Chapter 235 Evelyn shrugged, a dismissive smile playing on her lips. “Mr. Leopold only got her an assistant because he’s worried her pregnancy might affect Destiny's launch. | bet Ferne would step into her managerial shoes while she’s on maternity leave.” “Seriously?” Emma pulled a face. “We've so many people in our department. Anyone could replace Aurelia, why on earth would Mr. Leopold parachute another one in here?” She'd been eyeing that managerial spot herself! Evelyn gave a suppressed laugh. “Mr. Leopold's intentions are beyond me, let alone you. The other day, he suddenly proposed, gave me quite a scare. | wasn't prepared at all.” She once again immersed herself in her own mirth, leaving Emma to walk away in frustration.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtOne man’s meat is another man’s poison.
Aurelia got up to use the restroom. Along the way, her colleagues eyed her belly with peculiar glances.
As she approached the restroom door, she heard a few colleagues whispering inside.
“I always thought Aurelia was as cold as ice, never expected her to be having such wild fun behind the scenes. Even got herself knocked up.” “You can't judge a book by its cover, the more innocent the woman, the wilder she is underneath.” “I've heard the baby’s Amold’s.” “Maybe Arnold's been cuckolded.” “You don't think she’s been with so many men that she doesn’t even know who the father is?” “Arnold would surely dump her then. | reckon she plans to raise the child alone. She had a winning hand, but played it terribly.” Aurelia cleared her throat and walked in. Upon seeing her, the gossipers quickly shut their mouths, gave an embarrassed laugh, and hurried out.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmAurelia remained calm. She didn't care about these rumors.
Even if they were true, so what? As long as she was happy, who cared what others thought? After work, she and Ferne left the elevator together, only to run into Ritchie, who had come to pick up Emma, in the lobby.
She instinctively wanted to avoid him, but it was too late. Ritchie walked straight over. “Aurelia? You don’t work here, do you?” She forced a smile. “Ritchie, you didn’t even call me when you came to Elysium?” Ritchie pulled a face. “My mom called your mom for a dinner date, but she didn’t want to.” Aurelia’s gaze darkened. Perla wanted to discuss selling the ancestral home. It was no wonder her mother didn’t want to deal with her.
Just then, Emma emerged from the elevator. Seeing the two in conversation, she hurried over and looped her arm through Ritchie's. “Ritchie, do you know her?” Aurelia smiled faintly. “We share the same last name. What do you think?” Emma was taken aback. “You're related?” Ritchie shrugged. “She’s my uncle’s daughter. You keep mentioning this ‘Aurelia’, | thought it was just a coincidence, never thought it'd be my cousin!” Emma was flabbergasted. She strongly suspected Aurelia knew her boyfriend was Ritchie all along, but pretended not to.
Ritchie's gaze landed on Aurelia’s belly. “Emma told me you got yourself pregnant and don’t even know who the father is. If that's true, your parents would be devastated!” Aurelia knew Emma wasn't one to say nice things. She smiled lightly, nonchalantly. “Ritchie, it's the 21st century. An unmarried woman getting pregnant isn’t a big deal. I'm just choosing to have a child out of wedlock.” Ritchie clicked his tongue. He used to think she was a saint, rejecting all the men who courted her. Never thought that after two years at Elysium, she’d be so liberated. She must have been with more than one man, otherwise how could she not know who the father was? While he was mumbling to himself, Aurelia’s voice came again. “I gotta go. Ritchie, let's catch up sometime.” Emma watched her leave, her mouth almost twisted to her ear. “I never expected her to be your cousin. Our secret better not reach her ears.” Ritchie scoffed. “She's busy being pregnant, she won't care about that. If our relatives find out about her scandal, she'd be the talk of the town.” 10.44