If Grace ever started to suspect her, it would damage the image she'd worked so hard to maintain in her mother’s eyes.

Thinking of that, Tessa’s smile grew softer.

She even turned to the driver and said, “Thank you.”

Hearing those words, the driver was so startled he felt almost flattered.

Had he heard that right?

Tessa actually thanked him?

It was genuinely surprising.

Grace, too, was pleased by Tessa’s response.

See? This was the daughter she had raised.

Even if there had been a misunderstanding, she remained composed and polite, still able to offer a gentle “thank you.”

After dropping Tessa off at school, Grace turned to the chauffeur, and her smile vanished in an instant.

“Next time, don’t do something like this again. And there better not be a next time for me to catch you.”

The driver immediately understood what she meant.

It was a clear warning.

Grace’s message couldn’t be more obvious.

Disrespect toward Tessa wouldn’t be tolerated, and if it happened again, the consequences wouldn’t be this light.

The message burned itself into the driver’s mind.

How had he not realized earlier that Tessa was far from simple?

From now on, he’d definitely need to be more cautious around her.

“Understood, ma’am. It won’t happen again.”

Without hesitation, the driver admitted his mistake.

After all, once the lady of the house had noticed, the only way to stay employed was to obey without question.

He then quietly opened the door for Grace and drove her back to the Walton residence.

At that moment, Aurora was still waiting at home.

Not long after they had left, Arnold was already starting to feel restless.

He looked at Aurora with a puzzled expression.

“Miss Aurora, why didn’t you let me finish just now?”

Arnold clapped his hands together, his face showing rare emotion.

“You’re heading to a competition. That’s far more important than Miss Tessa going to school.”

Seeing how agitated he was, almost as if he couldn’t bear to see her waste her potential, Aurora’s face remained calm.

Still, her eyes were slightly unfocused, carrying a helpless, pitiful look.

“Mr. Arnold, even if I take part in the competition and win a certificate, what good would it do?”

Aurora gave a bitter smile. “All these things… they’re just superficial. Besides, I’ve already won a lot. There’s really no point anymore. It just feels meaningless.”

With that, she turned to head upstairs.

The way she looked, it was clear that she’d lost all hope.

The other house staff had started to grow concerned about her.

Compared to Tessa, they much preferred the gentle and sweet-natured Aurora.

That was something everyone could agree on.

Even though she didn’t flatter with words, her actions had touched many of them.

In the winter, without needing a word from Grace, Aurora would send someone to buy ginger tea.

During the hot months, she made sure there was soup and other cooling drinks freely available in the house.

All of that had been Aurora’s doing – small acts of kindness she never asked recognition for.

And they weren’t ungrateful.

Each of them had benefited from Aurora’s thoughtfulness, and they truly regarded her as one of their own.