Everyone harbored doubts about the woman who seemed both strange and familiar. Was she truly Aurora’s mother? If she was, why deny everything? If not, why did she bear such a striking resemblance to Aurora’s mother, especially since they were not twin sisters?
This was probably the most bizarre event of the year. Aurora clung to her hand, refusing to let go. Tina, not wanting to hurt her, allowed her to hold on.
“My hotel is right here, Miss Montgomery. There’s no need to see me off; your grandfather must have other matters to attend to.”
Her words carried a tone of refusal. However, Aurora turned to Oswaldo and asked, “Grandpa, do you need me for anything?”
“Child, go ahead and do what you wish. We’ll take care of the guests here,” Oswaldo knew exactly what was on Aurora’s mind.
With no other choice, Tina left first, while Aurora continued to hold onto her.
Julian did not stop Aurora. At this moment, anything he said or did would be futile. He turned to look at Zachary, who was lying on the ground.
“Take him to the police station.”
Julian would not let go of anyone who tried to harm Aurora.
Zachary had attempted to assassinate Aurora in broad daylight. Even though it was an attempt, he deserved to suffer the consequences.
As for Ivy, who had plotted against Aurora again, Julian would not let her off either. There were both overt and covert ways to deal with her.
Upon hearing that Zachary was to be taken to the police station, Genevieve’s face instantly changed.
“Mr. Barnet, Zach just acted impulsively, and besides, Aurora wasn’t harmed. Please, show some mercy and let him go.”
“An impulse? No harm done? You really are a viper. Do you realize how dangerous the situation was? What do you think would have happened to Aurora if he had succeeded? Take him away,” Julian scoffed coldly.
In Genevieve’s eyes, only her children’s lives mattered; others’ lives did not count. It was okay to harm anyone else, just not her own children. She was truly calculating.
“Mom, help me, I don’t want to go to the police station!”
Zachary panicked only now.
However, the security team escorted Genevieve out while taking Zachary away. Genevieve and Ivy were as desolate as leaves swept away by the autumn wind.
Ivy sat on the hotel steps, seemingly still unable to grasp what had happened.
Genevieve was in disarray, her face as pale as snow from a recent cold, and the wounds from falling down the stairs still ached.
Even so, she struggled to approach Ivy, intending to help her up from the stairs.
“Ivy, let’s go home.”
“Home?”
Ivy’s eyes flickered as if realizing something. She suddenly leaped up and pushed Genevieve away.
Genevieve lost her balance and fell to the ground.
“Where do we have a home? You’ve destroyed my home. Overnight, I’ve become a person with nothing!”
Ivy was struggling to accept this reality.
“Ivy, the life of luxury we had for the past twenty years was stolen for you. You were never meant to have it; we’ve merely returned to the starting point,” Genevieve tried to convince her, knowing the psychological toll it took on her.
But how could such a psychological disparity be easily accepted? It has always been easy to transition from frugality to luxury, but the reverse is painfully difficult.
“If you couldn’t provide a life of wealth, why did you give birth to me? I only just found out my mother was a prostitute. You are filthy! Now my brother has been taken to the police station too. Why must we be so unlucky?”
Ivy was deeply traumatized.
“I’m sorry, Ivy. It’s my fault for not protecting you. Can you please not blame me?”
Genevieve struggled to her feet from the ground.
“Come home with me. Although we no longer have a villa, your father has left us a luxurious apartment. Look at yourself, how disheveled you are. Let’s go home and freshen up, then we can figure out how to rescue your brother. As long as we are together as a family, we can make money again. Let’s go back.”
She reached out to pull Ivy.
Ivy jerked her hand away.
“Make money again? With what will you earn it? I hate you, I don’t want to be with a whore, you disgust me.”
After saying that, Ivy ran away, and her words pierced Genevieve’s heart like sharp spikes. Though the wounds were invisible, the pain was as tangible as blood gushing and flesh being torn apart.
Genevieve felt that she might have wronged many people in her life, but she had done nothing to deserve the scorn of Ivy and Zachary. Everything she had ever done was for the future of her children. She wanted them to live privileged lives from birth to death, unlike her own upbringing in poverty. She had gambled with a lie to secure a splendid future for her children, but the high-life lasted only twenty years before they were stripped of their luxuries and returned to their original state.
She had lost her lover, her children, and was once again left with nothing. Genevieve sat blankly on the staircase for a long time. Occasionally, elegant music seeped through the door, the lively inside contrasting starkly with the quiet outside.
She stumbled to her feet and glanced inside one last time. In the opulent hall, men and women in formal attire danced just as she had seen many years ago when she was just a teenager, secretly watching from outside the hotel. Back then, she hadn’t even entered when she was driven away, left to imitate the dance of the debutantes outside.
That day, she swore no matter the cost, she would one day enter that place and become one of them. The twenty years she spent as a wealthy socialite seemed like a mere dream. She took one last look and turned away, limping.
However, she saw Tina leading Aurora out, looking dignified and elegant, followed by several black-clad bodyguards, her status clearly esteemed. Whether twenty years ago or today, Tina seemed to be the insurmountable figure Genevieve could never surpass. Genevieve had thought she had won, but now she realized just how tragically she had lost.
Her disheveled appearance contrasted sharply with the radiant duo, who she thought would mock her. Yet, they passed by as if they had never seen her, ignoring her completely. This indifference, not even sparing her a glance, was the ultimate insult. She considered them rivals, but in their eyes, she was nothing, just like a pebble on the roadside.
A surge of resentment welled up in Genevieve’s eyes, but no matter how bitter she felt, it changed nothing.