Chapter 276

Grace’s smile never faded in the face of so much praise. Hearing the compliments from the people of Vanguard Group about Aurora gave her a sense of pride. After all, Aurora was her daughter – her upbringing and education were naturally reflected in that.

With that in mind, Grace responded warmly to every kind word, not missing a single one. “Oh, Mr. Ben, you’re being far too kind. She’s still young and needs more experience. No, no, she’s not nearly as good as you say. Yes, she’s ambitious and driven. Without that, no matter how much we try to push her forward, it wouldn’t have made a difference.”

Grace never repeated herself, coming up with a different response for each compliment directed at Aurora. All of this was to lay a solid foundation for the Walton Corporation’s future success.

Tessa was also at the company today. She stood off to the side, silently watching everything unfold, her hand tightening around her crocodile-skin purse. If not for her fresh manicure, her nails might have broken from how hard she clenched. Her molars were pressed together, her eyes fixed on the scene before her.

Why? Why did Aurora get all the attention and affection? Even their mother’s eyes were on her. What about her? She was Grace’s daughter too, so why was there such a gap between them? Why hadn’t their mother given her a better body to begin with? If that was the case, then she shouldn’t have had children at all.

Grace didn’t notice Tessa’s reaction. She was too caught up in all the compliments to pay attention to anything else. Even Tessa received some praise – though in a slightly different tone.

“This is your eldest daughter?”

Chapter 278

“Oh wow, she’s already this grown up? Time really flies.”

“Didn’t expect her to turn out so graceful and charming – she’s such a delight to look at.”

Grace nodded with a smile. “Yes, both my daughters are the apples of my eye.”

Everyone chimed in, praising her good fortune for having such thoughtful daughters. Grace simply smiled in response, not saying more.

After all, the compliments were only about Tessa’s appearance – she didn’t know how else to respond without sounding forced.

Tessa saw everything clearly from the side. It was obvious to her that Grace didn’t want to say more about her, brushing it off with a smile just to be polite. That was exactly why the resentment inside her kept growing. They were both her daughters – why did she have to treat them so differently?

Even after the people from Vanguard Group left, Grace remained in high spirits. She turned to Aurora and praised her warmly. “You did well with this collaboration with Vanguard. Keep it up. Don’t worry, I’ve seen all the effort you’ve put in.”

Aurora gave a faint smile. “Don’t worry, Madam Grace. I’ll do my best.”

The moment she said, “Madam Grace,” Grace’s brows furrowed slightly. She was just about to respond when Tessa cut in, “Aurora, that’s Mom you’re talking to. Why are you calling her Madam Grace? Doesn’t that make us sound like strangers?”

Aurora raised an eyebrow and looked at Tessa. “So what?”

Tessa acted like she was shocked by Aurora’s tone and turned to complain, “Mom, did I say something wrong? Is that why she’s so upset with me?”

Grace had only felt a mild displeasure at first, but hearing Tessa’s words somehow magnified that irritation.