Chapter 266

Seeing Aurora so poised and composed—and looking so much like her—it stirred something deep in Grace. Beneath her calm exterior, she was feeling a tangle of tenderness and guilt.

Aurora met her mother’s gaze and couldn’t help but think something felt off. Grace was acting different today. She kept staring at her without speaking, drawing things out far longer than usual. If this were any other day, she would’ve gotten straight to the point and been done with it. This hesitating and soft approach wasn’t like her at all.

Aurora finally asked again, gently but firmly, “Mom, is there something you wanted to talk to me about?”

Sitting together like this, with the silence stretching, was starting to feel awkward. At last, Grace’s mask cracked. Meeting Aurora’s eyes, she sighed, long and quiet, before finally deciding to speak plainly.

“I wanted to talk to you about your sister.” She paused, her voice steady but full of weight. “The company is yours now—you’re running the show. But what about her? She’s my daughter, too. Flesh and blood, just like you. How am I supposed to let her go?”

Aurora’s expression shifted, and in that moment, everything clicked into place. She understood exactly what her mother meant. But instead of snapping back or bristling, Aurora kept her voice calm, mirroring Grace’s tone. “So… what do you think you should do?”

Grace blinked, caught off guard by the response. She’d expected pushback, maybe even a full-blown argument. She thought she’d have to brace herself, talk her daughter down, maybe even apologize. But instead, Aurora sat there quietly, composed, willing to talk it through. It wasn’t the reaction Grace had anticipated at all.

And for a brief moment, it felt like all her carefully rehearsed words were no longer needed. Grace cleared her throat lightly. “So, I was thinking… something simple, really. What if we brought your sister into the company, Chapter 256, and gave her a position?”

Aurora raised an eyebrow. “And what position do you think suits her?”

She didn’t reject the idea outright. Instead, she threw the question back because she knew her mother well enough to understand that Grace wouldn’t have brought this up unless the decision had already been made. This wasn’t a discussion; it was a heads-up. After years in the company, Aurora had learned just how decisive and unyielding her mother could be when it came to business. If she was really asking for input, it was already out of character.

“I was thinking she could join your department as creative director,” Grace said.

Aurora’s first instinct was to say no, firmly and without hesitation. But she reined it in. Years of navigating her mother’s temperament had taught her not to challenge her head-on. Grace didn’t respond well to defiance. She had to dismantle her arguments, piece by piece, with calm logic.

“Mom, I actually don’t think this is something you should be asking me. You should be asking her.”

Grace raised an eyebrow. “And why’s that?”

“Because I doubt her ambition is any smaller than mine. She’s always been driven, maybe even more so. So if you put her under my leadership, are you sure she’d be okay with that? More importantly, have you even asked her? Talked to her about it? Is she on board with this plan at all?”