Chapter 2

Aurora POV

"You want to marry Damian?!"

My adoptive mother cried out in shock, grabbing my shoulders, her voice trembling.

"Aurora, have you lost your mind? Do you know what kind of person Damian is? He's a cripple! Paralyzed from the waist down, notoriously violent, and rumored to have severe psychological issues! The Vance family found him three fiancées before, one went crazy, and two ended up in the hospital! If you marry him, will you even survive?"

I didn't struggle. I just clasped my mother's hand back, my voice soft yet firm.

"Rumors aren't always true. Besides, in outsiders' eyes, aren't I also a crazy woman who would do anything to snatch my foster brother? Crazy matched with crazy? A perfect fit."

"But..."

My mother's tears fell.

"I've always treated you like my own daughter. How can I bear to push you into a pit of fire?"

"You know the Owens family's situation better than I do. Ethan emptied the company's liquid funds to invest in Serena's movie. If the Vance family doesn't step in, Owens Corp. won't last another month."

I calmly analyzed the pros and cons. Seeing my mother's face gradually turn pale, I added more weight to my argument.

"Moreover, as long as I get married, Ethan can be at ease with Serena, no longer needing to guard against me. Owens Corp. is saved, and Ethan is free. It's a win-win-win situation."

My mother looked at me for a long, long time, finally covering her face and sobbing.

"My child... it's Owens Corp. that has wronged you..."

I gently patted her back, my heart filled with a sense of relief.

"Please keep this from Ethan for now. I don't want him to think I'm forcing him into this marriage. In half a month, the Vance family will send someone to pick me up, and we'll go straight to register the marriage."

Half a month later.

Coincidentally, that day was exactly when Eric planned to officially propose to Serena Miller.

In my previous life, I ruined his proposal; in this life, I would use my marriage to give him the future he wanted.

After comforting my mother, I returned to my room.

Pushing open the door, the room was filled with traces of Eric.

The walls were covered with photos I'd secretly taken of him;

The closet was full of clothes he'd casually bought for me; on the desk was a lighter he'd carelessly tossed aside, which I'd cherished like a treasure.

I looked at these things I once held so dear and felt a wave of nausea.

I found several large black garbage bags and began to clean.

Photos, ripped to shreds.

Clothes, cut to pieces.

Gifts, smashed.

Piece by piece, I swept away ten years of infatuation and delusion into the trash.

For three whole hours, I worked up a sweat, my fingers cut by the fragments, but looking at the empty room, I felt a lightness I had never known before.

I took a shower and had just lain down to sleep.

The door to my room was kicked open with a loud bang.

I jolted awake and sat up.

Eric stood in the doorway, radiating fury, clutching a tablet in his hand, his eyes as dark as if he intended murder.

He strode to the bed and savagely threw the tablet at me.

"Aurora, you've gotten quite bold, haven't you? Acting all sweet and sensible on the surface, voluntarily handing over the project, but behind my back, you pull disgusting stunts like this!"

I grunted from the impact, frowned, and picked up the tablet.

On the screen was a breaking story, trending number one on Ins.

#PureSerenaMiller_ExposedAsBullyAndDelinquent#

#SerenaMiller_Plagiarism#

#SerenaMiller_IntentionalHomewrecker#

The exposé included detailed text and images: photos of Serena smoking and fighting in high school, color palettes proving her plagiarism of a new designer's work, and even suspicious chat logs with several wealthy socialites.

The comment section had exploded, full of people cursing Serena.

I only glanced at it, then calmly tossed the tablet back onto the bed.

"It wasn't me."

"If not you, then who?!"

Ethan grabbed my neck, pressing me against the headboard, the veins on his hand bulging.

"In this city, besides you, that crazy woman, who else would relentlessly target Serena? Do you think if you ruin her reputation, I'll give the project back to you? Dream on!"

My breath was stolen, but I didn't struggle. I just looked at him coldly.

"Eric, I told you, it wasn't me."

"Still trying to argue!"

He gnashed his teeth.

"In the past, you hired people to slander her, to spread fake news about her. When was it ever not you? Aurora, you're truly sickeningly malicious!"

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside the door.

Serena, her face streaked with tears, rushed in and threw her arms around Ethan's arm.

"Ethan, stop hitting her! Aurora couldn't have meant it. She just cares too much about that project. It doesn't matter if my reputation is ruined, as long as you two siblings don't turn against each other because of me..."

She sobbed, breathless and trembling.

Ethan immediately released me, tenderly pulling her into his embrace. When he looked at me again, his eyes were as cold as ice.

"Aurora, post on Ins immediately to clarify, publicly admit these were all fabricated by you, and publicly apologize to Serena!"