Chapter 545 Don't Leave Tonight
Marcus was tormented by Burry's condition, leaving him with little energy to focus on the company. Just as they were talking, his phone rang again—it was the private agency he'd hired to find a bone marrow match.
"Mr. Heilbronn, the latest batch of samples still shows no match for your friend. We'll intensify our search efforts," the voice on the other end reported.
Marcus hung up, his face ashen with defeat. "Aurelia, you decide. As you can see, I'm in no state to run a company right now. I can only promise to hold things together temporarily, but any major decisions will need to be discussed between you two. Have you checked on Nathaniel lately? When will he be back?"
Aurelia paused thoughtfully. Nathaniel had been gone for about two weeks now, and she called daily for updates. He'd suffered three more episodes during this time, but he was cooperating actively with treatment and adapting well to his customized therapy plan. Everything was improving.
"Marcus, you'll need to keep things running until Nathaniel returns. As for Burry, we haven't given up—we're still searching. We'll get through this together," Aurelia said firmly.
Marcus sighed deeply. "The collaboration line is genuinely a brilliant idea. Right now, the Heilbronn Group needs to leverage your Lolly persona's popularity, while Karma Jewelry needs to align with the Heilbronn Group's established presence for rapid growth. Both brands can achieve mutual success. But since we're all family now, there's no real question of collaboration—you can freely manage and reorganize the Heilbronn Group's design department. Why don't we simplify things and merge both design teams?"
Aurelia's brow furrowed slightly. Her entrepreneurial vision had always been to build an international brand from the ground up, while the Heilbronn Group was an established entity with decades of history. Merging would compromise her original ambitions.
"Let's start with one piece and see how it's received," she suggested cautiously.
Without warning, Marcus unceremoniously added Aurelia to the Heilbronn Group design department's group chat.
Upon entering, she was stunned by what she saw.
Marcus tagged everyone: [From now on, Mrs. Heilbronn will oversee all design department matters. Everyone please welcome her.]
The response was immediate: [Welcome Mrs. Heilbronn!]
Aurelia felt overwhelmed. When had she ever agreed to manage the Heilbronn Group's design department? Marcus truly seized every opportunity to delegate his responsibilities.
She typed professionally: [Everyone, please calm down. I'm joining this chat as a collaborative partner with the Heilbronn Group. Could the current design department head bring two representatives to Karma Jewelry for a meeting? We need to discuss the collaboration line details.]
Her message was quickly buried under an avalanche of enthusiastic responses:
[Mrs. Heilbronn is finally getting involved! Finally paying attention to us! Starting today, we're no longer the overlooked design department.]
[Lolly, please mentor us!]
[The collaboration line is finally happening! This is what Mr. Heilbronn once dreamed of but never dared propose. Mrs. Heilbronn is personally making his wish come true—how touching!]
Aurelia rubbed her temples, wondering how Nathaniel had managed to cultivate such an unprofessional team atmosphere.
The chat continued buzzing with excitement before finally settling down.
The Heilbronn Group and Karma Jewelry collaboration had been the design department's long-awaited dream. Ever since Aurelia's award-winning interview, they'd frantically suggested to Nathaniel that a joint line with Aurelia would be guaranteed success.
Now, that moment had finally arrived.
That afternoon, the Heilbronn Group's design team leader arrived at Karma Jewelry with two skilled colleagues to discuss the project.
After extensive discussion, everyone was captivated by the jewelry goddess Lolly's vision, recognizing the vast gap between mortals and divinity.
The meeting concluded with plans for a complete jewelry set: necklace, bracelet, ring, and earrings, available individually or as a complete collection, titled "Starlight."
The concept symbolized seeing only each other's existence, representing love's devotion and exclusivity—a beautifully romantic premise.
With the concept established, the collaboration team launched into action, each member creating two design proposals, with the finest work selected for final production.
Days passed uneventfully until October arrived.
Nathaniel had promised to serve as Zack's best man, but his current condition made that impossible.
Aurelia purchased tickets to Imperick, attending Zack's wedding in Nathaniel's place to honor their commitment.
Zack's wedding wasn't particularly grand, but it radiated warmth. He and his bride shared a kiss on stage, exchanging heartfelt vows of love.
Aurelia recorded these tender moments, sending the video to Nathaniel with a message: [Look, your assistant of nearly ten years just got married. We'll be the next ones receiving such blessings.]
At that moment, Nathaniel had just endured another episode. The treatment was showing remarkable progress—he could feel the intervals between attacks lengthening, and the intensity of each episode had significantly diminished.
With trembling hands, he typed back: [Aurelia, wait for me!]
After the wedding, Aurelia spent two days at the Bloom Villa, visiting Penelope's grave to lay flowers for the woman who, despite sharing no blood relation, had treated her like a beloved granddaughter. She also paid respects at Reed's burial site.
Dorothy and Jacob had been staying at the Heilbronn Villa with Matthew and Beatrice during her Imperick visit, having spent the previous night there as well.
Planning to return to Coral Bay the following day, Aurelia drove Nathaniel's car to collect the children.
When she arrived at the Heilbronn Villa, both children were in the yard feeding the dogs.
The puppies had grown considerably, now full-sized dogs.
Ashley supervised nearby, keeping the larger dogs leashed while following the children around the yard, dog food scattered everywhere.
The children were completely absorbed in their play when Ashley noticed Aurelia first, smoothing her hair as she stood. "Aurelia, you're here?"
"I've come for the children. We're returning to Coral Bay tomorrow," Aurelia replied simply.
Ashley seemed transformed, maintaining polite, courteous demeanor. "I thought you'd stay longer this time. Mom specially ordered your favorite seafood—fresh imports that arrived this morning. Why don't you stay for dinner tonight?"
Hearing voices, Beatrice emerged from the house. "Aurelia's back! Ashley, go wash some fruit."
Ashley nodded, dropping the dog food bag before heading inside.
Beatrice wore a gentle, welcoming smile. "We're having seafood tonight—the chefs are already preparing everything. It's all fresh. Come inside and rest."
Aurelia was about to decline when both children looked at her pleadingly.
"Mommy, I want lobster," Jacob said hopefully.
"Mommy, I want to play with the puppies a little longer," Dorothy added.
Not wanting to disappoint them, Aurelia entered the house.
Beatrice had spent the entire day preparing Aurelia's favorite dishes and fruits. Ashley arranged a fruit platter, bringing it over. "Aurelia, why don't you stay home longer this time?"
"Nathaniel is there, and I worry about him. We're returning tomorrow—I need to bring him some supplies," Aurelia replied evenly.
At Nathaniel's mention, Beatrice wiped away tears. "When Nathaniel returns, you four should focus on living peacefully together. No more risking yourselves for anyone else."
Beatrice knew about Aurelia's pregnancy, though her loose clothing concealed any visible signs.
Dorothy corrected her grandmother matter-of-factly: "Grandma, it's five of us. Mommy has a baby in her tummy."
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