Chapter 53
I stepped forward, my gaze sweeping across Marlowe and Amelia's gloomy faces. Word by word, I warned them clearly: "You want to seize the opportunity, you want to ruin my engagement—I know it all. But I suggest you behave yourselves. The only reason you're standing here today is that I'm allowing it. If there's a next time, I can't guarantee you'll be able to walk out that door with your dignity intact like today."
With that, I didn't spare them another glance. I turned around and walked straight toward the man who had been quietly watching the whole show.
"I've made my choice," I said, walking up to Benjamin and looking up at him. "Let's go."
The smile in Benjamin's eyes deepened. He reached out and naturally took my hand, interlacing our fingers.
"Okay."
He didn't ask a single question. He just held my hand and, under the complicated gazes of all the store staff, walked past Marlowe and Amelia and headed straight for the exit.
From beginning to end, he didn't give Marlowe and Amelia another look.
Behind us, Amelia and Marlowe stood frozen in place, like two clowns stripped of their fancy clothes, so embarrassed under everyone's stares that they wished they could disappear.
Inside the car, the heater was on full blast.
Benjamin didn't start the car right away. Instead, he turned his head and looked at me with calm eyes.
"Feel better?" he asked, his voice carrying an emotion that was hard to pin down—part amusement, part concern.
I met his gaze and nodded, not denying it.
My confrontation with Marlowe and Amelia had long stopped being about winning or losing—it was about making a necessary statement.
"They're really afraid of you," I stated the fact.
He chuckled softly and reached out to tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear, his fingertips warm and fleeting. "They're not afraid of me," he said, looking into my eyes with deep intensity. "They're afraid that I'm on your side."
His words gently stirred something in my heart.
He didn't say anything more. He started the car and smoothly merged into traffic.
We didn't talk much, but there was an unspoken understanding flowing quietly between us.
He dropped me off at the StoryArc Media building. Before I got out, he reminded me: "Call me if anything comes up."
"Okay." I unbuckled my seatbelt and opened the door.
I didn't look away until his car disappeared around the corner, then turned and walked into the office building. The irritation from that earlier scene had completely vanished. Stepping into my own battlefield, my mind quickly returned to calm.
As soon as I walked into the office, Vida came up to me. "Ms. White, Ms. Rivera has arrived. She's waiting for you in the meeting room."
I was a bit surprised. I checked my schedule and remembered I had arranged to discuss the second phase of our collaboration with Aurora.
I walked quickly to the meeting room and pushed open the door. A familiar figure immediately stood up from the sofa.
"Ms. White, you're finally here! If you hadn't shown up soon, I would've thought aliens kidnapped you."
Aurora strode over and gave me a big hug, then pushed me back to look me up and down. "Ophelia, just a few days, and your presence is even stronger. I heard you kicked your sister down from her director position? Absolutely satisfying! I've been annoyed by her stuck-up, stupid face for ages."
She made me laugh, and the last bit of gloom in my heart completely lifted. "Your sources are pretty good."
"Of course," she said proudly, raising an eyebrow and pulling me to sit on the sofa. "When it comes to your business, which one don't I care about?"
We quickly settled the details of the second phase collaboration. Aurora was clear-minded and decisive.
After signing the letter of intent, she put away the documents. Her businesslike expression instantly switched to one of gossip as she leaned in mysteriously.
"Seriously though, everyone's talking about it—are you and Benjamin really getting engaged?"
My hand paused slightly as I picked up my coffee cup, then I nodded calmly. "Yes, it's true."
The gossip on Aurora's face instantly turned to shock, then transformed into genuine joy.
She slapped her thigh hard. "Amazing! You've basically taken down the ultimate boss!"
She was genuinely happy for me, her bright eyes shining. "I knew it—besides a man like Benjamin, who else is worthy of our Ophelia? Compared to Benjamin, your ex-boyfriend and your sister are like fireflies next to the moon. No, they're not even fireflies!"
Her exaggerated comparison made me laugh.
After the laughter, Aurora's expression became serious.
She held my hand, her tone more solemn than ever: "Ophelia, let me tell you something serious. Since you're getting engaged, there's something you absolutely must do right away."
Seeing her serious expression, I became serious too. "What is it?"
"Get a prenuptial agreement."
I froze for a moment.
Seeing my expression, Aurora immediately explained: "Don't get me wrong, I'm not telling you to guard against Benjamin. The Wilson family is wealthy and powerful, and someone like Benjamin wouldn't scheme for your little bit of money. I'm telling you to guard against your dad, against those bloodsuckers in your family!"
She hit the nail on the head, pointing out a hidden danger I had never thought deeply about.
"Think about it—after you marry Benjamin, what if Marlowe and the others use your name, or even your father comes forward to ask you for money, to ask the Wilson family for money? How messy would that be? Most importantly," Aurora emphasized, her eyes sharp, "have you clearly accounted for all the inheritance your mother left you? Those things are the foundation of your security, your confidence. You absolutely cannot let them become assets that others can covet because of a marriage!"
Aurora's words were like lightning, instantly breaking through my revenge-focused mindset.
Indeed, I had only been thinking about how to take back my career from the White family, how to ruin Amelia's reputation, but I had overlooked the most fundamental thing.
What Cecilia left me—those things that truly belonged to me alone.
Those trust funds, overseas properties, antiques, and jewelry—Cecilia had transferred them to my name when I came of age. They were my greatest assets for making a comeback when the White family was on the verge of bankruptcy.
All these years, I had left them to professional teams to manage and rarely asked about them myself.
But now, I was getting married.
Once married, these previously clear boundaries could become legally blurred.
I never doubted Benjamin's character, but I absolutely didn't trust Preston's greed or Marlowe and Amelia's shamelessness.
"Aurora, thank you. Your reminder came at exactly the right time."
"Don't be so formal with me." Aurora patted the back of my hand. "Go take care of it quickly. The sooner the better with these things. Protect yourself first, then you can fight better."
After seeing Aurora off, I had no mind for work anymore.