“She’s your mother,” Tessa said softly, pretending to mediate. “Everything she says is for our own good. Sometimes, we should listen to our elders, don’t you think? Besides, your husband’s sitting right here.”

Aurora let out a quiet laugh.

“And what about it if he is?”

Her tone was calm but carried a sharp edge. “Don’t forget, I’m married to him. He’s family now. Or are you trying to say we shouldn’t ‘air our dirty laundry in front of outsiders’? Because if that’s the case, you must still see him as one.”

Her words landed perfectly, flipping the point right back to Tessa. Even Grace’s expression stiffened.

Grace had wanted to draw Lucas closer, not push him away.

After all, he was the key to saving the company.

Without Aurora, Walton Corporation’s stock had dropped again and again, and their projects had stalled.

Only Lucas could turn things around. His influence could bring investors back with just a single word.

That was why, hearing Tessa’s careless remark, Grace’s tone immediately turned sharp.

“Tessa, what on earth are you saying? Lucas is my son-in-law; your brother-in-law. He’s family. Did you even think before you spoke?”

Her voice was harsh and cutting, and with so many people watching, Tessa’s face flushed with embarrassment.

“Mom, you know me,” she said quickly, forcing a nervous laugh. “I just blurted it out. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

Tessa lowered herself without hesitation, knowing exactly how to play the role of the obedient daughter.

Grace needed someone to soothe her pride, and with Aurora refusing to play that part anymore, Tessa knew it had to be her. Grace, after all, had always been domineering. She couldn’t stand being challenged, especially not by her own daughter.

Everything in Grace’s world had to go according to her plan.

The moment something veered off course, it unsettled her.

She held herself, and everyone around her, to impossibly high standards.

Lately, Tessa had seen it all too clearly. With the company’s board breathing down Grace’s neck, her mother’s mental state had grown more unstable, her behavior increasingly erratic.

Something about her just wasn’t right anymore.

Grace, noticing Tessa’s quick apology, turned back toward Aurora with a forced smile.

“You see? Your sister just spoke without thinking. Don’t hold it against her. You’ve known her long enough. You know she’s blunt but doesn’t mean harm.”

Then, as she spoke the last line, her gaze shifted to Lucas, her expression softening into something almost pleading.

Lucas met her eyes briefly, then looked away, unbothered.

Since the moment they’d arrived, his attention had been on Aurora–steady, unwavering.

Everyone else barely registered. He couldn’t have said what Tessa was wearing if someone asked.

From the side, Arnold caught the exchange and had to stifle a laugh.

He’d never realized until now just how transparent Grace really was—so eager to curry favor, so desperate to please the powerful. The sight almost amused him.