Three years were enough to change many things, and Aurora hadn’t wasted a single moment. From a young age, she had shown a remarkable talent for drawing. During her spare time in middle and high school, she took numerous design classes, and after moving to the United States, she continued to indulge in design during her free time. By chance, she entered a design competition under the pseudonym “DO” and won first prize, which catapulted her to fame.
However, she feared that revealing her true identity would lead Genevieve straight to her, so she kept her identity hidden and never showed her face in public. Even in interviews, she specifically requested that only her silhouette or profile be shown.
Due to her mystique and unique designs, every item she released was highly sought after, even though design was just a side hustle. Only Asher knew of this identity.
Facing Genevieve’s probing eyes, Aurora couldn’t be bothered to say anything else. Seeing her reluctance, Magnus intervened, “If Aurora doesn’t want to talk, don’t ask. She isn’t a kid anymore and deserves some privacy.”
“I was just curious,” Genevieve murmured awkwardly.
“Dad, I’m a bit tired. I’m going to go back to my room and take a nap,” Aurora said.
“Alright, go rest,” Magnus waved her off.
Once back in her room, Aurora truly felt a bit sleepy. Just as she was falling asleep, a rustling noise suddenly woke her up. The house was usually very quiet, so the hissing sound was distinct. She shot up in bed and looked at the floor where a snake was slithering, though it was non-venomous. As a child, Zachary had often scared her with frogs and other such creatures.
This was Zachary up to his old tricks again, trying to drive her away with such tactics. If it were the old Aurora, she would have been scared, but now…
In the hallway outside, Zachary and Ivy were whispering conspiratorially. “Did you do it?” Ivy asked with excitement.
“I saw it crawl in through her window. Just wait for her scream,” he said with a smug look.
“Is the snake venomous? We should just get a poisonous one and kill her. That bitch is so annoying,” Ivy snorted disdainfully.
“Are you stupid? If something happens to Aurora at home, do you think the police won’t investigate? Even if we want to kill her, it can’t be at home. I’m just trying to scare her,” Zachary argued.
“Well, that’s true. Women are naturally timid. She might just pee herself in fear and roll out of here,” Ivy imagined gleefully.
From behind the door, Aurora, who was holding two snakes, heard every word of their conversation.
“Hmph, even if she doesn’t leave, I have plenty of ways to deal with her. If she wants to play, we’re game.” Zachary’s chilling voice carried through.
Aurora quietly closed the door as if it had never been opened.
At that moment, Julian was listlessly working out in the gym. Seeing his phone light up, he quickly grabbed it. In the past, he wouldn’t have cared about his phone, but now, he kept it with him at all times, afraid of missing her call.
Aurora had sent him a photo with a message underneath. “Do you like it?”
In the photo, she held two wriggling snakes in her hand, and although they were non-venomous, what woman would pose so calmly for a picture like her?
“Caught two snake demons?” Seeing her composed expression, seemingly unaffected, he typed this message to her.
Aurora had just returned when she encountered this. The Montgomery family was indeed a terrible place.
“Yes, I’ll release these two snakes into Ivy and Genevieve’s room tonight. What do you think will happen?” She chuckled mischievously over the phone.
“It will certainly be interesting.” Aurora was quite adept at turning the tables on others.
As Julian typed these words, a chill flashed through his eyes. If the snakes had been venomous, wouldn’t she have been in danger?
Since they dared to mess with his woman, shouldn’t they pay a price?
Aurora smiled slyly, undoubtedly looking forward to the night.
Meanwhile, outside, Ivy and Zachary waited all afternoon for Aurora’s screams to emanate from the room, to no avail.
“Did you see it wrong? What if the snakes didn’t crawl in?” Ivy patted his shoulder.
“That’s unlikely. They’re probably just hiding under her bed. Maybe they’ll come out tonight,” Zachary explained.
“That would be best. Otherwise, I wasted an afternoon here.”
Finally, the long-awaited night arrived, and everyone returned to their rooms at nine o’clock. Zachary went out with his friends again and hadn’t returned.
Ivy stayed in to make a good impression in front of Magnus. She didn’t go out, returning to her room to prepare a bath before bed.
After removing her makeup, she found the bathtub already filled with water, white bubbles piling high.
Humming a tune, Ivy happily bathed, unsure if it was her imagination, but she kept feeling something slippery moving in the tub.
“It must be my imagination,” she thought as bubbles were naturally slippery. Suddenly, something seemed to crawl up her thigh, a sensation too real to be imagined.
Instinctively, her hand reached in, grabbing something. When she lifted it out of the water, she saw a flat, pointed head.
Eyes wide, she screamed after a moment. “Ah! There’s a snake!”
Just then, Genevieve, who had just entered her room to change into her pajamas, felt a slimy sensation glide across her skin.
No one would enjoy that feeling. Looking down, she yelled, “Snake! Magnus, there’s a snake!”
Both Genevieve, about to change, and Ivy, wrapped in a towel, ran out of their rooms. Magnus frowned. “What happened?”
“Magnus, there’s a snake in my room.” Genevieve’s voice shook as if frightened out of her wits.
“You must be seeing things. How can there be a snake in our room?”
“Dad, it’s true. There’s one in my room too!” Ivy, with her wet hair loosely covered by a towel, still had white foam on her.
Their panicked expressions looked genuinely distressed.
Aurora stood at the doorway, utterly calm. “How could there possibly be a snake?”
“It was you! You put snakes into my room!”