Magnus cast a cold glance towards Genevieve before saying, “Aurora is so sensible and considerate, still remembering to bring gifts for you. Clearly, she holds you dear in her heart.”
Genevieve knew she had lost this round, and embarrassingly so. Now, no matter what she said, it would all sound the same to Magnus.
Now that he had already accepted this fact, all she could do now was swallow her anger and accept failure.
“I love it. Aurora is really thoughtful. This color goes with my skin tone perfectly.” Gritting her teeth, Genevieve tried hard to suppress her rage.
“By the way, these two gifts are for Zachary and Ivy. They didn’t cost much, but they are also a token of my affection.” Aurora put on a pitiful face.
“They will definitely love them.” Genevieve could only smile and accept them.
“Look how considerate Aurora is, and look at your own children, what have they bought us over the years besides asking for money?”
Seeing Aurora’s obedient and sensible demeanor, in contrast, those two seemed like nothing but trouble!
“Magnus, the kids are still young. Aurora used to upset you too. I remember the time she deliberately broke your beloved vase, the one you had a hard time bidding for in England.”
Genevieve brought up the incident that had once infuriated Magnus, seemingly ‘unintentionally’.
Aurora still remembered Ivy’s twisted face as she smiled and looked at her, teasing, “Aurora, how do you think Dad will react when he finds out the vase he just bid for is shattered?”
“What are you doing?” Little Aurora blinked her big eyes, still unaware of what was happening.
The next moment, she saw Ivy gently push the vase over. “No!” Aurora hurried forward trying to catch the vase.
However, the vase shattered on the ground, and Ivy ran away in a panic. “Dad, Aurora broke the vase!”
Magnus, standing by the broken pieces and hearing Ivy’s accusation, naturally thought it was her, and later she was grounded.
Aurora cried and denied it was her fault, but no one believed her. She didn’t eat for two days and nights, which was when her stomach problems began.
But no pain was comparable to being wrongfully accused, and that incident was just the beginning. She was framed again and again.
Perhaps because of the precedent, in Magnus’s heart, Aurora was a bad child, and he would believe Ivy and Zachary’s words.
Aurora lived every day in fear within the Montgomery family, unsure of what scheme they would concoct next to torment her.
Closing her eyes, the tear-streaked little face appeared in her mind again. If Genevieve didn’t bring it up, Aurora almost forgot about it.
It didn’t matter. She returned to the Montgomery family just to settle old scores.
“That is the past, and it was just a vase. Thinking about it, I actually punished Aurora for it. Aurora, you don’t hold it against me, right?”
Magnus was not as angered by Genevieve’s words as she had expected, and Aurora seemed to have not anticipated this either.
She knew very well that it was Genevieve who had added fuel to the fire back then, causing Magnus to punish her.
“Why would I hold it against you, Dad?” Aurora smiled faintly, seemingly unconcerned.
The image of fatherly love and filial piety was glaring in Genevieve’s eyes, sparking fear for the first time. Aurora’s return was definitely not by chance.
She had returned for revenge, and perhaps to seize shares as well. What would become of her and her children?
At that moment, Zachary and Ivy had also awakened. Perhaps stimulated by Aurora’s actions the night before, they had unusually risen early in the morning.
“Maren, I’m hungry. Make breakfast for me,” they said, rubbing their sleepy eyes as they came downstairs.
Upon seeing the woman in black seated in the living room, Ivy and Zachary instantly snapped awake. “Aurora, you’ve returned at just the right time. Dad, she was the one last night…”
Ivy seized the opportunity to quickly complain to Magnus, but Aurora interrupted her, handing over a gift she had brought.
“Ivy, this is a gift I brought back for you from the United States,” Aurora said with a smile.
Ivy, still angry, glanced at the pink Hello Kitty toy and, without a second thought, threw it to the ground.
“What kind of junk is this?” Ivy said disdainfully.
A hurt look flashed across Aurora’s eyes. “Ivy, I remember you loved this cat when you were little, so I…”
“How could I possibly like such trash, especially from you? I don’t want it,” Ivy said, stomping on the toy a few times.
“Enough!” shouted Magnus, visibly angered. “Aurora brought you a gift from the United States. Even if you don’t like it, you can’t throw it away. Where are your manners?”
Genevieve held her forehead in frustration, impressed by Aurora’s ability to quickly shift Magnus’s misunderstandings from herself to Ivy.
Aurora crouched down and carefully picked up the toy, her fingers brushing off a spot of dirt. “Dad, it’s okay. It’s my fault for not choosing something she would like.”
Her pitiable look only made Magnus more sympathetic. He scolded again, “Aurora just returned home from the United States, and this is how you treat her?”
“Dad, she was the one who hit Zachary last night. This bitch…” Ivy could hardly contain her anger at the person who seemed so different from the night before.
Before she could finish, Magnus slapped her across the face. “She is your sister. Show some respect.”
“Dad, how could you slap me? You’ve never done anything like that to me before,” Ivy said in disbelief.
“It’s precisely because I’ve been too indulgent with you all these years that you’ve turned out this way. Go apologize to your sister,” said Magnus, furious.
“She’s just a child. She didn’t mean it. Magnus, please don’t be angry,” Genevieve intervened, always protective whenever her children made mistakes.
“Look at your daughter! No manners, arrogant, full of foul language. If we don’t discipline her now, who knows what she’ll turn into in the future? Apologize to Aurora!”
Magnus had already seen Genevieve hit Aurora earlier, and now witnessing Ivy bully her, he was naturally distressed.
“Dad, it’s okay,” Aurora continued to play weak, making him even more protective.
“Don’t worry, Aurora. As long as I’m here, no one can bully you!” Magnus reassured her, pulling her from behind him.
Ivy shook her head, defiant. “I won’t apologize. I did nothing wrong.”
“I’ll ask you one more time. Will you apologize?” Magnus’s eyes narrowed, a warning hidden within. Genevieve sensed trouble brewing.