Devil's Prisoner of Love by Prefer

Aurora listened intently as Michael Bardem shared his thoughts on design. It was surprising to learn that this business tycoon wasn't a finance student from a prestigious university, but instead had studied fine arts.

He had been a painter from a young age, growing up in a humble family. His first love, however, abandoned him, dismissing his passion for painting as a dead end.

That heartbreak changed the trajectory of his life. Michael, who once had little regard for material wealth, resolved to reinvent himself. He set aside his paintbrushes, rejected his dream of becoming a designer, and turned to finance. It turned out he had a remarkable talent for it, far exceeding others, and success followed him naturally.

As his business empire grew, he never found the time-or perhaps the courage-to return to painting. A lingering regret stayed with him.

Aurora, in some way, had filled that void for him. She wasn't just successful in her business ventures; she also stayed true to her passions. Whether or not Aurora was Victoria's daughter, Michael genuinely liked her. She was independent, determined, and persistent. It was only natural for him to help her.

"Alright then, it's rare for me to be this interested," Michael said, genuinely looking forward to seeing her creations. Each of her designs seemed to carry a unique charm.

"Uncle Bardem, were you close with my mom?" Aurora asked. She always felt that others knew more about her mother than she did.

"Yes, we were close. Your mother was a genius. Back in the day, she skipped several grades and was the youngest student in our year at university.

The finance courses were long and complex, and many students failed, but she was always in the top three of her class. She finished all her courses early and left. Do you know how old she was at the time?"

This was the first time Aurora had heard anyone speak about her mother's past. Curious, her eyes sparkled with anticipation.

"How old? Mom never talked about her past. I was too young to understand even if she had. Later, before she could tell me more, she was already gone."

"She was sixteen! I heard she'd been skipping grades every year before college, which was unheard of.

But the R family had high standards. They believed that since she had already mastered the knowledge, there was no point in wasting time at school. They arranged for her to complete all her university courses early.

I didn't interact much with her at school. I was in design, and she was in finance. I only ever heard about the prodigy girl from

paths after entering the professional world. By then, I had just started my

few times, but soon after, she disappeared. No one knew where she went. But

me the will to carry on. The next time we met was eight years later, by which

for a long time, but no one knew where she had spent those eight years. She was like

I had built my company and was confident enough to collaborate with R

a long time, but ultimately, I

proud to like someone as ordinary as me. But to my

she had a daughter.

thoughts drifting to the image of

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met her father, would

I've known. Back then, when I was at my worst, she

to negotiate on behalf of the R family. Initially, I intended to give him the resources. Who would've thought

company is nowhere near the scale of R Corporation. If you're

girl. Don't worry. Since I've decided to give you the resources, I won't go back on my word. I'll schedule a time for us to discuss the collaboration. I have something to attend to this afternoon, so I'll have to

you need anything, contact Ashy. He's handling the company's affairs for

"Alright."

After seeing Michael Bardem off, Aurora collapsed

was easy to deal with. I was so nervous,"

owes you big time for this! I came here expecting nothing, but who

noticed all the hardships I've endured and decided to make it up to

had turned. Even such coincidences now seemed destined. She couldn't have imagined this in