Mag-log inMore often than not, all she could do was keep her head down and endure.Now that Arnold had left, the household naturally answered to the new head butler.There was no helping it. Derek was smooth-talking and persuasive, and there was no way she could compete with him.Even though Lisa understood all of this, there was nothing she could do to change it now.The regret sat heavily in her chest, but there was no point voicing it anymore.Just as Lisa stood up and prepared to head out, her phone suddenly lit up with a call from Arnold.Her heart skipped a beat, and the hand holding the phone began to tremble.Why was Arnold calling her all of a sudden?And Derek was about to hold a meeting at this exact moment. The timing couldn't have been worse.Panic crept into Lisa's mind.But she quickly forced herself to calm down. This was not the time to lose her composure.She took a deep breath, declined the call, and quickly sent Arnold a message.[Derek is about to start a meeting. I don't h
Arnold hadn't thought this far ahead before.After all, Aurora was already pregnant.By bringing up all of these matters now, wasn't he simply giving her more things to worry about?The thought filled him with regret.Still, there was no use dwelling on it.When people made mistakes, they had to find a way to make amends.Whatever happened next, he would do his best to make up for his own poor judgment.With that thought in mind, he picked up his phone and called Lisa.Meanwhile, Lisa was feeling uneasy ever since their earlier conversation.The more she thought about it, the more impulsive she felt.After all, Arnold no longer worked for the Walton family.She did.Whatever happened in the future, Arnold wouldn't be there to see it.But the newly appointed steward certainly would.And if Derek decided to make things difficult for her, she would have no way to avoid it.The realization made her increasingly anxious.Perhaps she really should think three times before acting.She spent s
Lucas had no intention of taking every problem onto his own shoulders.He had always understood that he and Aurora were two separate people.Any decision that affected both of them deserved a conversation, not a unilateral choice.If he simply acted on his own without considering her thoughts, Lucas felt he would be failing her.After all, Aurora was already carrying enough.Pregnancy wasn't easy.The last thing he wanted was for her to keep sacrificing more of herself for his sake.How could he not feel protective of her?As a husband, he believed it was his responsibility to consider her feelings, not ignore them.Aurora looked at him in surprise.“Do you really mean that?”Lucas let out a helpless laugh.“Why would I lie to you about something like that? Besides, if I call myself your husband, then I should be thinking about your feelings, not making every decision on my own. If I did that, I'd feel like I was being pretty unfair to you.”A warmth spread through Aurora's chest.“Alr
Even so, Grace was still the woman who gave birth to her and raised her.She might not have fulfilled the role of a mother the way Aurora had hoped, but the bond between them was real.That blood tie existed whether Aurora acknowledged it or not.In theory, it was supposed to be one of the closest relationships in the world.And no matter how hurt she felt, she couldn't simply erase that fact.Sometimes she wished things were different.But reality remained reality.And that left her feeling helpless more often than she cared to admit.“There's just so much happening right now.”Aurora let out a weary sigh.“Even I feel completely overwhelmed.”She leaned back against the sofa.“Lucas, I honestly don't know what I'm supposed to do anymore. All I want is a quiet life. But somehow, one problem after another keeps finding its way to me.”She lowered a hand to her stomach.“And now that I'm getting further along in my pregnancy, there are so many things I just don't have the energy to deal
Only then did Arnold realize that, little by little, he began wanting to become more involved in Aurora's life.But the truth was, those things were never his place to say.He had simply been imposing his own hopes onto Aurora.And the relationship between Aurora and Grace was not something an outsider had any right to judge.He rubbed at the corners of his eyes and let out a quiet sigh.“Miss Aurora, I understand what you're trying to say. Please don't carry any burden because of what I've said. Those were only my personal thoughts.“At the end of the day, I just want you to live in the way that makes you happiest.”Aurora couldn't help laughing.She genuinely had never blamed him.“Alright, I understand what you're trying to say. Now you should get some rest.“Otherwise, the two of us are going to keep going around in circles all night.”She meant every word.Even during dinner, she had noticed that Arnold was distracted.Something had clearly been weighing on his mind.But now that
“Miss Aurora, you should just focus on living your own life. You don't need to take everything I say to heart. To be honest, I've realized that maybe I'm not as capable as I once thought.“Maybe I was never suited for the responsibility of being a steward in the first place.”He let out a self-deprecating laugh.“No, perhaps I'd be better off retiring somewhere quiet. I think staying here will only become a burden to you.”For the first time, Arnold genuinely felt like he was weighing Aurora down.Everything Aurora did had its own reasoning behind it.Yet he had repeatedly inserted himself into matters that were hers to decide.Worse still, he had silently judged some of those decisions.The more he thought about it, the more guilty he felt.“I'm sorry, Miss Aurora. I think I've been meddling far too much. I honestly believed I was helping. But now it feels like I've only caused you trouble. And maybe I've been a little too self-righteous.”Aurora froze.That was the last thing she had
“Those were your words?”“Of course they were.” Aurora lifted her chin with a hint of pride. “I’m just grateful we didn’t miss each other.”“And I’m grateful I get to have you.”Hearing that, Lucas felt something shift deeply inside him.He hadn’t expected Aurora’s attitude toward him to change this
“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







