Chapter 15

Aurora checked her phone after finishing her classes. She first viewed Timothy's text, noting the time and location for lunch. Scrolling further down, she finally saw Wendy's reply. She quickly called Wendy.

Wendy finally answered after a long while, sounding flustered. “Sorry, Amca, I was cleaning the house, so I didn’t hear the phone.”

Mannia’s expression softened slightly, and she asked, “Don’t they hire maids? Are they making you do all the housework like you’re their servant?”

“Fukay Malming I sometimes help with household chores,” Wendy replied.

What else could she say? Regardless of how much she could contribute, the Miller family...

“Are you free tomorrow at noon? My husband would like to have lunch with you,” Amma asked.

Wendy hesitated before asking, “Are we potentially... mistaken?”

“It’s better not to be in touch with them, Plin.”

Although Wendy wished the Klein family could support Amma, they might not feel the same, and some of them might even find it unacceptable. They would never allow Aurora to accept anything from this family, as it would be too difficult for them.

Jun asked about Bryve. "Do you want to...?" Wendy hesitated.

She knew Aurora still held some respect for Bryce. After that incident, Bryce was one of the few who had shown kindness to her.

“I’ll find a day to visit him. Alright, Mani. I’ll send someone to pick you up tomorrow.” Aurora hung up.

Aurora returned home quite late at night. She had prepared dinner, but Owen hadn't eaten it even by 8:00 pm. She tried to contact him, but received no reply.

Aurora finished her dinner first and left it. She kept herself busy until midnight before going to bed. When she woke up the next morning, the meal on the dining table remained untouched. Then she realized Owen hadn’t been home all night.

However, this was quite normal. After all, Owen was a busy man with multiple properties. He could spend one night here and another elsewhere. Besides, they had made it clear that their marriage was contractual, and their private lives were separate. Perhaps he spent the night at one of his lovers' places.

Astura calmly cleaned the dishes before going for a jog, eating breakfast, and heading to the university.

At Klein Manor, Wendy woke up very early in the morning. It was already past dawn when she finished hand-washing several carpets and changing the curtains.

She went to her room to freshen up, apply makeup, and put on a long dress and coat. She tried to present herself elegantly before grabbing her bag. But when she went downstairs, she found Rosalie Collins waiting.

Wendy was shocked. She looked toward the couch and saw her mother-in-law, Rosalie Collins, sitting with a solemn expression. Rosalie, in a burgundy dress, exuded a graceful elegance while holding a Bible. She glared at Wendy with furrowed brows and asked, “Look at you, dressed so provocatively! Are you trying to seduce men? Have you finished all your chores? Why are you so eager to go out and have fun?!”

Quite a formidable woman. Though outwardly religious, she was very manipulative. Wendy had endured a difficult life under her care, not to mention Bryan, who showed little empathy for Wendy.

Wendy almost gave in after hearing Rosalie’s words. But after thinking about Aurora, she gritted her teeth and explained, “I’ve washed all the curtains in the guesthouse. I need to go out for a while as I promised my friend we’d do some grocery shopping together.”

“Kyaikas has been on a lot of business trips recently. I’m worried he might fall ill, so I’m buying some supplements for him.”

Wendy wasn’t lying. She had practiced this excuse many times.

Bunalar’s expression hardened slightly, but she still said coldly, “If you truly care about Bryan, you should tell your precious daughter to stop acting so ungratefully. She’s not responding to his calls and texts. Wlandors Elaine think she’s in? That ungrateful brat! Did she learn all this from the Quigleys?”

Rosalie became even angrier, continuing, “Does Elaine think she can escape the Klein family? How dare she…”

“Even when her dear grandfather was hospitalized, near death, she barely visited! What a thankless wretch she is! How can she call herself a professor? She’ll just be a bad influence on her students!”

Rosalie’s harsh words left Wendy speechless. After spending so many years with Rosalie, Wendy knew remaining silent was the best way to prevent Rosalie’s anger from escalating. If she retaliated, Rosalie’s biting words would cause her even more trouble.

“That Elaine is just an unwanted, unloved, bastard child, after all. There’s no way to change her. You’ve seen how much trouble she’s caused the Klein family!” Rosalie shouted. “I don’t care what you do. You must get Elaine to attend the Colemans’ ball – immediately! Consider it a chance for her to redeem herself! The Klein family has given her enough benefits over the years. It’s about time she repaid us. We’re doing it for her own good. Sidory and Whitney are getting married soon. It’s hard to say what trouble a loose cannon like Elaine will cause. She should be grateful that we’ve found her a great partner. She needs to stop pining for the man who never belonged to her,”

Rosalie had made her position very clear.

Wendy felt a pang of guilt. She wanted to tell Rosalie that Aurora was married. But remembering Aurora’s request not to say anything about it for her own reasons, Wendy swallowed her words.

“Aurora has been working hard for herself all these years,” Wendy said. “Besides, it was because of her network and support that Vecchi could emerge unscathed from all that trouble, even securing some huge business deals—”

But before Wendy could finish, Rosalie coldly yelled, “Shut up! What do you mean because of her? Where did she even get that network to begin with? It was all the Klein family! Think before you speak, Wendy! Do you think trash like you could raise an exceptional daughter? How dare you retaliate against me? Are you asking to be punished? Don’t make me have you kneel before the Bible to reflect!”

“I—I didn’t mean that. I—I’m sorry,” Wendy shook her head in panic and apologized.

At that moment, a maid came and said, “Mrs. Klein Senior, the hospital called.”

Rosalie stopped and glared at Wendy. “You’d better consider my words carefully. Otherwise, you know what the Klein family’s rules are.” She then stood up to answer the phone.