She licked her lips nervously before whispering, "It’s still too fast. Instead of dating straightaway... we should et your family first."
Her logic was simple and painfully honest. She had seen far too many dramas and lived through far too much pain... to trust blindly again.
Many won suffered during the "family eting round." It was premature for her and Alex anyway; they weren’t officially dating, and they weren’t in love yet. Not fully.
She wanted to use her mind before letting her heart fall recklessly again.
She wanted to know if Alex’s family truly accepted her and wouldn’t enslave her or take advantage of her after marriage.
Because if she fell deeply like she once did for Henry, and it shattered her again... she wasn’t sure she’d survive a second heartbreak.
Alex nodded imdiately. "We can et them today if you want."
His enthusiasm almost made her stumble. Inside his mind, he was already imagining slipping a ring onto her finger before the sun set.
He wanted her, wanted a future with her, with a longing that felt too big for his own chest.
But he also knew that moving too quickly would scare her away, and that was the last thing he wanted.
So he reined himself in.
’I’ll take it slow if that’s what she needs. But I’m not letting her go,’ he thought fiercely.
At the sa ti, fear flickered in his heart.
If another admirer like Tanya appeared, soone bold enough to fra him or create chaos, Adeline might be dragged into danger again.
And if anything happened to her, he knew he would break.
’It’s better if I secure everything,’ he thought. ’First the family eting... then engagent... then marriage. Once she’s mine, no one will dare touch her.’
After thinking everything through, Alex exhaled slowly, pulled out his phone, and dialed Mary’s number without hesitation.
Adeline watched him with widening eyes as he spoke with steady confidence.
"Mom, I want to bring soone ho," he said the mont the call connected. "Yes... tonight. Six-thirty works perfectly."
His tone was calm, but his fingers tightened slightly around the phone, subtle evidence of his excitent.
While he spoke, Adeline could only stare at him blankly. She had never imagined he would take her casual suggestion so literally. One sentence, just one, and he was already arranging a formal family eting.
’Is he serious? He’s really serious. Oh God, he’s serious!’ she thought, her pulse skipping.
For a mont, she even wondered if Alex was being impulsive. Yes, she liked him, too much, perhaps, but this eagerness of his was sothing she couldn’t quite grasp.
What she didn’t know was that Alex’s eagerness didn’t co from impulse. It ca from instinct.
Whenever she was near, he felt sothing ancient stir inside him, sothing warm and familiar... ’As if she’s the reason I’m alive,’ he often thought.
Perhaps in another life, he had loved her far more deeply than he could ever rember. All he knew was that in this life, her slightest discomfort cut into him like a blade.
He couldn’t bear it. Not then. Not now. Not ever.
He ended the call and turned to her with a small smile. "It’s decided. Six-thirty."
Adeline glanced at the ti on her phone. One o’clock in the afternoon. Her stomach twisted. "There’s barely any ti to prepare!"
Alex blinked. "Prepare? For what?"
She glared at him, heat rising to her cheeks. "A gift! I can’t show up empty-handed. Do you expect to just walk into your ho with nothing?"
Alex chuckled softly, the sound warm enough to lt her irritation. "If that’s the case, then let help you."
Before she could protest, he gently took her hand and guided her to a nearby chair. Once she sat, still nervous, he leaned close, too close, and opened his laptop.
"Sit here. We’ll choose sothing together."
anwhile, far away from that gentle mont, Aurora returned to her room after finalizing Miller’s contract.
The private room slled faintly of ink and paper, but her bedroom slled of faint lavender and old books, a scent that always grounded her.
She set her items down and sank into her chair. Her fingers, despite the long day, moved imdiately to her keyboard.
She began coding without pause. The screen glowed in the dim room, illuminating the faint shadows under her eyes.
She was on her third software now. The previous one had just launched and was already gaining traction, but her company needed more. She needed more.
Her valuation was high, but a high valuation ant nothing without consistent innovation.
So she kept typing, the rhythmic clicking filling the room like a soft heartbeat.
Hours passed. Finally, Aurora leaned back, stretching her stiff shoulders as she finished the new module.
Sweat dotted her forehead, and she wiped it away before opening Miller’s proposal again.
After discussing the details with Emily over the phone, she finalized the revised structure and imdiately registered a new company under her na. Then she asked,
"Emily, send the profit report."
Her rebate system was still her safety net, but her real money now ca from her businesses and assets. She wanted to know where she stood.
A mont later, Emily’s voice returned, steady and efficient. "The report shows the total earnings from your company are five hundred million dollars so far."
Aurora nodded. "Reinvest everything. Use the sa investor I approved before."
"Yes, Ms. Aurora," Emily replied.
Before hanging up, Aurora suddenly rembered sothing. "What about the inco from the hacking gigs?"
She hadn’t abandoned her hacker persona entirely. She still accepted jobs, but only those screened by Emily. Aurora had never bothered to tally the total.
Emily paused while checking. Then she spoke again. "The hacking revenue is approximately seven hundred million dollars."
Aurora nearly dropped her pen. "Seven hundred million?"
She rubbed her forehead, sighing internally.
’My company is almost worth a billion, yet it only gave five hundred million because of all the marketing and hiring? anwhile hacking... gives seven hundred million casually?’
She took a long breath. Yes, hacking was easier money. But hacking was unstable, unpredictable, and unscalable. Her companies were long-term assets. They were her legacy.
’I can’t abandon the long road for quick money,’ she reminded herself.
Even if the billion valuation didn’t yield imdiate returns, she knew her businesses would eventually surpass everything else she had.
"Emily, are you sure it’s seven hundred million?" Aurora asked, brows raised slightly.
Emily cleared her throat. "It’s actually seven hundred twelve million, Ms. Aurora. I rounded it off earlier."
Aurora’s hand paused mid-air. She blinked once, then twice.
’This woman once panicked over a missing hundred-dollar invoice... and now she ntions twelve million as if she’s discussing loose pocket change.’
Aurora rubbed her temple, a soft sigh slipping out. "I’m planning to invest this seven hundred million myself."
Emily imdiately agreed, her voice bright with excitent.
She had witnessed firsthand how remarkable Aurora’s investnts were... how Aurora’s personal portfolio consistently outperford even the investor who had guided them early on.
The lands Aurora bought multiplied in value far more than the recomnded ones. The stocks she selected rose with uncanny accuracy.
And then there was the matter of cryptocurrency.
When Aurora had boldly thrown money into Bitcoin, Emily had nearly fainted from confusion.
But when Bitcoin skyrocketed, she finally understood just how frighteningly sharp Aurora’s instincts were.
Emily hesitated for a mont before speaking again. "Ms. Aurora... if it’s possible, could you help invest ten million, too?"
Aurora paused, a flicker of surprise crossing her eyes. She tapped her forehead gently. "I completely forgot."
Emily imdiately panicked. "No, no... please don’t feel pressured. Just the fact that you’re even thinking of helping is enough. Truly."
But Aurora interrupted her calmly. "I can’t help you invest your current money."
Emily froze. A cold trickle of dread slid down her spine.
She suddenly realized she might have crossed a line. Even though Aurora treated her like family, that didn’t an she should expect Aurora to handle everything for her.
Her voice was small when she whispered, "I’m sorry. I was being greedy."
Aurora interrupted her again, her tone soft yet steady. "Emily, I already gave you five percent of the software company."
Emily went still. Five percent.
Five percent of a company valued near a billion dollars. 15 million! And it will continue to rise! There were also dividends.
Before she could even breathe, Aurora continued, her voice gentle but unwavering.
"And I bought a ten-million-dollar villa under your na. You can claim it anyti."
Emily’s heart slamd against her ribs, her mind going blank.
"And," Aurora continued, "there’s also the one hundred million I’ve been managing on your behalf."
Emily felt the blood drain from her face. "O-on my behalf?"
"That investnt has already risen to two hundred million," Aurora said calmly. "I’ve been managing it for six months now. If you want proof, I’ll send it."
A notification chid. Emily, with trembling fingers, opened the screenshot. The account number, confirmation stamps, transaction records... they were all real.
Aurora wasn’t exaggerating. She had been quietly investing for Emily all this ti.
Emily sat frozen, breath unsteady. She could barely see the screen through the sudden sting in her eyes.
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