Fine. If that’s how it was going to be, then Grace would make sure Aurora learned her lesson.

Just as her hand was about to strike down, it was caught mid-air by a hand.

Startled, Grace turned sharply, only to find herself face-to-face with Lucas’ striking features. For a moment, something in her wavered.

She hadn’t expected him to step in, and a flicker of guilt passed through her. “What are you doing here?” she asked, the words slipping out before she could stop them. The moment they left her lips, she regretted it. She was the elder here—why did she sound like she had something to be ashamed of? Straightening her spine, she lifted her chin, trying to regain composure and authority.

Lucas, however, didn’t spare her a glance. His eyes were fixed on Aurora. “Are you hurt?”

Grace’s expression tightened at being so completely disregarded. But she couldn’t deny that Lucas, in his tailored suit, broad-shouldered and composed, had a presence that was hard to challenge.

There was something about him that made her uneasy, an instinctive pressure she couldn’t shake. Whatever she’d planned to say caught in her throat. Maybe it was better to let this go, at least for now. There were too many people watching; it was better not to be embarrassed and handle it another time.

That was what she told herself, unaware that no one really cared what she thought anymore. Even if Aurora knew what was going through her mother’s head, she probably would’ve just laughed it off. Still, standing there under Lucas’ concerned gaze, she didn’t know how to respond. After a moment, she quietly shook her head. “No. My mother wouldn’t hurt me.”

Grace’s gaze flickered, clearly uncomfortable. She didn’t know how to respond, so she coughed lightly and said nothing.

Aurora had said it for her and said it loud enough for her to hear. There were so many people watching, yet Grace had actually tried to hit her.

Lucas acted as if he didn’t notice the message behind Aurora’s words. He simply followed her lead and said calmly, “Good. I was worried that someone might try to push you around while I wasn’t here.”

As he spoke, his cold gaze swept across the room. Wherever his eyes landed, people instinctively shrank back. There was something intimidating about a man like Lucas—calm, commanding, and dangerous all at once.

Whispers rippled through the crowd. “Is that her husband?”

“Must be. Look how protective he is. No doubt about it.”

“I mean, with a man like that, why would she even bother with someone else?”

“You know what? That actually makes a lot of sense. Maybe we got this all wrong…”

Doubt began to creep into their minds. If what they were seeing was true, had they been wrong about Aurora all along?

Aurora looked up at Lucas. With his sharp suit and natural elegance, he radiated strength and sophistication. And just by showing up and saying a few words, the public perception of her shifted. Could it really be that simple?

She found it hard to believe. The same crowd that was moments away from tearing her apart now seemed unsure, swayed by nothing more than Lucas’ presence. She stared at him, the question forming in her heart, but with so many people around, she couldn’t ask it aloud.

Grace, meanwhile, studied Lucas quietly, a flicker of unease growing in her chest. Her son-in-law didn’t appear like someone ordinary. His presence surpassed many of the powerful men she’d met over the years. Her gaze grew heavier as she looked at Lucas.

Clearly, she had underestimated him. He wasn’t someone she could just brush off like any other guy.