Aurora felt immensely satisfied after everything she had done. No wonder Ivy and Zachary had enjoyed bullying her back then. Indeed, bullying someone brought a thrilling sensation, especially when the victim was a nemesis, which made it even more delightful for her. The onlookers were shocked to discover that the unassuming transfer student, dressed so plainly, was actually the legitimate daughter of the Montgomery family, while the woman who always strutted around arrogantly in luxurious attire turned out to be an illegitimate daughter.
Ivy, disheveled, climbed out of the flowerbed, leaves tangled in her hair. She had never faced such humiliation. “What are you looking at? Keep staring, and I’ll gouge out your eyes,” she threatened coldly, then left in a sorry state with Zachary, who had just managed to get up.
The others sneered, “What’s so great about a mistress’s child anyway?”
“Exactly. Nowadays, anything can be fake.” Rumors started to spread.
Zachary and Ivy rushed home immediately. Genevieve was lounging on the couch with a face mask. “Why are you back so early today? Don’t tell me you’ve run out of money again.” She knew her children well. They were fond of bars and often went on a night out. An early return usually meant they were either broke or planning to buy something.
“Mom, she’s back!” Ivy burst in, panting from her run from the car.
“Who’s back?” Genevieve asked calmly.
“Aurora! Aurora is at our school!” Ivy gasped, catching her breath.
“What? She’s back?” Genevieve pulled off her face mask, her face breaking into a smile. “That’s good. I was worried we’d lost track of her in America.”
“Mom, Aurora has changed.”
“She must have changed. It’s been over three years. Time flies indeed. It’s the perfect time for her to return. She’s now the only stumbling block in our way at the Montgomery family. Once she’s out of the picture, even the old man will have no choice.”
“He has to pick an heir for the Montgomery family eventually, right? Then you two and I will be able to own shares of the Montgomery family.” Genevieve had calculated well. Grandpa Montgomery had always been reluctant to give up control because of Aurora. If Aurora were out of the way, Genevieve would gain nothing less than the shares and control of the company. A lifetime of luxury and power awaited her.
Seeing Genevieve’s joyful expression, Ivy was anxious, saying, “Mom, Aurora has changed. She’s nothing like the person we knew before!”
“A few years can bring changes. That’s not surprising.” Genevieve wasn’t overly concerned.
“I mean she’s completely different. Today at school, she even hurt Zachary. She doesn’t resemble her old self at all.”
“She hurt Zachary? How?”
Zachary, just entering the house, was beckoned over by Genevieve. “Zachary, come here. How did you get hurt?”
“Mom, look at my hand. Aurora did it, and it was almost fractured,” Zachary said, looking aggrieved.
Genevieve felt a pang of sympathy seeing the bruising on his wrist. “How could a woman have hurt you?”
“She threw me to the ground with a shoulder throw and stepped on my hand. It was excruciating,” Zachary complained repeatedly.
“How outrageous. That little wretch has a real knack for survival! This time, I’ll make sure she doesn’t come back. Let’s see where she can run off to!” Genevieve fumed with uncontrollable anger.
“Mom, Aurora said she’s coming back tomorrow. I feel like she’s not the same as before. We need to be careful. She also mentioned she wants to drive us out of the Montgomery family.”
“How dare that little wretch challenge me? I won’t let her get away with it! Remember to behave when your father comes home.”
“No worries.” The siblings had always cooperated well with her and knew exactly how to act.
Soon, Magnus returned home, and Genevieve signaled to the children, who instantly changed their expressions from idly lying around on their phones.
“Honey, you’re back,” Genevieve hurried forward to greet him.
“Yeah, Mr. Gooch got drunk today and kept me talking for ages. I’m exhausted,” Magnus said, handing his coat to Genevieve.
As he passed the sofa and saw both children at home, he asked, “Out of money again?” It was the same thought Genevieve had.
The children looked sullen, clearly about to ask for money or something else expensive.
“Dad, we’re not asking for money,” Ivy said, her carefully prepared speech nearly ruined by Magnus’s assumption.
“You got home early today,” Magnus sighed as he flopped onto the sofa. “So, if it’s not money, what limited edition thing are you looking to buy now?”
“Dad, we saw Aurora at school today,” Ivy quickly said.
“Aurora? When did she get back?” Magnus had almost forgotten about this daughter, who hadn’t returned home in over three years, not even for New Year’s.
He had tried calling her a few times without success, and she hadn’t reached out either. Now, hearing that Aurora was back stirred something in him.
“Not a clue. I kindly asked her to come back, but she hurt me and told people at school that we are illegitimate,” Zachary said, sounding quite aggrieved.
Zachary had a red mark on the back of his hand, which angered Magnus. “I can’t believe she’s still as stubborn as when she was a child. I’ll have to discipline her when she returns!”
Genevieve’s expression changed. “It’s my fault, dear. Aurora has had a tough life, growing up without a mother. I can understand her. I’ve treated her as my own daughter all these years, but she still can’t accept me, and she often calls to curse at me!”
“It’s not your fault. It’s mine for not raising her right. You’ve done enough,” Magnus comforted Genevieve, holding her as she cried.
“Honey, don’t be too harsh on her. She’s still just a child who has been alone all these years. Let’s have her move back home, where she can be looked after.”
Genevieve’s demeanor was in stark contrast to her earlier behavior, which no one would suspect was how she secretly tormented Aurora.
Magnus, deceived for years by her, felt Aurora was being unreasonable the kinder Genevieve appeared. “You’re too kind, dear. She needs to be disciplined properly.”