Chapter 84
Aurora tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, pondered a moment, and then dialed Giles's number. Giles was surprised to receive Aurora's call. "Ms. Whitaker? At this hour? Oh, alright, I understand."
Half an hour later, Giles pulled up beside Aurora, who was dragging a suitcase down the mountain road. Giles slammed on the brakes and helped her load the suitcase into the trunk.
"Ms. Whitaker, are you moving to Elmwood Apartments?" he asked, sneaking glances at her face as he steered the car. Aurora simply hummed in response. The passing neon lights cast half her face in shadow. Her voice was flat, betraying no emotion. "Had a falling out with the family. I'm moving out."
Giles was shocked. Staring out at the dark night and the red taillights of passing cars, he struggled to find words. "Well... moving out might be good. You'll be closer to school, at least." In his mind, he was screaming. What on earth is wrong with Ms. Whitaker's family? Ms. Whitaker is exceptional – brilliant grades, a friendly demeanor, impressive knowledge, a sharp mind, and incredibly gifted in medicine. A child like that should be treasured. How could they have fallen out? It was like they couldn't see the diamond right in front of them. What a waste, he thought bitterly.
With light traffic, they reached Elmwood Apartments by 9 PM. "Ms. Whitaker, you haven't eaten yet, have you?" Giles turned to Aurora with a smile. "Why don't you come up and try Irene's cooking? It's just one floor up, after all." At the mention of food, Aurora suddenly realized how hungry she was. After a moment's hesitation, she nodded.
At Elmwood Apartments, each floor housed a single unit. Since Giles became the manager of Sunrise Pharmaceuticals, Aurora had bought the floor below her current residence for Giles and his family. Irene had received his message earlier and set the table before his arrival. During dinner, she only chatted about their child's antics, carefully avoiding any mention of Aurora's family situation to spare her feelings.
"I'm done," Aurora smiled, setting down her utensils. She stood up and took the baby from Irene. "Let me hold him. You should enjoy your meal." Their child, Marcus Hansen, had grown considerably since birth, no longer wrinkly but now with soft, delicate skin. He didn't cry in Aurora's arms, instead gazing up at her with big, curious eyes like black grapes. Aurora gently stroked his cheek; the softness under her fingertips melted away the heaviness in her heart. The quiet, contented child seemed to sweep away all her worries. A peaceful baby truly was a little angel on earth.
Irene chuckled, "Look at that, Ms. Whitaker. This little guy remembers you saved him. See how he's smiling at you?" Aurora gazed down at the soft, tiny child in her arms, a smile unconsciously playing on her lips.
At Mereida High School, the usual chorus of voices reciting lessons drifted from other classrooms. But Class F was unusually quiet, every head bent over their desks. A passing teacher, curious about the silence, peeked through the window. To his surprise, they were all working on test papers. He shook his head in amazement at this unexpected turn of events and walked away.
Class F had always been known for their poor academic performance and lack of motivation. Now, they were all suddenly hitting the books, even talking about going to college. The principal had been planning to dissolve Class F next year. No one would have thought they'd turn things around so quickly. It looked like Class F might be sticking around after all.
Inside Class F, everyone sat at their desks, quietly focused on their papers. The teacher's podium stood empty. Ever since they'd driven off their teachers, no other instructor dared to teach Class F. They'd achieved a sort of self-governance as a result. Luckily, with so few students, things hadn't gotten out of hand.
Aurora sat by the window, silently working through her exam. The warm morning sunlight fell across her, softening her long hair and mellowing her usually stern demeanor. The next second, a sudden crash at the classroom door jolted the students out of their test-taking trance. They all turned to glare at the source of the noise.
"Aurora!" Alison burst through the doorway, her face twisted with anger. She stormed up to Aurora's desk and demanded, "Aurora, your dad already took the money. Why haven't you dropped the lawsuit?" Everyone turned to look at Alison with strange expressions.
"You're spreading lies about Professor Crawford and expect her to let you off? Keep dreaming!" someone scoffed. Another chimed in, "You're not much to look at, but you sure have a wild imagination." "Just go back to Class A already. You might not care about studying, but we do," a third voice added.
The students of Class F didn't hold back their mockery. Once they got on the right track with studying, it became addictive. For these high schoolers, nothing beat the sense of achievement from seeing a test paper covered in check marks. Right now, they only cared about one thing – studying. Anyone who tried to distract them would be met with cold stares.
Alison's chest heaved with anger as she pointed at Aurora, spitting out words without thinking. "You shameless liar! My family paid you off, but you still haven't dropped the charges. You're going back on your word. How are you any better than me?"
It had been three days since William and Jaxon had made the deal, but they still hadn't received any notice about the charges being dropped. Alison had been on edge for three days. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, she stormed into Class F, a place she usually avoided like the plague.
Aurora's lips curved into a slight smirk. "So, you do realize what you did was wrong. I'm impressed you have some self-awareness after all."
"You!" Alison sputtered, her anger swelling. She couldn't stand Aurora's calm demeanor, as if Alison were some kind of joke. With a shriek, she lunged forward, hands outstretched to grab Aurora's throat. Aurora swiftly raised her book as a shield; Alison, unable to stop her momentum, smacked into the smooth cover with a loud slap.
Aurora's smile faded slightly. "Are you sure you want to fight me?" she asked coolly. Those words hit Alison like a bucket of ice water, snapping her out of her rage-induced haze. Reality came crashing back. Aurora, having grown up doing farm work, was incredibly strong. Alison didn't stand a chance in a physical fight.
"What do you want from me?" Alison's bloodshot eyes glared at Aurora, seething with anger. She regretted her choices bitterly. If only she had apologized like Jenny and Daisy back then. The momentary embarrassment would have been better than this slow, torturous ordeal.
Aurora's tone remained calm, but her eyes were cold. "I just want you to understand that you can't always have your way in this world. Even the most arrogant people answer to someone." Alison's lips parted, about to speak, but Aurora raised a finger to her own lips. "Shh," she hushed, "I know what you're going to say. Jaxon's his own person, and so am I. If you feel shortchanged, ask Jaxon to return the money." With that, she even casually straightened Alison's disheveled collar. Leaning in close, Aurora whispered, "Remember this. Jaxon has no control over me. His words mean nothing here."