?Chapter 1046:


    Fortunately, Rnd readily epted the challenges presented to him. Even when the petty bureaucrats within thepany used him as a workhorse, he remained calm and collected, never once voicing aint.


    “It’s going alright,” Rnd said, picking up a piece of food. “Where are Uncle and Aunt?”


    Aurora proceeded to recount the conversation that had unfolded at the dinner table earlier.


    Rnd let out a low chuckle. “What’s the big deal? God, it’s just dating!”


    Aurora raised an eyebrow. “Have you ever actually dated?”


    “Not really,” Rnd admitted. “Just sleeping with them.”


    When Rnd was sixteen, Wade had found a woman for him. Dating seemed redundant to Rnd; in his eyes, the ultimate purpose of a man and woman being together was to have sex.


    Aurora’s cheeks flushed crimson. “Rnd, could you try to be a little more serious?”


    Rnd grinned. “My apologies.”


    As they continued to eat, Aurora’s mind drifted back to the kiss that had happened at Dunn’s ce.


    If the phone hadn’t rung at that crucial moment, what would have transpired between her and Dunn?


    Would Dunn have made the request to have sex?


    Aurora’s mind raced, her face burning with sudden heat. The thought that she might have been unable to resist his advances sent a shiver down her spine.


    Molly powered up herptop and initiated three consecutive video calls to Lucas.


    When Lucas answered, he asked, “What’s wrong?”


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    “What were you doing? Why did it take so long to answer?”


    “What else would I be doing at home?”


    “Are you alone?”


    Lucas, growing increasingly confused, retorted, “Who else would I be with?”


    Molly, her mind filled with unsettling images of Lucas with another woman, became anxious. “Turn the camera around and show me what you’re doing.”


    Lucas, usually easygoing, didn’t budge this time. “Why?”


    Molly, convinced that Lucas was with someone else, snapped, “Never mind.” Her voice was t, masking the hurt that was rapidly welling up within her. “I just called to tell you that I got into the Academy of Fine Arts.”


    “Congrattions!” Lucas replied, but his expression remained an emotionless mask across the screen.


    Molly’s joy at her aplishment quickly faded, reced by a gnawing sense of loneliness and despair. She and Lucas had a significant age gap, and a geographical distance of thousands of miles separated them. How could she possiblypete with the woman next to him?


    “I’m hanging up,” she muttered, dejected. Feeling utterly alone, she mmed herptop shut.


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