now.”