A few people in the crowd rembered exactly what Aurora ant... how Isabella’s actions earlier had set off the entire chain of events.
Their eyes shifted toward Victor, whose face had grown darker.
He forced himself to keep his tone calm.
"Ms. Dawn and I do not have a strong connection yet. She doesn’t understand how harmful Alex can be to her business. I will soon arrange a eting with her and make sure she understands."
Aurora tilted her head and smiled. "If that’s the case, then you should put her back on speaker and let us all hear her decision now."
So guests murmured in agreent. Even a few of Victor’s competitors nodded, their eyes glinting with interest.
Victor’s jaw tightened. He glanced at Aurora, morizing her face. This red-haired girl had humiliated him twice in one night. He silently promised himself that she would pay for it one day.
With clear reluctance, he pressed the button again and turned the speaker back on.
Ms. Dawn’s voice returned, firm and unshaken. "I am not interested in eting you, Mr. Hawthorne. My decision will not change. I will never withdraw my investnt in Alex’s company."
Then the call ended with a small click.
The silence in the hall was heavy. No one spoke for a long mont, until Patrick, who had been standing to the side, suddenly raised his glass. "Let us enjoy the evening. This little scuffle should be forgotten. Cheers."
It was his way of giving Victor a way to step down without more embarrassnt.
Aurora was about to add sothing, but Alex leaned close and spoke quietly. "Don’t. I didn’t bring any bodyguards tonight. If Victor sends people after us, we won’t be able to protect ourselves."
Aurora’s brows lifted slightly. She looked at him with new respect. He was thinking ahead, just like her own brothers, Lucas and Theodore. Even in a tense mont like this, he was considering everyone’s safety.
Olivia noticed this too. Just a mont ago, she had been ready to step in front of her sister, but Alex had already done so without hesitation. She felt a warm admiration for him and decided she would tell others about what he had done.
Louis glanced at Alex and then smirked at Olivia. "I’d better hurry and chase you. With a brother like that, it’ll be hard for anyone to steal you away."
Olivia rolled her eyes.
Matteo, standing off to the side, watched quietly. In his mind, he thought about what might co next. Victor would likely take revenge against Olivia’s family, the Waters.
If that happened, they could lose their high status. Matteo decided it would be wiser to keep his distance for now.
Later, when the Waters family had fallen and Victor’s anger had cooled, he could appear and "help" Olivia. In that mont, she would see him as her savior.
Aurora watched as Matteo walked away without even saying goodbye. His tall figure moved slowly toward the exit, his steps steady, his hands in his pockets as if nothing important had happened.
She narrowed her eyes slightly, following him with her gaze. There was a thoughtful look in her eyes, but after a mont she turned her head away. In the end, she said nothing.
Instead, she shifted her attention toward Olivia and Louis. The two of them were still going back and forth, their voices low enough not to disturb others but filled with a certain playful bite. Louis had that teasing smile on his face again, the kind that seed to annoy Olivia more than anything else.
"You really have a short temper," Louis said lightly, tilting his head at her.
"And you really have a big mouth," Olivia shot back, her cheeks bright red. Whether it was from anger or embarrassnt, Aurora could not tell.
Louis only chuckled, clearly enjoying himself. "You look cute when you’re mad, you know."
That made Olivia’s eyes widen, and she glared at him as if she might hit him. Her lips pressed into a thin line, but that blush on her face made her look even prettier than usual. Aurora could see it, and so could Alex, who had been watching quietly.
Alex’s eyes narrowed, and he gave Louis a sharp look. "You should stop bothering her," he said. His voice was calm, but there was a cold edge to it.
Louis raised his eyebrows and leaned back slightly, almost as if he were being polite. But the smile never left his face. "I’m only talking to her," he replied.
Aurora, trying not to laugh at the whole scene, kept her expression straight. She had noticed a lot during the night, but one thing stood out. At these high-class parties, she had never once seen Spencer attend.
Not even once. That was strange. She thought about it for a second, but then decided to push the thought away. There were more pressing matters to deal with now.
She looked around the ballroom. People were keeping their distance from them. It was almost like an invisible circle had ford around their group. No one dared to step closer, no one even tried to strike up a conversation. This was not normal party behavior.
Her eyes moved back to Louis. She found it strange that he was still here. Matteo had already pulled away, making sure not to be connected to them in any way for now. That made sense. Matteo was careful. He probably did not want Victor to even think he was on their side.
But Louis... Louis was different. He acted like he did not even notice Victor was there. His whole body language was relaxed, as if he were just another guest enjoying himself.
What was even stranger was that Victor kept glancing at him. Each ti, Victor’s eyes were cold, almost warning him to walk away from the Waters family.
Louis never reacted. At least, not in any visible way.
Aurora thought about it for a mont. Maybe Louis was simply too clueless to understand what was going on.
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