Chapter 414

All she needed to do now was support her mother and help build Walton Corporation into something stronger. What she aimed for was far beyond where things currently were. Grace could see the change. Compared to before, Aurora had made tremendous progress. That once-stubborn streak was gone, replaced by poise and maturity.

“Good. Hearing you say that puts my mind at ease,” Grace said with a sigh of relief.

“Right now, I only hope your sister can come to her senses. That’s all I wish for.”

“She will, Mom. Don’t worry.”

Aurora lowered her gaze, choosing not to continue down that line of conversation. If they kept talking about it, there’d be no end to it. Besides, no matter what conclusions she and Grace reached, it still depended on how Tessa chose to respond.

At that moment, Tessa had returned home and made it clear to herself—she wasn’t going to bother with her mother anymore. Grace had shown no signs of waking when she was there. But after Aurora and the others showed up, she suddenly opened her eyes, lively and alert. The thought made Tessa burn with frustration. They were both her daughters—so why the double standard? All that talk about her inability to control when she woke up being a random coincidence? Tessa wasn’t buying any of it. She was convinced it was Aurora’s arrival that prompted her mother to regain consciousness. Otherwise, why hadn’t she woken up earlier? The more she thought about it, the more bitter she felt.

Without thinking twice, Tessa drove straight to Julian’s place. Julian seemed surprised when he saw her. “What brings you here all of a sudden?”

Tessa paused, keys in hand. “What? Not happy to see me?”

“Of course I am,” Julian said with a faint smile. “I’m always happy to see you.”

As Julian reached out to wrap an arm around Tessa’s waist, she gave a cold snort. “At least you know your place.” She didn’t resist, letting him guide her into the Hayes residence. Julian’s parents, Albert Hayes and Carol Wood, were a little surprised to see her at first, but the moment they caught the subtle look Julian gave them, they caught on immediately.

Chapter 414

“Oh, Tessa, you’re here?”

“You should’ve called ahead. We didn’t prepare anything!”

Tessa’s smile carried a proud edge. She clearly relished being treated like this.

“No need, Mr. and Mrs. Hayes. I’m not a guest. There’s no need to make a fuss.”

The two exchanged a quick glance, then quickly called out to the housekeeper, “Hey, make sure to get more groceries for dinner tonight.”

“Tessa’s here. Let’s make pork ribs. I remember she loves those.”

The housekeeper nodded right away. “Alright, I’ll take care of it now.”

“Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Hayes,” Tessa said, her smile softening into something more genuine. She hadn’t expected them to actually remember her favorite dish. Then again… did Grace remember what she liked?

Julian chimed in at the perfect moment. “Mom, Dad, I’ll take Tessa upstairs first. We’ll come down when dinner’s ready.”

“Sure, sure. Go on up.”

Julian’s hand stayed around Tessa’s waist as they ascended the stairs. Halfway up, he tilted his head and gave his parents a meaningful look. They understood instantly. Only after the two had completely disappeared did the elders of the Hayes family finally exhale.

Carol patted her chest and let out a long sigh. “That was close. If Tessa had caught on, we wouldn’t have been able to explain our way out of it.”

Chapter 415