LOGINAurora had always believed in returning kindness with kindness.“Then I'm the same, Miss Aurora. I've never forgotten the kindness you've shown me either.”The two of them continued trying to give credit to each other.Finally, Lucas chuckled.“Alright, alright. You two can stop trying to outdo each other. I know you both care about each other. And honestly, that's enough.“Some things don't need to be said over and over. They can be shown through actions.”He gently patted Aurora's hand.“Don't get so caught up keeping score. Sometimes gratitude is best expressed by simply being there for one another.”He looked at Aurora and smiled.“You too. You don't have to keep reminding Arnold how grateful you are. You've already shown it. I know both of you are constantly thinking about the other person.“But at the end of the day, actions matter more than words.”Aurora nodded immediately.“You’re right. Sometimes I overthink these things.”She turned to Arnold apologetically.“Arnold, I'm sor
But now that Arnold was here, Lucas found that he rather liked the arrangement.After all, it was nice having someone else in the house who always seemed to be on his side.And everything Arnold said happened to be the truth.Naturally, Lucas found that very satisfying.“Arnold, come sit with us. Let's eat together.“We’re family. There's no need to stand on ceremony.”The invitation came so naturally that it sounded less like politeness and more like something one would say to a family member.Aurora's lips parted slightly.Her heart warmed at his words.“Lucas, why are you always so good to me?”“Isn't that how it's supposed to be?”Lucas reached over and gently tapped her forehead.“Silly, you're my wife. If I don't treat you well, who am I supposed to treat well?”Aurora nearly burst out laughing.“Alright, alright. Since when did you become so cheesy?”“Cheesy?”Lucas looked genuinely wronged.“I'm just telling the truth.”He looked ready to continue defending himself, but then he
Lucas smiled.“Because every dish on this table happens to be your favorite.”Normally, when the housekeeper came to cook, she took Aurora's pregnancy into account and prepared lighter, healthier meals.Whenever those dishes appeared on the table, Aurora would do her best not to complain, but Lucas could always see the reluctance in her eyes.Tonight was different.Her expression said everything.She looked genuinely happy.And every dish in front of her was something she loved.The truth was, Lucas knew Aurora wasn't particularly fond of the bland meals she'd been eating lately.He noticed it long ago.Of course, he thought about finding ways to make things more enjoyable for her.Still, when it came to the doctor's advice, neither of them was willing to take chances.Even if Lucas was willing to bend the rules occasionally, Aurora never would.Anything that benefited the baby, she followed to the letter.Because both of them wanted the same thing.They wanted their child to be health
At dinnertime, Arnold headed into the kitchen and prepared an entire table full of dishes.By the time everything was ready, Aurora had already followed the aroma out of her room.She took a deep breath and smiled.“Arnold, this is exactly how I remember it. I haven't had your cooking in ages.”“Then you'd better eat a little more tonight.”Arnold chuckled.He noticed the subtle way her nose twitched as she sniffed the air, and it filled him with quiet satisfaction.Clearly, she still loved his cooking.At least that meant his skills hadn't deteriorated with age.“Alright, alright.”Aurora immediately protested.“Just this once. Arnold, you have to take care of yourself.“Lucas and I can cook too, and we already have a housekeeper and cleaning staff who come by regularly.”It wasn't as though she and Lucas expected Arnold to handle every household chore.They already employed people to help with cooking and cleaning.The staff came and went on a schedule that rarely overlapped with the
Arnold felt deeply conflicted.“There's not much I can do about it.”Some matters were simply beyond the authority of a steward.And more importantly, he wasn't even part of the Walton family anymore.Even if he wanted to get involved, there was very little he could actually do.“But...”Lisa hesitated.“I can't shake the feeling that Derek must've been speaking badly about you. Otherwise, how could he have taken your position so easily?“Arnold, aren't you going to think about this a little more? Madam Grace clearly doesn't know what kind of person he really is.“If she did, she never would've kept him so close. I honestly think Miss Aurora should know about this too.“At the very least, someone should be able to stop whatever he's planning. What if he ends up influencing Madam Grace in all the wrong ways?”Those words only made Arnold's internal struggle worse.The problem was that he genuinely didn't know what the right thing to do was.Part of him wanted to stay out of it.After al
Then Arnold suddenly remembered something.When Lisa first called, she hadn't actually been talking about Aurora at all.“Now that I think about it, this is the part I've been struggling with.“I wasn't sure whether I should tell you. But something keeps telling me that you deserve to know.”That immediately caught Arnold's attention.“What happened?”“Arnold, do you remember Derek?”At the mention of that name, a cold look flashed through Arnold's eyes.“How could I forget him?”Even back when Arnold was still at the Walton estate, Derek had been eager to climb the ladder.Things were different now.If Arnold had to guess, Derek probably already secured the position he'd been chasing all these years.The thought brought a faint, knowing smile to Arnold's lips.Some things didn't need to be said aloud.Even if Lisa hadn't explained it yet, he could already see where this was going.“Arnold, Grace promoted him to steward.”Arnold let out a quiet snort.“He moved faster than I expected.
“Dad, of course I choose you.”Hearing that, Sean’s lips lifted into a faint smile.He had known things would eventually reach this point.It was within expectations.He should have understood long ago what kind of daughter he had.Besides, Tessa had no path back anymore.She could only choose him,
Yvonne’s chest rose and fell sharply with anger.If she could, she would have reached through the phone and demanded to know what exactly Aurora was thinking.Why couldn’t they just work together again?Wasn’t it clearly a win-win?But Aurora found her words almost laughable and shot back without he
"Tell me, why would I lie to you? We’ve known each other for so many years. Don’t you know exactly what kind of person I am?"Yvonne shook her head. "I used to see you clearly. But now, I don’t think I can anymore."Edwin didn’t understand what she meant."I have my own career now, and everything wi
“Yes, and when you think about it, Aurora is the one who suffered the most.”Every word Arnold spoke carried genuine pity for her.He knew better than anyone how deeply Grace had wronged Aurora over the years.If it had been anyone else, perhaps the debt wouldn’t have run so deep.But when it came t







