Chapter 213 Surprise
Caleb was stunned for a moment and once again looked her up and down. He knew it was impolite, but he couldn't suppress the joy in his heart.
In his eyes, there shouldn't be two people in the world who looked so alike, and Aurelia didn't have a twin sister..
The woman in front of him had a more indifferent look in her eyes, her hair was shorter, and a scar that hadn't healed well was faintly visible under the strap of her dress.
That sense of detachment was exactly the same as before.
Half a year ago, everyone said Aurelia died in that car accident, and since then, the president of the Heilbronn Group had been in a slump.
Caleb had never doubted it; he had even personally mourned at the tombstone Nathaniel made for her. After all, he had once revered her as a goddess.
He still remembered being stunned by her beauty the first time he saw her.
He had never felt that way before, his heart almost losing its rhythm. Knowing she was Nathaniel's wife had left him depressed for a long time, thinking he would never love anyone else again.
Now, seeing Aurelia alive and standing in front of him, Caleb was both surprised and delighted, so nervous he didn't know how to approach her.
Caleb asked, "Ms. Semona, what are you doing here?"
Aurelia steadied her emotions and said, "This is my home, of course, I would be here. If you have nothing else, sir, I have things to attend to."
She didn't want to talk to him too much, afraid that saying one more word would reveal her true identity. After all, Caleb was Nathaniel's old classmate, and although they didn't keep in touch much, they were still in the same circle.
And the friendship between men was different from that between women; they might engage in deeper conversation after sharing a drink tomorrow.
Seeing her eager to leave, Caleb quickly took a big step to catch up to her.
Caleb insisted, "Ms. Semona, could you help me find my way? My name is Caleb, and I came to the party with a friend, but we got separated."
The Semona family's villa was surprisingly large, and it wasn't unusual to get lost here. Seeing that she didn't want to admit she was Aurelia, Caleb went along with it, treating her as Anne and used this as an excuse.
Looking at her beautiful profile, he felt his long-suppressed feeling come alive again.
'She is still alive, she is now called Anne, she has no relationship with Nathaniel, and she isn't anyone's wife; she is a single woman as Anne. Wonderful!' he thought.
Aurelia hesitated for a few seconds and then called a servant, "Sir, you can ask the housekeeper where you want to go. I have other things to attend to."
With that, she quickly left his sight.
Caleb stood there in a daze for a long time. This time around, he was forced by David to go on a business trip at Coral Bay and was later dragged to the party by a friend.
He had thought it would be a boring baby shower, never expecting such a surprise.
He was glad he came; God had given him a chance.
The two babies were tired, and Aurelia led the nanny to take them back to the room to sleep. The party outside continued. Looking at herself in the mirror, except for her shorter hair, she still had the same face.
She felt a vague sense of unease, thinking that those few words just now wouldn't fool Caleb.
After the baby shower, as the children gradually grew up, she found herself unable to remain idle. Aurelia decided to rekindle her passion for jewelry design, as it was the only profession she truly loved in this life. And she felt she couldn't never achieve the same level of fulfillment in any other industry.
However, her decision was complicated by the consequences of her previous actions. After signing the agreement with Swan and then breaching it, she had incurred significant financial penalties.
Swan was a company that placed the utmost value on reputation; once an individual violated their trust, they were never hired again. She had already blacklisted by Swan, and going back to the company was impossible.
Besides, Nathaniel knew her pen name 'Lolly,' and Lolly was already dead.
After much thought, Aurelia decided to start over with a new name. This meant that all her previous achievements would be erased, and she would have to start from scratch.
When she mentioned her idea to her family, Joe immediately offered to set up a jewelry design company for her. He even envisioned the office space in their family's prime CBD building, where a few floors had recently become available due to a company relocating.
Aurelia was momentarily surprised and said,"Joe, there's no need for such a big setup. I haven't even decided yet. Besides, I want to start from a studio."
Aurelia had been married into the Heilbronn family for three years and had met many socialites in the wealthy circle. Many of those ladies relied on their family's support to start businesses, but their abilities were often not truly recognized.
She didn't want to be that kind of person in the public's eyes.
Joe respected her choice. He knew Aurelia was capable, so he let her go ahead, ready to back her up if needed.
"If you need help, come to me," Joe supported.
Aurelia started working on it. She had some money and planned to rent a small office, hire a few people, and set up a studio for custom jewelry.
Once a person has a goal, they gain a sense of direction. Aurelia entrusted the babies over to the nanny and spent her days exploring various real estate agencies. She finally found a suitable office building, not too big, with good lighting, convenient transportation downstairs, and within her budget. It was perfect for a startup studio.
Without hesitation, she immediately signed the contract and paid the rent, securing the place. The next task was to hire a few assistants and promote the studio.
In Imperick.
Zack knocked on the door and entered the office with several contracts.
Zack reported, "Mr. Heilbronn, a few of the celebrities endorsing our jewelry have simultaneously sent termination requests."
Nathaniel curiously raised an eyebrow, thinking, 'What is Sinclair Media up to?'
Those celebrities were all from Sinclair Media, and he and Caleb had personally signed the contracts.
Now, they were all requesting to terminate their contracts at the same time, which must be Caleb's doing.
Thinking of this, he picked up the phone on his desk and dialed Caleb's number.
Nathaniel asked, "The contract is for three years. Terminating it early requires paying three times the endorsement fee. Are you sure you want those celebrities to terminate their contracts with the Heilbronn Group?"
Three times the amount was not a small sum.
On the other end, Caleb calmly replied, "Three times the amount, right? Have your lawyer calculate it and send it over. I'll pay you immediately."
Nathaniel was furious. He believed he held no grudges with Caleb, except for the time when their families sent a betrothal gift to propose an engagement with Ashley and then broke it off later. And even in that situation, he felt the Sinclair family was to blame.
So he couldn't understand why was Caleb acting like he wanted to sever ties.
Their businesses were in different industries, with no competition.
"Are you sure you don't want to collaborate anymore?" Nathaniel asked again.
The Heilbronn Group's jewelry had a good reputation worldwide, and their endorsements weren't something just any celebrity could get; it required a certain level of fame.
Their collaboration had been mutually beneficial.
And now Caleb wanted to pay off the penalties to terminate the contracts. Nathaniel thought Caleb was out of his mind.
Caleb seemed to have thought it through, speaking methodically, "Mr. Heilbronn, I'm sorry. We won't need to collaborate in the future. You can find other companies' celebrities to endorse your jewelry. If you need, I can recommend a few."
Nathaniel angrily replied, "No need."
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