“Aurora Walton, you little bitch, just you wait.”

She was going to pay back all the humiliation she’d endured lately a hundredfold.

And Lucas? If he wanted to keep his little secret safe, he’d better start doing exactly as she said.

Aurora continued going to work at Walton Corporation as usual, but the situation online still hadn’t been resolved. Now, all the public outrage had shifted toward Lucas. Aurora felt awful about it, but there was no way she could shut up that many people.

This time, when Grace arrived at the office, she didn’t summon Aurora to her own office. Instead, she came straight to hers. Aurora was briefly stunned when she saw her mother. Why wasn’t she being called in like usual? Why had the roles suddenly reversed?

“Madam Grace, is there something you need from me?”

Grace sat down in Aurora’s office chair, crossed her legs, leaned an elbow on the desk, and stared directly at her. “It’s the third day now.”

The moment those words landed, Aurora felt her stomach sink. She’d expected this. If her mother had come all the way to her office, it was definitely serious. And sure enough, it was exactly what she’d feared.

It was clear now that her mother had been watching her every move. There had never been any intention of letting her off the hook. Looking at how serious Grace was, Aurora suddenly felt a chill in her heart. So much time had passed, and still, she hadn’t managed to secure a place in her mother’s eyes.

She had given so much to the company – worked hard, secured foreign contracts, even landed deals with Vanguard Group. And yet, none of it had earned her a shred of true recognition. The thought left her cold.

“I know, Madam Grace.”

Aurora clenched her fists, standing firmly across from her mother. In that moment, she didn’t know what to say, nor how to react. The storm online was out of her control – was her mother planning to kick her out of the company now? Just the thought chilled Aurora to the core. It was clear her mother had never truly intended to accept her.

From the day she stepped into this company, Aurora had come to understand that she was just a means to an end. Grace probably never intended for her to be genuinely integrated into the company. As for the General Manager position, it was likely just a way to squeeze more out of her. That realization was what made Aurora completely lose faith in her mother.

Grace looked at her, eyes sharp and unforgiving. “Since you claim to understand what I’m doing, then how exactly have you handled the situation online?"

“The company’s stock is still frozen at the lowest point. Have you considered that you’re already proving to be an unfit leader in your role?”

Aurora clenched her fists. She couldn’t find a single word to refute her mother’s accusations. She never imagined Grace had been watching her every move this closely and tracking every detail with such intensity.

It had been days. She’d foolishly assumed Grace had forgotten the matter. But no, she’d simply been waiting for the right moment to strike.

Aurora exhaled slowly. “Madam Grace, I’ve been monitoring the situation online closely.”