Aurora had just seen off two visitors and was in high spirits, waiting for Julian to pick her up. However, instead of Julian’s car, a black luxury vehicle pulled up in front of her.
“Miss Montgomery, Mr. Alvarez would like to see you. Please come with us,” a few black-clad bodyguards descended from the car.
“Do I have to go just because he wants to see me?”
Aurora recognized one of them as Joaquin’s secretary.
“Miss Montgomery, unfortunately, you don’t have much choice in the matter. I’m only responsible for bringing people over. If you don’t cooperate, don’t blame me for offending you,” the secretary said meticulously.
Aurora glanced around at the several people; they were clearly well-trained professionals, and her chances of escaping were virtually nil. ‘Well, it’s not like Joaquin is going to eat me, right?’ “Fine, I’ll come along,” Aurora said as she got into the car and quickly made a phone call to Julian. Upon hearing that she was being taken to the Alvarez family, Julian hurried towards their location.
Before Joaquin had even seen Aurora, he received Julian’s call, “I’m telling you, if you dare lay a finger on her, you and I are done!”
Hearing the roaring voice, Joaquin raised an eyebrow, “Don’t worry, she won’t die.”
It wasn’t long before Aurora was brought to the Alvarez family. It was her first visit to the Alvarez estate, which, unlike the quiet Montgomery family castle, was lively. The Alvarez family’s two sons still lived in the villa, so the place was bustling. As people age, they fear loneliness, and with the grandchildren wanting more shares from Joaquin, no one had left the villa.
The situation in the Alvarez family was different from that in the Montgomery family; Oswaldo had only one son, Magnus, so there was no competition. Joaquin had three sons, two of whom were mediocre, except for his eldest son’s child Hayden, who was quite exceptional. Although Julian, his youngest, was Joaquin’s primary concern, fortunately, he had left the Alvarez family, and the other two sons had no intention of leaving. The villa’s assets were substantial, and for their own interests, everyone was fiercely competitive.
Upon her arrival, Aurora noticed Hayden’s mother, Mary, watching TV in the living room. She had met her before. However, knowing Aurora’s awkward position within the Montgomery family, Mary wasn’t optimistic about her relationship with Hayden and considered their romance to be trivial.
Mary’s reception of Aurora was lukewarm at best, in stark contrast to her enthusiastic greeting of Susan later on. Seeing Aurora enter, Mary, who had previously disliked her and now despised her for disrupting the relationship between Susan and Hayden, greeted her coldly, “What are you doing here?”
Aurora sensed her hostility, recalling times when she was with Hayden; she would always carefully please Mary. When Hayden was present, Mary was somewhat warmer to her, but in his absence, she was as cold as she was now. Back then, Aurora had treated her like royalty, careful not to anger her future mother-in-law. She liked Hayden and, by extension, wanted to like Mary as well, despite Mary’s many difficulties, almost as if they had been enemies in a past life.
Now, she was no longer the submissive girl of before. Facing Mary’s cold demeanor, she simply said dismissively, “You think I wanted to come? In this lifetime, I want nothing to do with the Alvarez family.”
This was the first time Aurora and Mary had met alone since her return, and Mary realized that she was no longer the timid girl she once knew. While her face was still as delicate as ever, her presence had grown much stronger, and she no longer treated Mary with the same caution. It was as if someone who had once been shorter than you had suddenly grown taller, and it caused a great disparity in Mary’s heart.
“You don’t want to have anything to do with our Alvarez family? Standing there without feeling the pain, who was it that clung to my son like a plaster before? I warn you, Hayden is now very close to Susan, and they are officially married. If you still have any schemes, I advise you to give up on that thought! Otherwise, I will be the first to not let you off!”
Facing the overbearing Mary, Aurora just sneered with contempt: “Rest assured, I will have nothing to do with your precious son in this lifetime. Just keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn’t come looking for me. I am engaged to be married myself.”
As she spoke, Aurora flashed the ring on her hand, the exquisite ring making her eyes slightly uncomfortable.
“By the way, Mary, we should be sisters-in-law now, shouldn’t we?”
Aurora’s ability to provoke was top-notch.
“Miss Montgomery, the master is waiting for you in the study, don’t keep him waiting,” the secretary urged.
“It’s not that I won’t go, but my way is blocked,” Aurora retorted coldly. The secretary stepped forward, “Madam, Miss Montgomery is a guest invited by the master, please step aside.”
Although Mary was displeased, she dared not defy Joaquin and hurriedly cleared the path, remembering yesterday’s incident at the wedding and Joaquin calling Aurora today.
A sense of unease rose in Mary’s heart; originally, Joaquin had promised that once Hayden married, he would transfer the shares to him. However, with the incident involving Susan, Joaquin was displeased, and the matter of the shares was not mentioned.
Now, at this critical moment, Aurora’s appearance spelled trouble. Could it be that Joaquin planned not only to divide the shares with Julian but also to extend his favoritism to Aurora as well? Once the two ascended to the study, Mary quickly called Hayden, urging him to come with Susan; if shares were to be divided, Susan also needed a portion.
Aurora ascended the stairs slowly; the Alvarez family’s decor was dark and somber, every detail reflecting the master’s conservative taste.
“Miss Montgomery, the master is inside. I won’t go in,” said the secretary as he led her to the door. Aurora knocked on the door, and hearing a “Come in!”
she pushed the door open. The study was fragrant, Joaquin, holding a cigar, reclined in a leather chair, “You’ve come.”
He sized up Aurora from head to toe. In terms of looks, figure, and demeanor, Aurora was indeed not inferior to Lindsay Gilpin; his son’s taste could be trusted. Setting aside his grudge against Oswaldo, just considering Aurora as a woman, he saw no reason to dislike her. It was just because Lindsay Gilpin was the woman he had chosen for Julian, and Julian’s defiance over Aurora was the only reason he disliked her, the woman who had come between him and his son.
“Mr. Alvarez, I don’t know why you’ve asked me here?”
Aurora stood upright, unfazed by Joaquin’s anger. Except for Julian, everyone in the Alvarez family feared Joaquin, but this young woman seemed unafraid, which was interesting.
“What do you think I called you here for?”
Joaquin countered.
“Mr. Alvarez, if you’re thinking of playing some old trick where you offer me five million dollars to leave your son, I’d advise you to save your breath.”
Aurora thought of the TV dramas where parents offer a check to a woman to persuade her to leave their son.
“You silly girl, I plan to give you something; come here,” Joaquin was not very angry.
“Hmm?”
Aurora was unsure of his intentions, half-expecting some dire action. She walked slowly to Joaquin, who then handed her a delicate box, his voice softer, “Open it and see.”