Grace fell silent..
She hadn’t, in fact, asked Tessa how she felt about it.
Her concern had been whether Aurora would be willing to ept it, assuming that naturally, that Tessa would jump at the
opportunity.
In her mind, this was a rare chance, a golden opportunity to get Tessa involved in thepany.
Why wouldn’t she take it?
But now, hearing Auroray it out so inly<b>, </b>doubt began to creep in.
Had she gone about this the wrong way?
Noticing her mother’s moment of reflection, Aurora stood up.
“Mom, judging by your reaction, I’m guessing you haven’t talked to her yet,” she <b>said </b>gently.
“So, my suggestion? Start by talking to her first. As for me, I don’t have a problem with it. If she’s willing to join, she’s more than
wee.”
Grace’s expression softened, her lips curving into a smile. “Rora, you’ve really grown up.”
Aurora returned the smile, but with quiet grace. “It’s not about growing up–it’s about knowing when to ease your burden.
You’ve carried a lot on your shoulders for a long time.”
“Take your time thinking it through. I’ll leave you to it,” she said, then turned and made her way toward the door.
Grace didn’t stop her.
She sat there, reying Aurora’s words in her head.
She couldn’t deny it that her daughter had made a fair point.
Forcing Tessa into a role she hadn’t agreed to could easily backfire.
And if both daughters ended up resenting the situation, she’d be the one stuck in the middle.
Better to take a step back and reconsider,
Maybe it was time to have a real conversation with Tessa.
Meanwhile, as soon as Aurora stepped out of the office, herposed expression dropped.
Everything <b>she’d </b>said inside had been <b>a </b><b>calcted </b>performance.
Chrobu 207
She’d bet anything Tessa would never be satisfied ying second to her.
That woman’s ambition was far too obvious now, no matter how sweetly she pretended otherwise.
What worried her wasn’t Tessa’s desire, but herck of real capability to match it.
But Aurora was confident that Tessa wouldn’t take the offer.
Working under her? That would be unbearable. It <b>would </b>feel like a public defeat.
She curled her lips into a slight smile. “Tessa, if you have any real pride left, don’t take the bait. That way, maybe I’ll still respect
you just a little.”
As expected, when Grace brought up the idea to Tessa, her reaction was immediate and firm.
“Mom, you’re joking… right?”
But one look at Grace’s serious expression, and she knew–this was no joke.
Grace didn’t bother with subtlety. “So that’s <b>a </b>no, then?”
<b>Tessa </b>nearly screamed. Of course it was a no.
She didn’t see herself <b>as </b>any less capable than Aurora.
If anything, she med <b>her </bck of involvement in thepany on her health, not her skill.
In her mind, she had just as much potential–she’d simply been sidelined.
How could she possibly stand working beneath <b>Aurora</b>? Taking orders from her? Never.
But she wasn’t stupid. She knew better than to argue directly.
Instead, she took a softer approach. “It’s not that, Mom.”
“I’m just thinking… since Aurora’s identity has already been made public, if I were to suddenly join thepany under her<b>, </b>
people might start talking.
“You know how the rumor mill works. One or twoments are easy to ignore, but dozens? How could we silence all of them<b>?</b>”
Grace looked <b>at </b>her eldest daughter<b>, </b>so considerate, so seemingly measured, and felt reassured by her maturity.