Chapter <b>488 </b>


    Even with all that capability, Aurora stillcked warmth.


    That was why Grace found herself more drawn to Tessa than to Aurora.


    But Arnold didn’t know any of this.


    To him, it only made sense to favor whichever child was more well behaved.


    That was what any reasonable person would do, especially when Aurora not only earned more but also genuinely cared about the family.


    Why, then, choose Tessa over her?


    Arnold let out a quiet sigh. There wasn’t anything he could say to Grace.


    It wasn’t his ce. Servants and masters lived in separate worlds, after all.


    And if he spoke too much, who knew–he might not even keep his job.


    At the end of the day, people looked out for themselves.


    Meanwhile, after leaving the house, Tessa headed straight for the Vi Julian had once told her about–a discreet hideaway on the outskirts.


    Back then, he’d described it as their little secret spot.


    She expected him to be there.


    But the fingerprint lock didn’t work.


    After several failed attempts and repeated error messages, her expression darkened.


    What the hell was Jin doing?


    Didn’t he say this ce was their shared retreat?


    And now, he changed the code?


    Well done. Truly.


    Tessa took a deep breath and called him on video.


    At that moment, Julian was out shopping, picking up a few essentials for Lily.


    The weather was getting colder, and he figured it was time to stock up on some necessities for her.


    When he saw Tessa’s name sh across the screen, his first instinct was to ignore it.


    But then a thought crossed his mind–what if she’de around and finally agreed to marry him?


    <i>So</i>, he answered.


    But the moment Julian saw where Tessa was, his eyes widened, and a flicker of tension shot through him.


    “Where are you, Tessa?” he asked sharply.


    Tessa hadn’t even gotten to confront him yet when his usatory tone set her off.


    “Where else would I be? I’m at your vi,” she snapped. “I should be the one asking questions—what’s with the password? And now you’re flipping it on me?”


    The mention of the password made Julian breathe a little easier.


    Good thing he’d had the foresight to change it.


    He’d remembered she had ess and didn’t want to take any chances, so he switched it just in case.


    Did she really think he was as careless as those pathetic cheaters online–just sitting around waiting for their wives to catch them red–handed with zero precaution?


    He’d even gone so far as to lock Lily in the innermost room, the one soundproofed enough that no one outside could hear <i>a </i>thing, and she wouldn’t know what was happening beyond the door.


    That setup had been designed specifically for her to prevent her from escaping.


    Julian had thought through all of it well in advance.


    No way he’d let something so amateur slip through.


    Besides, he wasn’t done with Lily yet.


    She was still fun, especially when she couldn’t even remember who she was.


    She was the perfect toy.


    “Don’t get upset, Tessa,” Julian said smoothly. “I haven’t been staying there for a while. I let a friend use the ce. “Why would you do that?” Tessa narrowed her eyes, something about it not sitting right.


    Julian chuckled and exined, “He asked, and I figured since it was sitting empty anyway<b>, </b>might as well do him a favor.”