Reborn Heiress: Taking Back What Is Rightfully Hers!-Chapter 604: Forced (Extra Story)

He kept smoking, as if trying to dissolve all his frustration into the rising smoke, letting it drift away with the wind.

Tobias glanced at the time—it was already past 11 PM, yet his young master showed no intention of leaving.

The autumn nights were especially cold in S City, given its proximity to the sea. Standing there, Tobias could feel the chill seeping into his bones, making him want to flee from the freezing air.

"Young Master, it’s late. Let’s head back," Tobias finally spoke up, knowing he was risking his job. He had a feeling Everett would stand there until morning otherwise.

Everett shot him a cold glance, sharp as frost. Tobias shivered involuntarily.

Saying nothing, Everett pulled out another cigarette—only to realize it was the last one in the pack.

He smoked it to the very end, then flicked the cigarette butt into a nearby trash can before turning and walking away from the neighborhood.

At that moment, Everett made up his mind.

He wouldn’t chase after her anymore. He wouldn’t appear in front of her again.

From start to finish, it had all been one-sided. Aurora had never loved him. If he kept holding on, he would only sink deeper, only hurt more.

Better a sharp pain now than endless torment.

So he would stop looking, stop longing.

⸻

Aurora had a nightmare.

She dreamt she was with Isaiah again, being dragged into a private room, his hands roaming over her body.

She screamed, struggling in agony, then grabbed a knife from the side and stabbed the man on top of her.

Watching Isaiah collapse onto the floor, Aurora was so shocked she lost all sense of reality. Then, suddenly, someone appeared in front of her—it was Everett.

Everett looked at her with deep affection, reaching out gently. "Don’t be afraid. I’m here... Come to me. I’ll take care of everything for you."

Aurora hesitated. In her dream, she walked toward him, and he held her tightly. His warmth soothed her trembling heart.

She jolted awake.

She reached out, touching the bed beside her—no blood, no Isaiah. It was just a nightmare.

Aurora wiped the cold sweat from her forehead.

Ever since the Isaiah incident, she had been having nightmares—either of herself killing him or being hunted down.

Before this, Aurora’s life had been smooth sailing. She had never encountered scumbags or any extreme situations. Whenever someone hinted at industry "rules" or implied she should sleep her way up, she always withdrew early, never holding onto false hope.

But Isaiah had shaken her to the core, making her more cautious than ever.

Her throat felt dry. She went downstairs, picked up a glass of water, and took a sip of the ice-cold liquid. The chill reached all the way to her stomach.

Aurora shivered.

For some reason, she instinctively pulled the curtain back just a little and glanced outside at the streetlamp.

Maybe... she wanted to see if that guy was still there.

But the spot under the streetlamp was empty.

Aurora stared for a few seconds, not knowing what she was feeling.

For a brief moment, she realized there was a faint sense of... loss in her heart.

"Aurora, you’re such an idiot," she scolded herself under her breath, dropped the curtain, and went back to bed.

But this time, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t sleep.

Lying there with her eyes closed, her mind and heart were in chaos.

⸻

The next morning, Eleanor noticed Aurora’s heavy dark circles. She quickly had Dominic fetch some ice to help reduce the swelling.

It didn’t do much, but since Aurora didn’t have any scheduled events, Eleanor gave up on trying to fix her appearance.

"This Savannah really got what she deserved," Dominic said, grinning as he read the newspaper. "She’s out here playing the victim, acting all pitiful... and Isaiah? That shameless bastard actually leaked their cringey, over-the-top love messages. Tsk tsk... Does he not care if his wife divorces him?"

Aurora didn’t bother keeping up with online news.

She hadn’t checked her messages in a long time.

She knew people were still cursing her out on the internet.

Every time she saw the hate, it ruined her mood, so she simply stopped checking her phone and stayed away from the web altogether.

"No way! Are they really this shameless?" Eleanor was shocked when she heard the news. Without hesitation, she grabbed her iPad and opened a news site to check for updates.

Aurora sipped her milk and took a bite of her bread. "Savannah was so arrogant, but now even the rookies she used to bully are coming forward to expose her dirty secrets... I doubt she’ll ever recover from this."

She didn’t want to believe that Savannah’s downfall was orchestrated by someone behind the scenes.

Eleanor chuckled knowingly. In her opinion, Savannah and Isaiah were finished in the entertainment industry.

Messing with Aurora was no small matter—after all, the man who adored Aurora was Everett. A man with pride would never let the woman he loved suffer such humiliation.

Isaiah’s scandal didn’t just come out of nowhere—he was clearly forced into it. Otherwise, why would he destroy his own reputation? No one would be dumb enough to expose their own dirty past without being backed into a corner.

"Yeah, Savannah and Isaiah are done for," Eleanor mused. "That night, I was really worried. I still can’t believe Isaiah had the nerve to get me drunk... If Everett hadn’t shown up, I—"

Dominic noticed Aurora’s expression shift and immediately cut herself off. She forced a laugh. "Haha... Not that anyone would be interested in me anyway."

Dominic was tall and lean—at 5’9", she had a slender frame with no curves to speak of. Not many men would find her figure appealing.

Aurora’s expression softened. "Dominic, you need to eat more. Put on some weight, get some curves—then the guys will be all over you."

Eleanor quickly nodded. "Exactly! Men love to act like they’re not shallow, but trust me, the ones who say it the most are usually the worst."

The three women exchanged glances and burst into laughter. The tension in the air lightened, and Eleanor secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as Aurora could still smile, she’d be okay. Otherwise, the emotional weight she was carrying would only become more suffocating.

Eleanor was an experienced manager. She knew how to adjust an artist’s mindset when they were feeling down.

Aurora wasn’t in a rush to take on new projects, and Eleanor had promised not to push her.

A month passed, and winter arrived in full force.

During that time, Everett never appeared in her life again.

Only Alexander remained—texting and calling her every night. Sometimes she didn’t answer, and when she did, their conversations were brief.

After all, Peyton was living in Alexander’s apartment.

Aurora learned from him that Peyton had moved into his rental under Mrs. Lewis’ orders. Mrs. Lewis had even threatened to harm herself if he refused. Alexander had no choice but to obey.

Aurora understood—Peyton was exactly the kind of woman Mrs. Lewis wanted for her son. She had financially supported the Lewis family for years. Mrs. Lewis, a vain woman, saw Peyton as her precious gem, a far more "suitable" match than Aurora.

For Alexander, marrying Peyton was a much safer choice than marrying Aurora—a woman with no parents and no approval from the Wilson family.