Aurora had no idea what was going through the teacher’s mind, but the moment she saw that bank card, her eyes widened in disbelief. Was this really something a ten-year-old was capable of? Bribing a teacher with an actual bank card? Who had taught her to do this?

Aurora’s curiosity was fully piqued now. She didn’t understand who could be supporting Tessa from behind the scenes. Or was she just this precocious from a young age? But even if that were the case–why use these tactics against her own sister?

Why? Aurora couldn’t comprehend what kind of grudge Tessa held against her to justify such hatred. And the teacher… did she even realize the psychological damage she’d inflicted on young Aurora? Did any of them?

Aurora’s chest rose and fell with anger as she followed Tessa outside, only to see the pure satisfaction on her face. Clearly, tormenting her had become a source of amusement.

“Alright, Tessa,” Aurora muttered coldly. “And to think, I actually saw you as a sister. Clearly, that was never necessary.” Her hands slowly clenched at her sides.

In that moment, she made a quiet but resolute decision: She was done. From this day on, she would no longer recognize Tessa as her sister. No matter what Grace said after she got out of this place, she was done pretending.

This was terrifying. Living with someone like Tessa was like living out the fable of the farmer and the snake. One small misstep, and she’d be picked clean–down to the bone. Everyone knew it. And yet, after all these years, Aurora had failed to see Tessa’s true face, especially the ambition she kept so carefully hidden beneath the surface.

Once she woke up, Aurora was determined to investigate her dear sister thoroughly. She needed to find out what else had been kept from her. As for what happened next–Aurora could barely bring herself to recall it. After that incident, the younger version of her became someone many classmates looked down on. Even later on, there were always people who brought it up to shame her. Eventually, she could hardly lift her head.

Grace had initially considered helping to investigate the situation, but once she learned the surveillance cameras were down and nothing could be verified, she lost interest. At the time, she was preoccupied with work. The Walton Corporation was in a period of growth, and for anything that wasn’t critical, she didn’t want it disrupting her pace. Grace had always put the company first. No one, not even her own daughter, was allowed to interfere with her schedule. Everyone knew this.

And because of that, Aurora became increasingly withdrawn. It was Arnold who first noticed something was wrong. In the end, he brought it up with Grace and suggested transferring Aurora to a different school. Grace didn’t get it. She was flipping through a contract at the time and replied absently, “Why transfer her? Everything’s fine.” She was the kind of person who disliked trouble and wouldn’t make changes lightly. But Arnold had reached his limit. He’d always treated Aurora like his own granddaughter, which was why he cared so deeply.

With a long sigh, he said, “Madam, haven’t you noticed? Miss Aurora barely speaks these days. She’s becoming more and more withdrawn.”