Aurora immediately understood what her mother meant. Once again, Grace’s favoritism was as blatant as ever.

She uncrossed her arms, narrowing her eyes slightly. “Mom, are you really going to take her side again?”

How many times had this happened already? Why couldn’t her mother see it?

Grace remained unfazed. “I’m just being honest. And like I said, I’ll deal with her.”

She added, "Besides, you already secured the project, didn’t you?”

“Mom, how is that the same thing?” Aurora’s voice rose with frustration.

Grace might have sounded indifferent, but she knew exactly what was going on. She just chose to play dumb.

Seeing her daughter upset, Grace softened and glanced at her profile. “Rora, don’t dwell on it. Let me handle the rest. Tonight, I’ll cook your favorite food, just like when you were little, alright?”

As Grace got up, Aurora quickly followed. “Mom, you really don’t have to. It’s too much trouble. Why don’t you sit down and rest? Just have the cook whip up a couple of dishes.”

But Grace was insistent. “No. I said I’d do it myself—why would we need the cook?”

She was already heading into the kitchen, moving briskly to start dinner preparations.

Watching her mother’s busy figure, Aurora felt a dull ache in her chest. Every time Tessa was mentioned, her mother always had an excuse and a way to brush it off. Even when faced with solid proof, all Tessa ever got was a few words of mild rebuke. The more she thought about it, the more stifled Aurora felt.

During dinner, Grace kept piling food onto her plate, smiling as she said, “Eat more. You’ve lost weight working on that project lately.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

Throughout the entire meal, Aurora barely had a moment to speak. Every time Aurora so much as paused, Grace would immediately top off her plate with more food.

In the end, Aurora didn’t even get the chance to bring up anything else. She had no choice but to excuse herself early.

“Are you sure you’re not staying the night?” Grace asked, trying to keep her a little longer.

Aurora waved her off. “No need, Mom. He’s waiting for me to come home.”

With that, she turned and drove away.

Not long after she left, Tessa finally strolled downstairs at a leisurely pace.

“Mom, is she gone?”

The warm, gentle smile that had been on Grace’s face instantly faded when she saw Tessa. “We’re family. Why didn’t you come down to eat?”

Thinking about how Aurora had treated her the day before, Tessa hesitated. “After what she did to me yesterday, I didn’t feel safe.”

Grace sighed and shook her head. “We’re family. What are you really trying to do? And yesterday—you kept criticizing your sister, trying to sabotage her deal. What were you thinking?”

“I…” Tessa looked away, then, after a moment of hesitation, blurted out, “Mom, I want to get involved in the company, too.”

The words hung in the air, filling it with a silence that felt both awkward and heavy.

Grace glanced at Tessa’s clenched fists and knew she meant it.

Time passed—so long that Tessa thought her mother might not have heard her at all. But silence was its own answer. Of course she had heard.

“Go back to your room. I’ll think about it.”