But Mateo, so wrapped up in his own ideas, just couldn’t get it. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

With a dramatic sigh, Mateo continued, his tone shifting to one of mock seriousness,

"You better not harm my moonlight, Miss Dawn. If I find out you’ve been talking badly about her or, worse, trying to hurt her in any way... I won’t let you off easy. I’ll make sure you regret it."

Aurora stood still for a moment, stunned by his nonsense.

She wanted to stop and slap him across the face for his arrogance, but she controlled herself.

Instead, she turned around slowly, her expression polite but cold.

"I’m going to say this again, Mateo. I said what I said because I want you to focus on your studies at Windsor University. I already have a boyfriend. I wasn’t asking you to be my boyfriend at all."

Mateo’s face froze for a second. He blinked, clearly confused by her words. But then, just like the self-absorbed person he was, he gave a knowing smile.

"Ah, I see," he said, nodding slowly as if he understood everything.

"You’re just saying that to maintain your dignity, right? You don’t want to show you are hurt. But really, I can tell you’re just hiding your heartbreak. I know you must be crying behind that veil."

Aurora could hardly believe what she was hearing.

She took a deep breath to keep her cool. It was hard, but she wasn’t going to let him drag her into this ridiculous game.

"I assure you, Mateo," she said, keeping her voice steady and cold, "I’m not hiding anything. And I’m certainly not crying. You need to stop imagining things."

Mateo, of course, didn’t listen.

He was still lost in his own fantasy, thinking that maybe Aurora was just playing hard to get. He gave her another smile, which was so fake it made her feel nauseous.

Peter walked up to the group just as Matteo was getting a little too comfortable with his delusional fantasies about Aurora.

"Mateo," he said with a sigh. "You’re thinking way too much. Ms. Dawn already has a boyfriend. You shouldn’t be spreading rumors that could ruin her image and reputation."

Mateo narrowed his eyes at Peter, not liking the interruption. He scoffed and said, "Oh, you’re just saying that because you like Ms. Dawn, huh? Trying to save her, are you?"

Peter didn’t flinch. Instead, he raised an eyebrow and replied,

"I just don’t want to hear any more nonsense. And, by the way, your attitude is ruining your own reputation. What’s with all the talk about being in love with someone who isn’t even interested in you?"

Aurora just stood there, her arms crossed, watching the scene unfold.

She wasn’t surprised by Mateo’s words—just more disappointed by his lack of self-awareness. She felt a slight relief as Peter stepped in to defend her.

Peter wasn’t done, though. He looked at the eldest son of the Richardson family and snorted,

"I see how it is. The guest list is getting longer, huh? The standards must be really low if people like me are being invited."

The eldest son’s face went red with embarrassment, but he didn’t say anything. He quickly realized that he never wanted to invite Mateo to another event again.

Peter, however, was getting tired of all the drama. He turned to Aurora, who had been trying to stay calm throughout the conversation.

"I’m really sorry for the inconvenience, Ms. Dawn," he said, giving her a polite bow. "Let me take you to a lounge where you can rest."

Aurora nodded, appreciating the gesture. "Thank you, Peter," she said. She followed him out of the crowd, with Emily trailing behind.

Once they were safely away from the nonsense, Emily frowned and said, "That Mateo guy is seriously delusional. People like him shouldn’t even be allowed at these events."

Aurora nodded, but then she tapped her head in self-criticism.

"Honestly, I shouldn’t have started the conversation with him in the first place. That was my mistake."

Emily raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying the "mistake" excuse.

"I get why you did it, though. You were trying to figure out if Matteo knew Olivia. Did you?"

Aurora gave a small smile, impressed by Emily’s sharp intuition.

"You’re right. I had a feeling he might be interested in someone close to me."

Emily’s eyes widened. "Wait, so you think he likes Olivia?"

Aurora nodded, looking at Peter for confirmation. "I do think Matteo might have some interest in her. We need to make sure he doesn’t get too close to her."

Then she turned toward Peter and said,

"Thank you, Peter. But I have to admit, you saved me back there. I had no idea how to get away from that guy."

Peter chuckled and waved his hand, dismissing the compliment. "It’s no big deal. Honestly, I was the one who shouldn’t have invited him in the first place."

Then, Peter’s tone shifted, and he looked at Aurora with genuine curiosity. "But, I have to ask—what you said earlier... was it really true?"

He was talking about Aurora joining Peter’s side.

Aurora’s eyes narrowed slightly, and she gave a soft smile.

"Yes, it’s true. But before we talk about that, there’s something I need to ask of you." Her voice turned serious, and Peter looked at her intently.

"Anything. If it’s within my power, I’ll help," Peter said.

Aurora nodded, her expression neutral.

"There’s a girl named Adriana Waters. She’s offended someone very close to me. I need you to trouble her—make her pay for what she did."

Peter’s face immediately darkened.

"Adriana Waters?" he repeated, his tone full of surprise and hesitation. "You want me to hurt her? That’s not something I can do."

Aurora raised an eyebrow, intrigued by his strong reaction. "Why? What’s the problem?"

Peter crossed his arms, his expression turning cold.

"Adriana is a kind-hearted person. She’s done a lot of good things for people. In fact, she saved my life once by donating blood without even knowing who I was."

Aurora raised an eyebrow. "She donated blood to you?"