CHAPTER 401: CHAPTER 401: MIA IN TROUBLE

Mariana frowned. "What did he even do to anger you so much?" she asked, curiosity flashing in her eyes.

Aurora’s expression turned serious.

"He hurt someone named Alex," she said simply. "Alex is my subordinate and someone I want to protect."

Mariana’s eyes narrowed. Her lips curved in a sly smile.

"Oh? So you like this, Alex?" she asked softly.

Aurora blinked at the question, caught off guard for a moment.

Mariana’s mind raced. She knew Alex well. He was her brother’s stepson, the child of Mary’s betrayal.

Her brother had always despised Alex, and Mariana herself had never treated him kindly. In her heart, she had always looked down on him.

Yet now she was hearing that an even more powerful figure like Ms. Dawn was protecting that boy.

Mariana stared at Aurora thoughtfully.

This boy, who should have lived an ordinary life, was not only living in luxury but also had such a strong protector.

Worse, that protector might even have feelings for him.

Aurora, however, shook her head at Mariana’s suggestion.

"No," she said calmly. "I do not love Alex in that way. I see him as a brother. Whoever harms him is the same as harming me."

Mariana stayed quiet for a while after hearing Aurora’s words. She watched Aurora’s calm face and then smiled faintly.

"If that is the case," Mariana said, "then I will not trouble you anymore."

She turned around and left without saying anything more.

After all, she had come here to get her answer. She had wanted to know why Aurora had taken away the investment opportunity and if there was still a chance to build a good relationship with her.

But now she knew it was impossible.

Aurora clearly disliked her, and the reason was tied to that boy, Alex.

Mariana walked out with a thoughtful expression.

She told herself that even if she could not become Aurora’s ally, it did not matter.

She already had her own business, and the money she owned was enough for her to live well.

She had no need to beg someone like Aurora for support.

Later, after the contract signing was over, Aurora left quietly. Ian also left after finishing his part.

When Aurora finally reached her home, the moment she entered her bedroom, she fell on the bed. Her whole body felt weak and heavy.

She could feel a burning pain spreading in her limbs.

She did not know if it was just because of the long flight and the work she had done in the last few days, or if it was really a fever. Either way, she was too tired to even move.

She soon drifted off to sleep, her head feeling hot and heavy against the pillow.

Some time passed. Aurora was not sure how long she had slept when she heard soft voices near her bed. Her eyelids fluttered and slowly opened.

The first thing she saw was Olivia’s worried face.

Olivia’s eyes were red, and her hands were gently pressing a wet towel on Aurora’s forehead.

Her voice trembled as she muttered to herself.

"How can you be so careless, Aurora? You caught such a high fever after just one sleepover... What are we supposed to do with you?" Olivia’s voice held both worry and frustration.

Aurora blinked slowly, still too weak to respond.

Another gentle voice came from beside Olivia. It was Adriana.

"Don’t say such things now," she said softly. "You might disturb her sleep. Let her rest."

Olivia frowned, clearly frustrated.

"No," she said. "It would be better if she hears me. Maybe then she will stop ignoring her health. Did you see how high her fever was? She was burning up. If I had not come in to check, if you had not joined me, who knows what might have happened to her. We might have found out too late."

Adriana looked at Olivia and then sighed. She did not argue because she knew Olivia was right.

They had not noticed anything until they decided to check on Aurora.

For the next three days, Aurora stayed in bed, slowly recovering. She could not remember the last time she had been this sick.

Her mother lectured her every day, scolding her at least ten times for not taking care of herself.

Olivia nagged her even more, almost ten times a day.

Aurora was so tired of hearing them both that she silently promised herself never to fall ill again.

She felt like she would rather face homework stress than listen to their endless nagging.

Finally, after three days, Aurora’s fever was gone, and she returned to school.

When she entered her classroom, she noticed that Mia’s seat was empty.

Aurora frowned slightly. She did not remember Mia mentioning being sick or skipping class.

After thinking for a moment, she decided to call Mia.

The call connected, and Mia’s voice came through the phone.

But it was not her usual cheerful voice. It was soft, and it sounded like she was holding back tears.

"Aurora..." Mia said slowly.

Aurora’s frown deepened. "Mia, are you alright? You don’t sound good."

There was a pause. Then Mia spoke again, her voice a little choked. "Aurora... could you lend me a few hundred thousand dollars?"

Aurora’s eyes widened at the unexpected request.

She could hear the desperation in Mia’s tone.

"What happened?" Aurora asked at once, her voice filled with worry.

There was silence for a moment before Mia answered in a shaky voice.

"Our apartment... it’s going to be seized. I don’t know where my family and I will live. I don’t know what to do..."

Hearing those words made Aurora’s heart tighten. She could imagine how much pain Mia must be in.

"Calm down," Aurora said firmly but gently. "Don’t panic. I will come over right now. We will figure this out together."

Before Mia could say anything else, Aurora ended the call.

She already knew Mia’s address, so she quickly applied for a sick leave from school and left.