“Aurora, how have you been?” He gently released her, his fingers tenderly cradling her face, his gaze as gentle as ever.
Yet, she was no longer the little girl who longed for his tenderness. She stared at him steadily. “Do you think knowing I’m well will lessen your guilt? But let me tell you. I’ve been living in hell! I want you to spend your life in guilt.”
As she spoke these words, tears seemed imminent in her eyes, but her determination to not let them fall, biting her red lips, only made him more sympathetic.
“I’m sorry, Aurora, so sorry.” Hayden had always hated to see her cry, and now, the sight of Aurora holding back her tears made his heart ache even more.
“Alright, I’ve answered you. Please let me go. Whether I’m doing well or not, it’s none of your business.” Aurora pushed him away, preparing to leave.
“Aurora, don’t go. I just want to look at you a little longer…”
“Hayden, what exactly do you want from me?”
“Tonight, I’ll be at the old place waiting for you, Aurora. I want to know what has happened to you over these three years. Think of it as old friends meeting up.”
Aurora looked at him coldly. “So if I come, you’ll stop bothering me?”
“Yes.” Hayden also seemed helpless. His desire to treat her well had become an annoyance. But as long as he could see her once more, he didn’t mind.
“Fine, I agree.”
“Give me your phone number.” This time, Hayden was smarter, asking for her number first to ensure she would come.
Aurora, eager to get away, gave him her number. “Now, can I go?”
She pushed Hayden away and opened the door to leave.
As she turned to leave, a devilishly charming smile curled at the corners of her mouth, a stark contrast to her previous vulnerable facade.
Tears were a thing of the past for her. She was no longer the little girl moved to tears by his few words.
Hayden, having gotten Aurora’s number, felt great relief, his steps lightening considerably.
He didn’t notice the bright red lipstick mark “accidentally” left on his off-white suit.
Why else had she reapplied her lipstick just before?
Once Hayden had left, Aurora came out from around the corner.
Just then, she was fortunate enough to run into Mrs. Hill here, the former nanny used by the Montgomery family.
Mrs. Hill had watched Aurora grow up, comforting her like a mother during her times of distress at home.
Last year, she was dismissed by the Montgomery family and had to work here as a cleaner.
She recognized Aurora immediately and was aware of the situation between Hayden and Aurora.
After a brief chat with Mrs. Hill, Aurora made her request.
“Mrs. Hill, you must help me.”
Mrs. Hill, aware of her departure from the Montgomery family, felt sorry for Aurora and clasped her hand tightly, her expression resolute. “Miss, what do you need me to do?”
Aurora whispered a few words into her ear, and Mrs. Hill nodded.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ve got it covered, miss. That bitch stole your fiance, and I’ve disliked her for a long time.”
Seeing Mrs. Hill’s indignant expression, Aurora felt a pang of pain. If there was even a one in ten thousand chance, she wished it hadn’t come to this.
But some things, once started, could not be undone.
“Thank you, Mrs. Hill. Here’s my phone number. You can come work at my house from now on.”
“Miss, the lady of the house will never let me return to Montgomery family Manor. I only left a few months ago. She blamed me for her flowers dying and fired me in anger,” Mrs. Hill said, distressed.
The flower was naturally delicate, requiring precise timing and amount of watering. Yet, every time Mrs. Hill watered it, Genevieve would remember and water it again. Eventually, the flower died, and Genevieve blamed Mrs. Hill, ultimately firing her. “I’m not talking about that Montgomery family Manor, but my own home.” Aurora knew exactly what was going on. How could that woman tolerate her former servant? Genevieve wished she could replace everything about the Montgomery family, including the servants!
“Miss, your home?” Mrs. Hill knew Aurora had gone to America. Did she now have her own place? “We’ll talk about this later. Keep my number, and I’ll call you when it’s time. I must go now. I have other matters,” Aurora said, unable to fully explain herself, and quickly left, not yet ready to meet with Susan.
Mrs. Hill watched Aurora leave with a grateful expression. “Don’t worry, miss, I’ll definitely help you get rid of that vixen!”
It was always wise not to mess with these middle-aged women. Their tongues were not just for show. When Hayden returned to the VIP lounge, Susan greeted him with a gentle smile. “Hayden, you’re here? I’ve picked out two I liked. Let’s see which one…”
Her sentence was cut short when she noticed the bright lipstick mark on Hayden’s collar, a mark visible to anyone. He had nothing on his collar when he left. How did it appear so suddenly?
Susan’s smile froze on her face, and the manager nearby also looked embarrassed, regretting her earlier comments about their happy, sweet relationship. Little did she know Mr. Barnet had stepped out briefly to be unfaithful, showing that not all news about wealthy men being good was true.
Susan, who had gained Hayden through dubious means, was now most apprehensive about him being stolen by someone else. She had been paranoid about every little rumor recently, especially after the recent incident with another woman. Now, she saw a woman’s lipstick on his collar in person! How could she continue pretending? Susan snapped at him.
“Where have you been?” she demanded, standing up.
“The restroom.” Seeing her agitated expression and thinking she was about to cause a scene again, Hayden lazily sat down on the sofa.
“Which two? Let me see.” He hadn’t yet noticed the lipstick on his collar.
“Who did you just meet?” Susan hated his indifferent, nonchalant demeanor.
“What are you up to now?” Hayden glanced at her coldly, tired of her constant, baseless accusations.
“Hayden, is it still me being paranoid this time? Just take a look at yourself. Where have you been fooling around in such a short time?” She grabbed his collar, forcing him to look at the vivid lipstick mark.
The ambiguous mark unexpectedly softened Hayden’s heart, as it was left by Aurora, bringing a slight smile to his lips.
Susan was stunned, and so was the manager beside her, both shocked to see a man caught cheating acting so boldly.
“Stop making a scene. We’re here to buy a house today,” said Hayden, his indifferent manner infuriating Susan even more.