At this banquet, Aurora was, without a doubt, the center of attention. In every way, she outshone everyone else. She even received a gift from Philip himself. No matter what she did, people rushed to defend her, bringing up her deeds again and again with endless praise. But when the topic shifted to Aurora’s background, Tessa quickly pulled Aaron aside. She didn’t want him to know the details. If he started comparing her to Aurora, the thought alone was unbearable.
When the banquet ended, Tessa didn’t linger with Aaron but headed straight home.
Aaron found it strange. Normally, Tessa would spend hours with him, sometimes even staying out overnight. He had made his hints more than obvious during the banquet, yet she still chose to leave.
“Are you sure we can’t go out for a bit?” Aaron asked again.
But Tessa shook her head firmly. “Sorry, I’m really tired today. Next time, alright?”
Seeing the weariness on her face, Aaron could only nod seriously. “Alright then, get some rest. We’ll go out together next time.”
“No problem.” Tessa smiled and nodded.
In the end, Aaron drove her home. As soon as she returned, Tessa went straight to Grace’s bedroom. As expected, Grace was still awake. When she saw Tessa barge in like that, her face darkened with displeasure. “Have you forgotten how to knock?”
Tessa looked embarrassed but forced a smile. “Mom, I have something I need to tell you.”
“What is it?” Grace barely mustered any interest in what Tessa had to say. Lately, her daughter felt like a stranger to her. She had changed so much. At times, Tessa’s words and actions went far beyond what she expected, leaving her unsettled. What weighed even heavier on Grace’s heart was Aurora’s silence.
Her other daughter hadn’t reached out in all this time, not a single message. Grace still couldn’t believe Aurora could be so cold-hearted. She was her mother who gave birth to her. How could she show not even a shred of compassion? How was she supposed to accept that? So much time had passed without news, and Grace found herself sinking into despair. Nothing seemed to matter anymore, nothing worth doing. When Tessa spoke now, she only intended to brush her off casually.
But Tessa was brimming with excitement. “Mom, we always thought my sister’s husband was just some useless pretty boy, but that’s not the case at all!”
Grace raised her head, her face marked with doubt. “What do you mean by that?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Tessa slapped her palm for emphasis. “Mom, his surname is Carter. Think about it, how many Carter families are there in Ravenshore? Other than them, who else could it be?”
Her words jolted Grace’s memory, and her eyes widened. “You don’t mean the Carters of Vanguard Group, do you?”
“Exactly.”
Seeing the certainty in Tessa’s eyes, Grace felt the ground shift beneath her. She hadn’t imagined it would come to this, yet here it was. All she’d ever wanted was to uphold the Walton family tradition–marry Aurora off and secure the company’s inheritance.