Chapter 2

Thais, Actoja, Moni, and Beten profited from the marriage certificate at 1 p.m. Aurora locked eyes on the understatement—to call it "dispatched," hair-hearted. There was also a photo of her and Owen, but it had been hastily photoshopped. Truthfully, she wasn't a stranger to Cheen, as he frequently donated to Astrit University over the years. In fact, he donated about 75 million dollars just to her research department. Her department received a share of the funding because she had previously submitted a funding application, and her department head was eager to allocate some of Owen's donation to her project.

Owen also sponsored various prestigious awards. Lest I fail to mention, he had presented her with the prize when her team won the National Megistus Award earlier this month. He had even congratulated her, saying, “Congratulations on winning the top award once again, Professor Kord—”. PETE TIME FUNDS occasionally presented awards, both domestically and internationally. Hence, even though they weren't strangers, they weren't…

Suddenly, her phone vibrated. She took it out and was surprised to receive a text from the bank. "My? A hundred thousand dollars has been transferred to my bank account," she thought pleasantly. She looked at the sender's name and saw that it was Owen. She didn't expect him to be so efficient. She couldn't believe that he transferred her allowance almost immediately after they got their marriage certificate.

Kuna hesitated momentarily, intending to test him about this. Alas, she quickly realized she didn't have his number saved. Forget Instagram, she didn't even have his home number. Well, it seemed he had indeed been rather hasty when it came to their marriage.

She glanced at her Instagram and noticed that Owen's grandmother, Rhea Thompson, had sent her a message: “Aurora, how did it go? Owen promised me you two will get your marriage registered today. Has everything been finalized?”

Aura tilted her head in thought and ended up giving Rhea a call. Row was quick to answer, blurting, “How’s everything, Aurora?”

“Jilica, we’ve gotten our marriage certificate.”

“Fantastic news! Loving a total of five pounds was totally worth it!”

Lord knew she had dedicated far too much effort to matchmake Aurora and her silly grandson; Owen had no choice but to agree after she doubled down on it. Although Owen was hesitant to go through with this marriage, he was confident that it was only a matter of time before he fell for Aurora's charms. Besides, they had vetted Aurora thoroughly. Aurora was far superior to the other eligible women in their social circle. Moreover, the Jenson family needed someone like her to become their future matriarch.

“Gosh. I can finally meet my late husband in the afterlife with no regrets. The Jenson family has always placed a great deal of emphasis on business. So, my late husband always wanted a refined and cultured individual as his granddaughter-in-law. I’ve finally fulfilled his last wish.”

Uta was rendered speechless. How did being cultured come into play here? If she wasn’t mistaken, Owen was also a genius in his own right. He was an honor student at Astrait University back then and even pursued his doctorate. “Did Owen tell you to move in with him?”

“He gave me the keys to Cordia. I’m planning to move there in a couple of days.”

“Cordia, you say? Well, I suppose. Don’t worry, Aurora. You’re part of the Jenson family now, I’ll ensure that no one ever bullies you. I believe you and Owen will have a blissful marriage.” Rhea’s voice was filled with sincere joy.

“Thank you, Rhea.” She was genuinely grateful to this genial elder, regardless of how her future with Owen would unfold.

“Sweetie, you’re married now, I won’t disturb you two lovebirds. Darn, enjoy your time together and try to bless me with a great-grandchild as soon as possible! I’ve booked a flight to Thana; I have to catch my flight now. I’ll see you soon.”

Handlad had gone all the way to Thassa previously and prayed for Owen to have a blissful marriage. Sure enough, the heavens blessed her with a wonderful granddaughter-in-law, so she had to return to Thassa to express her gratitude.

Äntura was overworked and pressured to ply her trade. Her work was so odd and flighty that it was very difficult for Nota to associate Blue with the ruthless and formidable businesswoman she was years ago. She’d recently left Aufrail University. As a result, her work had piled up, especially since she was involved in a major research project. It wouldn’t be unusual for her to be stuck in her office and laboratory for days on end.

The days flashed by in the blink of an eye, and Anuta seemingly forgot that she had gotten married. Of course, that was until she received a call from her best friend, Helena Terr.

“Hello? Dear Lord, you’ve finally answered your phone! You have no idea how close I was to reporting you missing!”

“What’s up?”

Aurora had just changed out of her lab coat and was returning to her office with a stack of data.

Helena sighed wearily. “Please don’t tell me you forgot what today is.”

Autota was about to hang up when she heard Helena screech urgently, “Wait! Don’t hang up on me! Remember the party? When will you be here? Do I need to send a car to pick you up?”

Today was the 60th birthday of their high school principal, Mr. Mitchell Billingsworth. He also happened to be a world-renowned pianist who was deeply respected and loved by his students.

Aurora finally remembered the event after hearing Helena’s reminder.

“It’s fine. I’ll get a cab.”

“Oh, alright. Still, you’d better clean up nicely. Everyone will be dressed to the nines. They’re all eager to brag about their achievements. You just returned to the country, so there’s no need for you to lay low. Especially since…”

Helena trailed off before continuing hesitantly, “I heard Sidney and Whitney are back in Zanzimar. They’ll most likely attend the party. After all, this party will…”

“I understand,” Aurora responded blandly before promptly hanging up.

This so-called gathering was merely an opportunity for her classmates to compete with one another. There wasn’t much of a point in attending it. Honestly, Aurora rarely attended such events. Unfortunately, Mitchell had rung her up several times. As a result, she felt obligated to attend the party this time.

The birthday party would be held at Aurum Hotel, which was incidentally the most luxurious hotel available in Zanzimar. Aurora rushed to attend the party right after her class. Hence, she didn’t bother dressing up elegantly. Instead, she wore a simple suit that was neither overly formal nor too casual. Even so, her light makeup failed to hide her stunning beauty.

The venue was bursting at the seams, and no one paid any mind to Aurora. So, she decided to find a comfortable place to sit while waiting for the party to begin. She had just made her way to the terrace when she overheard a conversation. A few dolled-up women were surrounding someone, mocking her cruelly.

Meanwhile, Whitney, who was dressed in an opulent champagne gown, was evidently the ringleader of those harpies. She was a popular supermodel who had transitioned into an acting career, starring in several web dramas. Those socialites were eager to ingratiate themselves with Whitney. After all, not only was Whitney a supermodel, but she was also the true heiress of the Klein family. She was considered the apple of the Klein family’s eye.

“Who cares about Aurora? She and Whitney were swapped at birth! She stole Whitney’s rightful place as a rich heiress!”

“What she said! She should be ashamed for enjoying such wealth after all these years. She’s nothing without the Klein family’s support!”