Chapter 177


    The three of them discussed briefly before agreeing to invite Sonya and her husband to dinner at The


    Waterfront that night.


    When Sonya and Elias arrived, Aubree’s family was already waiting in the private room. Aubree hung


    her head low, seemingly despondent, while her parents wore grim expressions.


    When they walked into the room, Aubree lifted her head and forced out a smile. “Hello, Mr. and Mrs.


    Farwell.”


    Her smile slipped soon after as though she was nursing a grievance.


    Sonya was puzzled. “Aubree, what’s the matter? Did someone bully you? Tell me about it.”


    Gina’s voice rang out. “She’s upset because of the rumors circting outside. People are using


    Aubree of being a gold-digger, so she’s been crying for the past few days.”


    Aubree immediately refuted, “No, I know Lucian doesn’t mean it. I’ve heard of the rumors, but I didn’t


    take them to heart…”


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    She trailed off as her eyes turned red.


    Gina shot her a resigned and worried look. “You’ve remained by Lucian’s side these few years, so we


    know your feelings. But the outsiders have no idea. If Lucian…”


    She paused and lowered her voice, “If Lucian loves you, he won’t allow you to suffer. He can ignore


    your plight, but I can’t! Listen to me. It’s time to break up with him.”


    Sonya and Elias heard their exchange clearly.


    Sonya’s brows snapped together as she demanded, “What’s going on? Is it about the rumor? I’ll deal


    with the rumor right away!”


    Gina let out a bitter chuckle and raised her head. “How are you going to handle the matter? Everyone


    in Horinglon knows about it. They im that Aubree and Lucian’s engagement is only Aubree’s wishful


    thinking. Lucian doesn’t have any intention of marrying her. They also im that our family depended


    on your family to climb up the ranks. Now that Lucian has a new lover, and their engagemeni hasn’t


    been announced, they are saying that Aubree is holding Lucian back.”


    “That’s utter nonsense!” Sonya’s face darkened.


    Gina’s lips twitched. “They’re right. For the past few years, it was Aubree who remained by Lucian’s


    side. We’re the only ones who know about the engagement. We’ve received a lot from Lucian. As he


    isn’t interested in Aubree, we shouldn’t hold him back.”


    She shot her daughter a distressed look. “Aubree still… Well, I’ve advised her for a couple of days, but


    she couldn’t bring herself to break up with him. As her mother, it breaks my heart to see people


    gossiping about her. It’s better to just get the pain over with, rather than prolong the agony. I’ll decide


    on behalf of her today to break cif their engagement.”


    Aubree hung her head low and trembled slightly.


    No one could see her expression, but it was pretty obvious that she was devastated.


    Sonya had no idea they would suddenly ask to break off the engagement. Her expression changed


    drastically as she dered, “Impossible! Lucian and Aubree have been engaged for years. How could


    we call off the engagement just like that?”


    “This is the only way to quell the rumors,” Gina exined bitterly. “Don’t worry. I’ll tell Aubree to forget


    him so she could find her own happiness.”


    Silence ensued. A momentter, Sonya said icily, “There’s another solution.”


    Before Gina could say anything, Sonya took her bag and rose to her feet. “Aubree is the only daughter-


    inw I’ll acknowledge. Don’t worry. I’ll handle the matter personally!”


    With that said, she spun on her heels and strode away without looking back.