Young Aurora nodded, the gloom that had clouded her earlier completely gone from her expression.

Seeing this, Arnold finally relaxed. He had known Aurora would pull herself together. After all, he’d witnessed her talent and strength firsthand over the years. If she hadn’t been so capable before, he wouldn’t have had such faith that she’d bounce back this quickly. In truth, the clear signs of resilience had always been there.

But when she heard his suggestion, Aurora hesitated. “But… didn’t the car already leave?”

“It’s raining now. Will there really be another car? The driver hasn’t returned yet.” She looked a little worried.

After all, Grace had said before she left to wait for her to come back. If she left first and Grace came back to find her gone, wouldn’t that look bad? Aurora couldn’t quite explain it, but something about it felt off.

Arnold, however, was more concerned about the timing of the competition. He urged her gently, “It’s alright. There will definitely be another car. If needed, I’ll drive you myself. I’m just afraid we won’t make it in time.” He looked even more anxious than Aurora did.

That softened her heart. She understood what Arnold meant. In this entire household, there were very few people who truly cared for her, and Arnold was one of them. All these years, he had looked after her without a single complaint. Whenever she felt lost or overwhelmed, it was always Arnold who guided her through. Having someone like him – part mentor, part guardian – was something Aurora truly cherished. Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears as she said, “Thank you, Mr. Arnold.”

“Don’t worry. Once I get to the competition, I’ll do my very best.”

“Good. That’s all I needed to hear.”

Just as the two of them were about to leave, a woman’s voice called out from the doorway, “And where do the two of you think you’re going?”

At the sound of it, young Aurora froze on the spot. Her body stiffened slightly—clearly, she hadn’t expected Grace to return so soon. Hadn’t she taken Tessa to school just a little while ago? That usually dragged on forever. Why was she back already?

Chapter 736

Could it be she turned around halfway through? The thought struck Aurora as absurd even as it formed. Tessa was Grace’s pride and joy. She had already said she’d walk her to the school gates—why would she turn back halfway? That wasn’t something Grace would do. Even the younger Aurora wouldn’t have done such a thing. Once she decided to see another off, they followed through. It wasn’t something that could be abandoned halfway, leaving the rest to chance.

No one was stupid—there was no way Grace would leave Tessa like that. There had to be more to it. Otherwise, there was no reason for Grace to be back so early.

Over the years, working at Walton Corporation, Aurora had picked up a lot. She had learned to claw her way up from the bottom, doing whatever needed to be done. That was how she’d built her ability to stand on her own two feet. In hindsight, she was actually grateful that she’d stuck with dance training back then. If she hadn’t, she’d have been no different from everyone else—superficially talented and easily replaceable. And in the cutthroat reality that followed, she would’ve had nowhere to retreat.