CHAPTER 413: CHAPTER 413: THIRD MEETING

Aurora desperately wanted to hear what Theodore was thinking and looked in his direction.

However, Theodore’s face was unreadable.

He stood still, his expression calm and serious, showing no emotion at all.

Aurora could not guess what was going on inside his mind.

For a moment, her heart pounded nervously, but then she relaxed when she did not hear the familiar sound of a notification in her head.

Aurora sighed in relief. If it had increased even by one percent, she would have heard the system’s notification immediately.

But since she didn’t, it meant Theodore’s heart had not softened toward Eleanor. That was a good sign.

She quietly turned her eyes toward Eleanor, who was still kneeling on the floor. Eleanor’s hands trembled slightly as she stared at Theodore, waiting for his response.

For a second, Aurora almost had the urge to walk up to her and slap her across the face.

The way Eleanor looked so pitiful made her blood boil.

But Aurora stopped herself. She knew that sometimes, pushing a person too much could cause a big mess.

Theodore was calm right now, but if she acted out, he might take Eleanor’s side just out of sympathy.

So she stood still, watching carefully, her face calm while her mind raced.

Theodore finally took a deep breath. Then he turned away and stood up, his movements slow but firm.

"I don’t want to see you anymore," he said coldly. "You should leave."

Eleanor lowered her head, tears dripping onto the floor. Her voice shook as she tried to speak. "But..."

Before she could finish, Aurora heard a mechanical sound in her mind.

[Theodore’s favorability has dropped to 8%.]

Aurora’s eyes widened a little. She quickly looked at Eleanor, who froze as if sensing something bad.

For a moment, Eleanor opened her mouth again, but the expression on Theodore’s face stopped her.

"I... I’ll leave," she said softly. Her voice was filled with pain and regret.

Without saying another word, Eleanor stepped out and closed the door behind her.

The moment she left, Aurora finally breathed out a sigh of relief.

She waited a few seconds, making sure the sound of Eleanor’s heels faded down the hallway, before turning to look at Theodore.

Theodore looked exhausted, but he still managed to give everyone a small, weak smile. "You don’t need to look at me like that," he said softly. "I’m not that stupid."

His words made everyone in the room relax a little. Olivia smiled weakly, Lucas let out a small chuckle, and even Aurora felt her heart ease.

Lucas patted Theodore’s back and said in a calm but encouraging voice, "You’ll meet many girls like Eleanor in the future. Don’t fall for their tricks."

Theodore nodded slowly. "I know. I won’t make the same mistake again."

Once the heavy air in the room disappeared, the Waters siblings slowly went back to their usual routine.

They talked about other things, made lunch together, and acted like nothing had happened. But inside, Aurora was still cautious.

She didn’t believe that Eleanor would stop bothering Theodore so easily.

That night, when everyone had gone to sleep, Aurora sat in her room and pulled out her small black laptop. She hacked into Eleanor’s phone system within minutes.

Once she got access, she added a tracking code that would let her know Eleanor’s location at all times.

"Let’s see where you plan to go next, you scheming woman," Aurora whispered under her breath with a smirk.

The next day came quickly. Aurora woke up early, feeling excited.

She had an important meeting scheduled with Alex that morning as Miss Dawn. She planned to discuss something big with him and also bring Adriana into the same meeting.

Ever since she started thinking of him as her brother, she wanted to make sure he had a good life.

She wanted him to reach the top faster, so she was planning to push the storyline forward.

Originally, it was supposed to take a full four years for Alex to reach his next big stage, but Aurora wanted it to happen sooner.

After a warm shower, she got dressed in her usual Miss Dawn outfit...a sleek black dress, elegant heels, and a thin white veil covering her face.

She tied her hair into a neat bun and wore simple jewelry. When she looked in the mirror, her reflection gave off a mysterious yet confident aura.

She smiled to herself and left the house.

Within half an hour, she reached the luxurious restaurant where she had booked a private room. When she entered, she saw Alex already waiting inside, sitting on the sofa.

The moment he saw her, he immediately stood up and gave a respectful bow. "Miss Dawn."

Aurora, who was now Miss Dawn, nodded politely and sat down on the opposite side of the table. Alex followed her lead and sat down as well.

He looked calm and serious, as usual, but there was a small trace of curiosity in his eyes.

"What did you want to discuss today, Miss Dawn?" he asked politely.

Aurora smiled under her veil and said, "I was planning to increase the amount of investment I’ve been putting into your company."

Alex looked surprised. "Increase the investment?" he repeated, his brows furrowing in confusion.

"But Miss Dawn, my company doesn’t really need more investment right now. We are stable and doing well."

Aurora stayed silent for a moment, tapping her finger lightly on the table.

Then she said, "Alex, your company is doing fine, but stability alone is not enough. You need to grow beyond your limits. I want you to expand your business to other nations."

Alex stared at her, shocked. "Expand already? Isn’t that too early?" he asked, trying to stay respectful but clearly doubtful.

Aurora shook her head.

"No, it isn’t. I know it sounds sudden, but I’ve seen many businesses fall because they were afraid to take risks. If you stay in one country for too long, a stronger competitor will rise...and when that happens, they’ll take your place."

Her voice was calm but filled with authority.

She remembered the storyline from before. In the original timeline, Alex was supposed to face a powerful rival who had a company spread across multiple countries.

That competitor stole many of Alex’s major deals because Alex’s company was limited to one region.

If she could push him to expand earlier, he could avoid that downfall completely.

"Expanding might cause a small loss at first," she continued, "but with my funding, your company will be able to stay steady. The only thing you’ll need to do is manage your expenses carefully."

Alex thought for a while, his hand resting on his chin.

"I understand that you want me to grow faster," he said honestly, "but I really don’t think expansion is necessary right now."

Aurora smiled slightly under her veil. "I never suggest things that cause trouble," she said calmly.

Then she looked straight at him. "If your company goes bankrupt because of my advice, I will pay you twice the amount of your company’s net worth."

Alex was stunned. "Twice the net worth?" he asked, his eyes widening.

"Yes," Aurora replied. "That is my promise."

Alex fell silent for a long time before shaking his head slowly.

"Miss Dawn," he said softly, "if my company truly goes bankrupt one day, I don’t want any money. I only want my family to live peacefully."

Aurora froze. Her heart softened instantly. She hadn’t expected him to say that. For a few seconds, she was speechless.

Inside, she felt touched. Alex’s first thought after imagining bankruptcy wasn’t about himself... it was about protecting his family.

She almost wanted to take off her veil right there and tell him who she really was, but she stopped herself. She had planned to reveal her identity later, in front of everyone, so she could make it special.

In her heart, she silently praised him. ’He really is the main lead,’ she thought. ’Kind, humble, and loyal.’

After a moment, Aurora spoke again. "Then I will make sure your family is safe too," she said softly. "That will be a part of the agreement."

Alex gave a small nod, finally agreeing. He looked calmer now, his earlier hesitation gone.

Aurora smiled and continued, "There are a few other changes I want to suggest about your company. Let’s discuss them over dinner."

Alex nodded. "Of course, Miss Dawn."

They talked for the next few hours, going over different ideas and strategies.

Aurora explained everything clearly while Alex listened carefully, taking notes and asking questions when needed.

After almost four hours, Aurora checked the time and sighed lightly. "Oh dear," she said as if she had just remembered something.

"I have a dinner appointment with another sponsored student tonight."

Alex looked up quickly.

"If it’s not too much trouble, Miss Dawn, we can invite them here," he said politely. "It might save you some time."

Aurora looked at him for a moment, pretending to think. "Are you sure about that?" she asked.

Alex nodded. "Yes, I don’t mind at all."

"Alright then," Aurora said with a small smile.