Genevieve noticed that Magnus looked somewhat angry and quickly explained: “It’s nothing serious, they can just retake the exam next semester.”
“If they can’t even get their diplomas, you really disgrace the Montgomery family name! They are your so-called well-raised sons and daughters!” Magnus grew angrier as he thought about the two.
Aurora felt pity for her father, who had been deceived for so many years, raising troublesome children that weren’t his own.
“It’s just a diploma, they’ll definitely be fine. You all sit down, and Aurora, why don’t you join me in the kitchen to peel some fruit?” Genevieve quickly led the troublemaker away, fearing what she might say if she stayed.
Aurora happily agreed, “Sure, I’ll help you.”
Once they had left, Paul spoke up: “Cousin, you still haven’t answered me why Aurora hasn’t revealed her identity?”
“It was her grandfather’s instruction; he wants Aurora to gain experience. If everyone knew who she was, she wouldn’t learn anything.”
“Her grandfather is thoughtful indeed. I remember Aurora and Ivy are about the same age, and she hasn’t graduated yet either, but she’s already been made a manager. I wonder if she can handle it.”
“No need to worry, her grandfather knows what he’s doing, and I believe in Aurora’s capabilities,” Magnus spoke highly of Aurora.
Aurora followed Genevieve into the kitchen, where Genevieve coldly asked her, “What exactly are you trying to do?”
“What do you mean? I clearly haven’t done anything,” Aurora responded innocently, not understanding Genevieve’s implication.
“You specifically told your dad about them failing, didn’t you want to block them from joining the company so no one would compete with you for it? You’re so young, how can you be so cruel, even though they are your siblings?”
“Cruel? Hah…” Aurora found it amusing to hear that word from Genevieve’s mouth.
Anyone might call her cruel, but Genevieve certainly had no right. She maintained her smile: “Genevieve, you seem to have misunderstood something.”
When alone, both dropped their facades. Aurora crossed her arms, lazily staring at Genevieve.
“I am the legitimate heir of the Montgomery family. I don’t need to elaborate on Ivy and Zachary’s status, do I?
Yes, I don’t want them in the company, but not because I’m afraid of competition. The company is rightfully mine, what’s there to fear?
My only fear is that their presence will taint the Montgomery Group. I don’t want to work in the same place as such trash; it disgusts me!
You call me cruel, but I feel I’m not even a fraction as vile as you. I remember every single thing you’ve done to me!
What am I trying to do? I’m merely looking to return the favor.
Just enjoy your last few days here because you might soon find yourselves homeless.”
Aurora didn’t reveal her plans outright, waiting for the day she had proof to expose Genevieve’s true nature.
After speaking, she turned and left, leaving Genevieve with a view of her proud back.
Genevieve, consumed with hatred, thought highly of Aurora’s newfound boldness, but she was not one to sit idly by.
“Aurora, what are you doing! Ah!!!” Suddenly, Genevieve screamed loudly, followed by the sound of a porcelain plate hitting the ground.
Aurora turned to see Genevieve’s palm slashed open, bright red blood streaming down her hand.
“What happened?” Magnus and Paul hurried over.
Timing her move perfectly, Genevieve tossed the fruit knife at Aurora’s feet.
“I barely said a few words, and she-she cut my hand with this fruit knife,” Genevieve sobbed, running towards Magnus, tears streaming down her face.
It was the same old trick, used over and over again. As a child, she had been coerced by them into being disliked by Magnus.
Now, seeing Magnus’s growing concern for her, Genevieve decided to take a risky move. Aurora’s lips curled into a cold smile.
“Aurora, how could you be so harsh on her?” Magnus, seeing the glaring blood, panicked, his judgment clouded.
“This time it’s a hand, what about next time? Aurora, I thought you would change, but you are still so stubborn…”
“Are you done acting?” Aurora stood still, not moving an inch.
Her question, “Are you done acting?” stopped Genevieve in her tracks. After a pause, she retorted, “What? It was clearly you, you lashed out in embarrassment and stabbed me.”
Aurora was no longer the easy target of her youth, no longer letting them twist the truth. She calmly asked, “Where exactly did I stab you?”
“I was standing over there when you stabbed me, causing me to drop and break the plates,” Genevieve said, trying to look pitiful, which to Aurora, seemed utterly shameless.
Was this the trick that had ensnared Magnus? It seemed it was time for Aurora to sort things out.
“If I stabbed you over there, then how did this knife end up at the doorstep?” Aurora asked calmly.
This made Magnus suspicious too; the blood-stained knife was over two meters away from where Genevieve had run to.
“You stabbed me, and in a panic, walked to the door before realizing you were still holding the knife, and then you dropped it,” Genevieve quickly explained.
“Really? Because I don’t remember feeling panicked at all,” Aurora said, her expression unchanging from the calm demeanor she had since Magnus entered the room. Claiming she was panicked seemed far-fetched.
Her emotions wouldn’t shift so swiftly and without a trace, and Magnus’s frown deepened.
Aurora continued, “If I had walked from there to here with the knife, given how much you bled, there would have been drops of blood on the ground.
But the blood was mostly near where you were standing, and the only way this knife could end up here is if it was thrown from your side quickly, which would explain why there’s so much blood around it.”
“Are you suggesting I stabbed myself and then threw the knife by your feet? Am I mad or stupid?” Genevieve challenged.
She had forgotten that Aurora was no longer the naive girl of the past.
Aurora’s lips turned up in a slight, cold smile: “Dad, I don’t want to explain anything. I didn’t do it, and that’s that. I don’t know what she hoped to gain by setting up this self-harm scheme.
We just need to send this dagger for fingerprint analysis to find out the truth. I never touched this knife from start to finish.”