CHAPTER 319: CHAPTER 319: UNDERCURRENTS

Victor brought the phone to his ear, his face calm and sure. He waited only a few seconds before a voice came from the other end.

The voice was flat and mechanical, like an assistant or an automated system, asking who was calling.

Meanwhile, no one noticed the small action Aurora made. Before the call connected to the ’Ms. Dawn’, Aurora had quickly sent a short, silent message from her own device.

Her expression did not change, but her eyes carried a strange, almost playful light.

When Victor finally began speaking, Aurora’s gaze settled on him, her lips curling into a quiet, mysterious smile.

"Good evening," Victor said into the phone. "This is Victor Hawthorne. I have a proposition for Ms. Dawn. I would like her to completely withdraw her investment from Alex’s projects. In return, I am offering her one hundred million dollars."

The crowd gasped. One hundred million. The number sounded huge, and several people could not hide their shock.

"That is such a big offer," someone whispered loudly enough for others to hear. "Who would say no to that?"

"If it were me," another person muttered, "I would agree right away. Not only would I get that money, but I would also have Victor Hawthorne as a connection. That is worth more than gold."

As more people began to talk, the praise for Victor grew. "He is a smart man," a woman said, her eyes bright with admiration. "He knows how to make an offer that no one can refuse."

"Ms. Dawn is so lucky," another added. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

Aurora heard their words, but instead of looking troubled, she quietly laughed to herself. No one around her noticed, and even Alex was too focused on Victor to see it.

In her mind, Aurora thought about what Victor was really doing. To everyone else, it looked like he was making an incredibly generous offer. But Aurora knew better.

She knew that Victor already understood exactly how much she, under her hidden identity as Ms. Dawn, had invested in Alex’s projects. That number was one hundred million dollars.

Now, here he was, offering her that exact same amount if she withdrew. To the crowd, it seemed like a fortune. But to her, it was nothing more than returning the amount she had already put in. In truth, Victor was not offering her a profit at all.

Aurora realized something else. He was also trying to use this as an excuse to create a formal link between himself and Ms. Dawn.

If she agreed to this deal, it would mean they had done business together, and in high society, that kind of connection could be useful for him later.

She understood it perfectly. Victor Hawthorne was not just a businessman. He was a fox, a clever player who knew how to make moves that seemed generous while actually benefiting himself the most.

And this party, with all these witnesses, was the perfect stage for him to look like a powerful, fair negotiator.

Still, Aurora did not interrupt. She let him play his part, speaking into the phone with that calm, confident tone. She knew that in just a moment, his clever little plan would not go the way he expected.

Victor’s voice was steady. "Yes," he said into the phone. "One hundred million, paid immediately after the withdrawal. I think this will be a good decision for both of us."

Around the room, heads nodded in agreement. The guests could already imagine the headlines tomorrow: Victor Hawthorne makes record offer to secure business advantage.

Many of them envied Ms. Dawn, whoever she really was. Some wished they were in her place, able to pocket such a large sum so easily.

Aurora, however, was as calm as ever. Her eyes met Victor’s across the space, and she kept that quiet, knowing smile on her face.

Some guests continued to whisper, their words carrying to anyone nearby. "If Ms. Dawn says yes, Alex is finished."

"Yes," another replied. "Victor will win, and his daughter will get to lead the project without any resistance."

Near Aurora, Alex kept his eyes on Victor, his jaw tight.

Victor spoke again into the phone. "So, Ms. Dawn, do we have a deal?"

The entire room seemed to hold its breath, waiting for the answer. All eyes were on Victor, though a few curious glances flicked toward Aurora and Alex.

Victor pressed a button and turned on the speaker so everyone could hear. He wanted the whole hall to know exactly what he had asked and to witness Ms. Dawn’s answer for themselves.

The phone’s mic was close enough to the speaker that even people standing at the back could hear.

For a moment, there was only a faint static noise, then the flat, mechanical voice came from the other side. It spoke a single word.

"No."

The sound of that word seemed to echo in the room. At first, there was silence. People blinked in surprise, not sure if they had heard it correctly. Then whispers began to spread through the crowd like ripples in water.

"Did she just say no?" someone muttered.

"She really did," another replied, eyes wide. "She rejected him."

Some gasped, others looked at each other with shock. This was Victor Hawthorne, a billionaire who had just offered one hundred million dollars in front of everyone.

To most people, that amount was a dream beyond imagination. And yet, Ms. Dawn had turned it down without even hesitating.

"That’s... bold," one man whispered, his tone half amazed, half confused.

"Bold? She’s unique," another answered. "Maybe she has something much bigger planned. Maybe she has a trump card we don’t know about."

A few people even laughed quietly, shaking their heads. "Looks like Victor thought he could use this to connect with Ms. Dawn. Instead, she embarrassed him in public. This must hurt his pride."

The whispers turned sharper. Some guests chuckled under their breath, others exchanged knowing looks as if they had just seen a rare spectacle.

"This is going to look bad for his company," someone said softly. "It’s like she rejected him as a businessman, not just the offer."

There were also a few who predicted trouble ahead. "If I were Alex, I’d be worried," a man said to his friend. "Victor won’t take this lightly. A war might start soon."

Others nodded in agreement, imagining corporate battles and revenge in the near future.

But Aurora, standing quietly among them, only smiled to herself. The things they were imagining would never happen, and she knew it.

Victor could not openly attack the companies Ms. Dawn had invested in, because many of those companies were also connected to him. If he tried to harm them, she could easily strike back at his own investments.

At most, he could pretend to be angry and make a little show of it.

Sure enough, Victor’s polite smile faded, and his face grew more serious. He looked at the phone and spoke in a steady voice. "Does Ms. Dawn want to reconsider her decision?"

Alex, standing nearby, let out a small breath of relief. Hearing Ms. Dawn’s clear refusal had lifted a weight off his shoulders.

It meant she was still supporting him, and that maybe, just maybe, he still had a fighting chance to prove himself in the business world.

Gratitude filled his chest, and he glanced at Victor with new determination. He also remembered the amount Ms. Dawn had invested in him...around one hundred million dollars. The thought made him pause.

Victor’s voice grew more intense as he tried again. "I am willing to invest two hundred million dollars if Ms. Dawn will withdraw her support from Alex’s company."

From the other end, Ms. Dawn’s mechanical voice came again, but this time there was a hint of amusement in it. "Do you truly think what you are saying is even worth my time?"

The words hit Victor like a slap. His face lost some of its color, but the crowd didn’t fully understand her meaning.

They exchanged puzzled looks, wondering why she would dismiss such a huge amount so easily.

Victor, however, understood perfectly. He knew the potential Alex’s company had.

If Ms. Dawn kept her investment, she could easily earn ten times what she had put in. Two hundred million was nothing compared to the billion she could gain.

Realizing this, Victor quickly turned off the speaker. He could not let the others hear any more of her remarks.

He lifted the phone toward his ear, ready to speak privately.

But before he could, Aurora’s voice rang out. "Why don’t you keep the speaker on, Mr. Hawthorne? Let everyone hear the conversation. Transparency is always good."

Isabella, who had been anxiously watching her father, snapped her head toward Aurora. Her eyes were cold.

"You should know when to stay silent," she said sharply.

Aurora chuckled softly. "I don’t need lessons from you on when to speak. Especially since you yourself don’t always know when to say the right words."