Chapter 483

Aurora’s safety mattered more than anything else.

“Just now, Mr. Lucas came by. He said he was looking for Miss Aurora and wanted to check if she was home.”

Grace’s brows furrowed. “We handed her over to him, and now he’s at our door looking for her?”

The steward relayed the rest. “He said he’d been away on a business trip the past couple of days and hadn’t gone home yet. He assumed she’d be waiting for him.

“I wasn’t going to mention it at first, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that this is our family we’re talking about. If he’s lying, and something’s wrong with Miss Aurora… we need to know.”

Grace gave him an approving look. “You did well. If you ask me, Aurora’s clearly not at their house. Lucas is lying to us.”

She turned sharply. “Call Aurora’s assistant. Ask if he knows where she is.”

The steward, relieved by her steady response, nodded. His instincts had been right–standing with the Walton family was always the correct choice.

Upstairs, Tessa overheard the entire exchange. A flicker of intrigue passed through her eyes. Aurora was missing? Where could she have gone?

Tessa had the assistant’s number. Without a second thought, she headed upstairs and dialed him directly. If anyone knew what was really going on, it would be him. He was always by Aurora’s side.

It was still late, and Ian had just gone to bed. He hadn’t even been asleep for long when the first call came in, and he didn’t stir. Undeterred, Tessa called again. She didn’t care what time it was, nor did she think twice about whether she was bothering him. The second time, Ian stirred at the sound, fumbling for his phone. When he saw Tessa’s name on the screen, his eyes widened. Wait, why on earth is Miss Tessa calling him?

Jolted awake, Ian sat upright, blinking the sleep from his eyes. After a moment of hesitation, he finally answered the call. “Hello, Miss Tessa. What’s the matter?”

Ah, the tragedy of the working class–always on edge when it came to their superiors. No matter the time or situation, they had to pick up the phone without delay. Even if he wasn’t technically her assistant, he still couldn’t escape the reach of her authority.

Tessa’s voice came through, lofty and imperious. “Are you at home? What took you so long to answer?”

Ian nearly rolled his eyes. What kind of question is that? It’s past ten–if he was not home, where else would he be? “Yes, Miss Tessa. I was already in bed.”

But Tessa didn’t seem to care. She moved on without missing a beat. “Do you know where Aurora is right now?”

A flicker passed through Ian’s eyes. Of course he knew. But there was no way he’d be foolish enough to tell Tessa that Aurora was sick. He might like money, but betraying someone who trusted him? That wasn’t a line he was willing to cross. “You’re asking the wrong person, Miss Tessa. I don’t know,” he replied calmly. “I may be her assistant, but you’re her family. Shouldn’t you be the one who knows where she is?”

Tessa’s hand clenched around her phone, her face twisting with frustration. No wonder he was Aurora’s assistant. He was every bit as slippery as she was–silver-tongued, guarded, and impossible to catch off guard.