In the end, it was always the ones at the bottom who suffered whenever conflicts arose.

The employee shook his head and finally returned to his workstation.

As Aurora walked back in, her heart was pounding in her throat. She had been worried that Tessa would be there too. But after scanning the room, she saw only Grace sitting behind her desk, working. There was no one else in sight. Relief washed over her. As long as she didn’t have to see that scene again, she really couldn’t handle it. Thankfully, there was nothing of the sort.

Grace noticed Aurora’s subtle movements and felt slightly puzzled. She couldn’t help but speak up. “Aurora, what are you looking at?”

Startled, Aurora jumped. Her body gave a slight shudder. Upon hearing Grace’s voice, she had no choice but to walk over to the desk and stop in front of her. Aurora spoke respectfully. “Nothing, Madam Grace. You called me in. Was there something you needed?”

Hearing the distant form of address made Grace’s heart ache. Ever since what happened at the Walton estate, it felt like their relationship had reverted to what it used to be—strained and formal. Not long ago, the two of them could still sit down and speak from the heart. But now, Aurora felt like a stranger.

Aurora said nothing. If she knew what Grace was thinking, she might’ve laughed out loud. Who was it, really, that made this relationship feel unfamiliar? Grace was the one who stabbed her in the back first. She had chosen Tessa—so why come here now to talk things over?

There would be other chances. Aurora nearly wanted to say it aloud. “We’re all adults here. Why split love into two portions? And even if it is split, it’s rarely ever an even share."

Grace looked at the determined expression on Aurora’s face and knew—this time, she was truly heartbroken. But Grace also understood that with the existing tension between her two daughters, reconciliation wouldn’t happen overnight. It would take time. The problem was, Aurora clearly wasn’t willing to give her that time. As for Tessa, she’d also promised to get along, to live peacefully as sisters. But whenever they were left alone, things quickly went back to how they used to be. Grace had spent plenty of energy worrying about this. But right now, what troubled her most was the Hayes family. They still hadn’t given a proper response. That, in particular, made Grace deeply unhappy. Both of her daughters had been harmed by the Hayes family, and now they wanted to just disappear and quietly move on? Absolutely not.

Grace cleared her throat and finally got to the point. “Actually, I wanted to discuss what to do about the Hayes family. Right now, Julian’s practically lost his mind. Nothing he does makes sense anymore.” Grace propped her chin on her hand, clearly troubled by the whole situation.

Aurora sat on the sofa, her mind also beginning to work. If this wasn’t just about Tessa, then she could at least say a few words. “This whole matter—other people don’t matter." Aurora smiled faintly. “What really matters is what that old bastard from the Hayes family says and does.”