Page 80 of Code of Heart
Aurelia sank into the nearest seat, her earlier burst of confidence collapsing beneath the weight of shame. She rubbed her temples, the fight gone from her posture. “I—I’m so sorry about that,” she stammered. “I don’t know what came over me. That was…so incredibly unprofessional.” Her words were muffled; her gaze locked on the floor.
Charles studied her with quiet patience. “Is that really how you’d describe what just happened?”
“Yes,” she answered immediately, eyes flashing up to meet his. “I take this job seriously. Letting personal matters bleed into my work life is a distraction, and it’s inappropriate.”
He tilted his head, considering her with a look that made her feel like she had missed something obvious. “We’ll have to agree to disagree, then,” he said calmly. “Because what I saw wasn’t unprofessional, it was necessary. An employee tried to drag you into a personal confrontation at work. You stood yourground. You set a boundary. That’s leadership, Aurelia, a show of strength, not weakness.”
She wanted to believe him. But the immense stress of everything else—the headlines, the photos, Selene’s betrayal, her insecurities in the relationship she was building with Levi—made it almost impossible to breathe, let alone feel proud of herself.
She swallowed thickly. “I think that’s the least of my worries right now,” she admitted quietly. “I’m assuming you’ve seen the news.”
The amusement faded from Charles’s features, his mouth a grim thin line.
“Unfortunately, I have,” he said. “And I’m more than a little concerned about how the media even found out about the ceremony in the first place.” He leaned back, steepling his fingers in consternation. “I’ve already contacted the Clerk’s office. While the marriage certificate is technically a public record, they claim no one from their office leaked any information. So, if it didn’t come from us—and we know it didn’t—then the next logical place to look is your new husband.”
The accusation, even implied, hit her like a slap.
Charles sighed. “I’m not saying it was him, but you both signed confidentiality agreements. And there’s also Estrella’s contract to consider. She’s…not pleased with the media scrutiny either.”
Aurelia closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose as the beginnings of a headache started to thrum behind her temples.
“And that’s only one of the issues,” Charles continued, his voice more subdued but no less firm. “The more pressing concern is that I’ve received calls from three of the charities originally slated to participate in the Harvest Charity Ball. All of them have pulled out.”
Her eyes snapped open. “All three?” she choked out, unable to believe it.
Charles nodded gravely. “They rescinded their agreements as of this morning. Each one insisted they wouldn’t be involved unless you were removed from overseeing the event.” Displeasure etched in the lines of his face. “I made it very clear that we have zero plans to do any such thing. If they can’t separate tabloids from your professional track record, then frankly, they don’t belong at the ball at all.”
Aurelia sat frozen while her mind struggled to catch up with what she had just heard. The Clowns for Climate Change Awareness. Penguins on Parade Coalition. Underwater Basket Weavers United. These organizations had been part of the event for over a decade. And now, because of a scandal she couldn’t even control, they were gone.
“What…what exactly did they say?” she asked timidly.
Charles hesitated, then answered with deliberate precision. “They said your ‘reckless behavior’ at the wedding, combined with the optics of an arranged and financially advantageous marriage, would tarnish Eleanor’s legacy and damage their brand by association. They feel you’ve compromised the integrity of the event…and want you fired immediately to preserve its reputation.”
Her mouth parted, but no words came out.
“This isn’t only about you, Aurelia,” he added gently. “Your husband’s name doesn’t help. He’s had his share of very public…incidents. And the fact that no one knows you’re Eleanor’s heir yet? That only fuels their assumptions. Right now, to these organizations, you’re merely a headline.”
Aurelia deflated entirely, the fight bleeding out of her like a slow leak from a punctured tire. She pressed her fists into her eyes to hold back the tears.
“Eleanor would be so disappointed in me,” she whispered, finally voicing the constant fear aloud.
Charles’s brow creased with something close to sympathy. Or perhaps it was frustration. “Do you truly believe that?” he asked carefully. “Because I can tell you, without a shadow of a doubt, if Eleanor were here, she’d be throwing a fit. Not at you, Aurelia.At them.She’d ban those charities for life and declare the ball a roaring success out of spite alone.”
He leaned forward, his voice low but purposeful. “The real question is…what are you going to do now?”
Aurelia swallowed the lump in her throat, as Eleanor’s voice seemed to echo through her memory:Never let small-minded people decide your worth or tell you what to do.
She drew herself up, folding tension into every line of her body. “Sounds like I’ve got three new charities to find.”
Charles smiled faintly, his eyes gleaming with a familiar spark of mischief. “Now that’s what the Eleanor I remember would do.”
CHAPTER 37
Levi
It had been weeks since the wedding, the tabloid headlines…and the HR nightmare that sparked Levi’s first real misunderstanding with Aurelia.
Since then, he had been consumed by the fallout, spending late nights with Isaac and the development team dissecting every line of code tied to Project DL. His days blurred into endless hours of crisis management; his nights were no better, fractured by Aurelia’s restless sleep and the sharp cries of her nightmares. The exhaustion was becoming bone-deep.
