Chapter 7
Chapter 7
Aurelia waited for ten minutes, but Curtis had not returned the money. She knew that Curtis would not repay the money. Within ten minutes, she had gathered various records of the money she had transferred to Curtis over the years, as well as screenshots of chat records where Curtis had repeatedly promised to pay her back in the future. The evidence I have is sufficient to press charges in court. I should go to the police station to report being deceived by a scumbag. Following that, she opened the WhatsApp messages from Luna and Gideon. Both scolded her for her disobedience, especially Gideon, who threatened to cancel her credit card. She recalled that Gideon had indeed given her such a card when she had just returned to the Leedon family. However, she had never used it before. The message from Melanie was quite straightforward. It flaunted the love between Gideon and Luna, subtly mocking her throughout the conversation. In her previous life, she would always feel upset whenever she faced Melanie’s flaunting. Fortunately, she had the opportunity to start over. From that point forward, she only acknowledged Phyllis as her adoptive mother. Her foster father passed away unexpectedly when she was three years old. Phyllis single-handedly raised her, along with her two older brothers and one younger brother, enduring hardship and bitterness. Just as she was about to put down her phone and go to sleep, another message popped up on WhatsApp. The message read: Auri, have you gotten used to living with the Leedon family recently? It was Xavier Shaw, her elder brother, who had doted on her since childhood. Her long eyelashes quivered slightly when she saw his message. She then replied: Xavier, I miss you. The next moment, Xavier called and said, “Auri, if you’re feeling homesick, then come back. Mom has been constantly talking about you these past few days.” “I miss her so much… I really miss Mom. I’m going home tomorrow.” “I’ll cook personally to welcome you.” “How have you been doing recently, Xavier? I remember you mentioned something about publishing a paper.” After a few seconds of silence, Xavier smiled and said, “Everything is going well on my end.” After hanging up the phone, Aurelia retrieved a photo of their family from the album. Teardrops hung on the long eyelashes as she looked at the family in the photograph. In her previous life, ever since the car accident left her paralyzed, she hadn’t seen them again. The occasional phone calls she received were only when Gideon and the others were in a good mood and allowed her to answer. Gideon
and the others turned away all who wished to visit her. Everyone believed she was well taken care of. After all, everyone was of the opinion that had she not pushed Luna away, she would never have ended up with a high-level amputation. Therefore, everyone thought that, as her biological mother, Luna would definitely take good care of Aurelia. After a while, Aurelia raised her hand to wipe away the tears and turned off her phone. I need to rest well. I can’t return home with swollen eyes tomorrow. At six in the morning, the alarm on the phone rang punctually. Aurelia was accustomed to rising early. After grooming herself, she descended the stairs. When she left the Quigley residence the day before, Matthew told her that he didn’t like having a permanent housekeeper at home. Usually, someone from the Quigley residence would show up to clean his mansion every day, and he rarely ate at home. Therefore, she went downstairs to the kitchen and checked the refrigerator. Fortunately, there were some vegetables inside. It seemed that someone from the Quigley residence would replenish and tidy up the refrigerator every day, as all sorts of vegetables and fruits were very fresh. Just as she spotted a bag of fresh pasta in the refrigerator, she set about making creamy chicken pasta. As soon as Matthew, dressed in his suit and leather shoes, descended the stairs, he was greeted by waves of tantalizing aromas that whetted his appetite. He was still not accustomed to his married status, so when he saw Aurelia in the kitchen, wearing an apron that failed to hide her slender waist and long legs, he was momentarily stunned. When Aurelia emerged carrying the pasta and saw Matthew, she also felt somewhat uneasy. She politely asked, “Would you like to have breakfast, Mr. Quigley? I’ve made creamy chicken pasta.” The creamy chicken pasta was enhanced with the addition of shiitake mushrooms and vegetables. She was particularly fond of having pasta for breakfast. “Thank you, but I’m not accustomed to having breakfast in the morning.” Matthew declined outright. As he was about to push the door open and leave, he laid down a black card. “Use this card for your daily expenses and household needs.” Aurelia glanced at the black card on the table and picked it up. I can earn my own money, so I don’t need this card. However, rejecting his card will undoubtedly arouse his suspicions. It’s better to accept it for now and wait until the day the agreement expires to return it. At Quigley Group, as soon as Matthew sat down, Gordon, following his usual routine, brought Matthew a cup of coffee. The aroma of coffee wafted over, and Matthew picked it up and took a sip. As the liquid slid down his throat and settled
in his stomach, Matthew suddenly remembered the steaming bowl of creamy chicken pasta Aurelia had served him that morning. Gordon was reporting that day’s itinerary on the side. They were to go on a business trip to Lofbury two hours later. “Go to the restaurant across the street and bring back a takeout order of creamy chicken pasta,” Matthew ordered. Upon hearing instructions unrelated to work, Gordon thought he had misheard. “Creamy chicken pasta?” he asked. Boss doesn’t like eating in the morning, right? “That’s right.” At this point, Gordon was certain he hadn’t misheard. With a puzzled expression, wondering why Matthew suddenly wanted creamy chicken pasta, he went out to find someone to buy it from. Half an hour later, a bowl of steaming creamy chicken pasta was placed in front of Matthew. Matthew took a bite. The rich flavor of pasta exploded in his mouth, and a wave of nausea surged up from his stomach. Creamy chicken pasta shouldn’t be this rich. Matthew put down his fork. Gordon was puzzled. “Mr. Quigley, is the pasta too hot?” “Take it away.” “Oh! Yes.” As Gordon carried out the pasta, his mind was filled with question marks. Have I lost a great deal of brain cells from the elevator scare I experienced yesterday, to the point that I can’t seem to understand what’s on Boss’ mind today? However, the aroma of the creamy chicken pasta is truly enticing. Upon returning from the business trip, I must go and eat it! After leaving Starry Sea Mansion in the morning, Aurelia first went to see a lawyer. After that, she went to the police station to report the incident. Around noon, she hailed a taxi to return to the Jenkins residence. Three years ago, her younger brother, Herbert Shaw, arrived in Jacaster, having achieved the highest score in the county’s middle school examination. Consequently, the entire family also moved there. On the car ride, she kept receiving Curtis’ phone calls. After glancing at her phone, Aurelia set Curtis’ phone calls to do not disturb. Meanwhile, within the office building where Leedon Group was located, two police officers watched Curtis, who was incessantly making phone calls, with expressionless faces. His coworkers were all pointing and gesturing toward Curtis, engaging in heated discussions about what was going on. Curtis made many calls, but Aurelia didn’t even answer any of them. “Listen to me. This is a misunderstanding. Aurelia and I are boyfriend and girlfriend. I couldn’t possibly defraud her. We had a fight. That’s why she falsely reported a case,” Curtis calmly explained to the police. “Please come with us for a while. We need to take your statement,” said the police officer. Curtis glanced at the time, realizing it was almost theExclusive content © by Nô(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.
hour he had arranged to meet with Melanie. Ever since he discovered the relationship between Aurelia and Melanie, he dared to hope for a closer connection with Melanie. She was his first crush he had cherished in his heart since his university days. His feelings for Aurelia, after so many years, had long since faded. However, her personality was pleasant, and she was kind-hearted. His mother was fond of Aurelia, so he never considered breaking up. Upon seeing the police, he suddenly understood that when Aurelia said they were breaking up, she truly meant it, and when she demanded he repay the money, she was indeed serious about it. Undeterred, he sent another video to Aurelia via WhatsApp. Yet, Aurelia still ignored him. In the end, Curtis had no choice but to follow the police to the police station. Meanwhile, outside Merryborne Mall, Melanie, dressed in designer labels, glanced at her phone with impatience. Three minutes had already passed beyond the agreed time. Just as she was about to call Curtis, she saw several people coming out of Quigley Group across the street. Among them was Matthew, the CEO of Quigley Group, who frequently appeared in various financial news.