So now, she could finally have more time for herself.

It was precisely because of that, Aurora felt she had truly grown.

Lucas didn’t bring up those matters again. “Nothing else really happened at the station. From here on, let them deal with it themselves.”

Aurora nodded. She agreed that there was no point in interfering. Since they couldn’t change anything, it was better to let them handle it on their own. Besides, Hayes Enterprises was already an empty shell. If Julian still thought it was worth something, then let him chase after it.

Aurora specifically instructed, “If Julian wants to make calls or do anything else, let him. Just make sure no one stops him.”

There was no need. Only when Julian hit rock bottom would he finally learn his lesson. That was how he’d remember it.

Lucas immediately understood what she meant. If he wanted someone to fall harder, he had to let them climb higher first. Only by giving him hope and then pulling it away would the impact leave a mark. Anything less would be child’s play to Julian. This was the kind of blow that would truly stick.

“You really think things through. Don’t worry, Rora, I’ll make sure everything’s handled.”

Aurora smiled but said nothing. Lucas being able to read her so well still made her quietly happy.

On top of that, she also wanted to test just how capable Lucas really was. She had always felt there was more to him than met the eye. Now, seeing how well-connected he was with people abroad, Aurora had almost stopped questioning it. But the better those relationships looked on the surface, the more suspicious she became, especially when some of those people even seemed a little afraid of Lucas at times.

That alone made her wary. Still, she had no real excuse to dig deeper. And her curiosity wasn’t rooted in anything serious—it was just that, deep down, she wanted to know more about who Lucas really was. After all, who didn’t have a few hidden identities when they were out in the world? It was pretty normal.

But for Aurora, it was purely curiosity. With that in mind, she asked in a probing tone, “Lucas, are you close with the police chief here?”

Lucas’ heart skipped a beat. Looking into Aurora’s wide, curious eyes, he immediately knew he’d walked right into a trap. That was just how she was—chatting with him one moment, then digging a hole for him to fall into the next. If he let his guard down for even a second, he would get caught just like now. If he said no, then it would contradict everything he’d just promised earlier. If he said yes, then what identity was he supposed to have that would allow him to befriend the chief of police? As far as everyone else knew, he was just an ordinary employee with no real connections. Would all the effort he’d put into maintaining that image fall apart now?

Lucas felt a wave of resistance, but there was no way he was just going to blurt everything out. So, he clenched his teeth and went with the denial tactic. “No, not really. I just have a friend who’s worked here for years, so I’ve had some indirect contact with the chief.”

Aurora nodded with a knowing look. She added quietly, “Still, you really are something, Lucas. You know just about everyone. I’m honestly surprised.”