Tina stood behind Magnus, unseen by Aurora, who was in the center of the room, recounting the past:
“I once had a happy family.”
“My mother was the gentlest woman in the world, and my father loved us dearly. But all that was destroyed by this woman. Born into poverty and dissatisfied with her lot, she willingly became a prostitute. She refused to lead a life of deprivation and sought a wealthy patron among her clients. By chance, she met my Uncle Paul, who financially supported her, yet she remained discontent. Eventually, she set her sights on my father, a man of integrity who never strayed.”
“Captivated by my father’s character and family background, she used her connection with Uncle Paul to get close to my dad and plied him with drinks. The next morning, she claimed they had slept together, and a month later, she told my father she was pregnant. My kind-hearted father, torn and indecisive, inadvertently facilitated her calculated plans. She deceived my father, claiming to be pregnant with his twins, and gradually destroyed my parents’ relationship.”
“My mother, ever kind and not one to fight, simply kept to herself, protecting me. Over time, this woman pushed further, aiming to get my mother to divorce. She frequently provoked my mother until she tragically died from a heart attack. Soon after my mother passed, she moved into our home with her so-called siblings.
Their arrival marked the beginning of my nightmare; I never knew such small children could be so demonic.”
Aurora said this with a self-deprecating laugh, remembering when Magnus first brought them home, telling her they were her new siblings and she had to take care of them. Though unhappy, Aurora always appeared as the obedient child in her father’s eyes and was determined to look after them. Her kindness was met with malice from Ivy and Zachary.
“What did they do to you?”
The captivated audience asked eagerly.
Aurora continued, “Instigated by Genevieve, they sought to drive me out so that they could inherit the entire Montgomery family fortune without having to share it with me.”
“My brother would stab my hand with a compass and then accuse me of hurting him, resulting in punishments where I was not allowed to eat. He often placed spiders and bugs in my backpack, scaring me half to death whenever I opened it.”
“They would also deliberately break my father’s prized collectibles and blame me, all to make my father think I was a bad child, thereby alienating and turning him against me. My entire childhood was spent under their threats and schemes, and every day my greatest fear was going home.
I never knew what torment awaited me at home, and I lived each day in trembling fear. Over three years ago, on the year I turned eighteen, according to the Montgomery family rules, I was to receive 20% of the shares, but they concocted a trap for me.”
“What kind of trap?”
The audience asked, hardly blinking, some unable to believe such cruelty from children, tears glistening in the eyes of a few adults.
“They tampered with my drink and brought thugs to try and rape me, hoping to capture scandalous photos to ruin my reputation and deny me my shares. Thankfully, Julian saved me that night, sparing me from disaster. That was when I realized I could no longer stay with the Montgomery family; otherwise, Genevieve would eventually kill me. Throughout my life, I can’t count how many times I nearly got hit by a car bursting out.”
There was no evidence, and I could have dismissed it all as coincidence. I thought moving to the United States would calm her down, but I was too naive. Over three years, she withheld all the living expenses the Montgomery family had allocated to me. Alone in a foreign country, I had no money for food. You can imagine what kind of life I led,” Aurora said, her voice trembling.
“Aurora, why didn’t you tell Grandpa?”
Oswaldo asked, tears filling his eyes.
“Grandpa, I had no proof back then. Even if I had said something, perhaps Dad wouldn’t have believed me. In his eyes, I was always the troublemaker, and I didn’t tell you because even if you had helped me, it would have only been enough to get by temporarily. At most, you would have scolded her, but she would have shamelessly continued to live with the Montgomery family and kept hiring assassins to kill me. My first year in America was spent in utter destitution, but thankfully, that’s all in the past now.
“After returning to Clothville, I accidentally discovered her affair with Paul from those years ago; these two children aren’t even Dad’s. She’s a complete fraud-nothing happened between her and Dad that drunk night long ago, yet she has deceived him for over twenty years,” Aurora revealed the truth, leaving everyone speechless, shocked at the depth of the woman’s deceit.
People mostly felt sympathy for Magnus, whose indecisive nature had allowed Genevieve to deceive him for so many years. Not only had he been cuckolded, but he had also unwittingly raised another man’s children for twenty-one years, a truly tragic fate.
Tina only now learned the truth of those years, shocked that Genevieve was even more malicious than she had imagined, and what she had done to Aurora after her departure.
“You’re spouting nonsense, these are just lies you’ve concocted to blacken our name and drive us out of the Montgomery family. Don’t believe her!”
Ivy exclaimed, unable to tolerate Aurora’s accusations any longer.
“Yes, I’ve dreamed of driving you out of the Montgomery family. You’ve been squatting here for years; it’s time for you to leave. And as for proof, don’t worry, I’ll provide it right now,” Aurora retorted, pulling out her phone to play a recording: “Don’t think that just because you’ve been away and come back, anything will change. Aurora, I could kill your mother and kick you out then, and I can do the same now. If you can behave and leave quietly, I’ll give you some money to go far away-just promise never to return.”
This recording, made on the day of Aurora’s return, featured Genevieve’s voice, admitting to the murder of Aurora’s mother and threatening to drive Aurora out of the Montgomery family.
“Genevieve, how could you be so cruel!”
Magnus exclaimed, slapping her across the face, overwhelmed by the realization of being deceived for so long.
“Since we’re talking about evidence, I have another recording for you all to hear, so you can see what this mother and daughter are like when they think no one is listening,” Julian added, playing another recording.
“Mom, that Aurora is a slut, you have no idea how many men she has around her. I could never do the things she does.”
“If you’re really that capable, why don’t you hook Julian for me? If you secure him, what are Montgomery family’s shares to us? His fortune is much bigger than what the Montgomery family owns.”
“Mom, are you suggesting I steal Aurora’s boyfriend?”
“They’re not married, so it’s not illegal, and even if they were, it wouldn’t matter. You think I got your father by playing fair? Do I need to teach you how to do it?”
“Slut, even stealing your sister’s boyfriend!”
Overwhelmed, Oswaldo couldn’t stand it any longer. He picked up his cane and struck Ivy, furious at the cruel and vicious deeds they had committed against Aurora.