In the VIP lounge, Sue Quinn was apologizing profusely, but her words, both spoken and unspoken, made it clear that Aurora Sinclair, having grown up in the mountains, was uncultured, crude, and ignorant.
She pleaded with the Lockwoods to be magnanimous and not blame the Sinclair family, adding that they were free to beat or punish Aurora Sinclair as they saw fit!
The smile on Arthur Lockwood's face gradually faded. He glanced at the exceptionally quiet girl sitting across from him. Her bright eyes were as calm as still water, her expression impassive, as if she were completely unconcerned with her current predicament.
She was wearing the cheapest possible tracksuit, which was baggy and completely ill-fitting, its sleeves so long they nearly covered her palms.
The hem and collar were faded from countless washings. Though her exposed fingers were slender, they bore thick calluses on the tips and the fleshy part of her hand between the thumb and index finger.
Compared to the Eldest Miss Sinclair in Kingsford, who was pampered and had always benefited from the best educational resources, the two were worlds apart.
Arthur Lockwood's expression grew grim, the smile vanishing completely from his lips. This frightened Sue Quinn, whose face paled as she reached out to yank on Aurora Sinclair's clothes.
She barked, "Second Miss Sinclair, what are you waiting for? Apologize to Young Master Lockwood! Even if you had to get on your knees and kowtow today, it would be no more than you deserve!"
But Aurora Sinclair was sitting bolt upright; Sue couldn't budge her at all.
"Second Miss Sinclair—"
"What are you calling her for?" Arthur Lockwood asked, digging a finger in his ear as he finally deigned to speak.
Sue Quinn hardly dared to breathe, but her fingers were still clutching the sleeve of Aurora Sinclair's tracksuit.
No longer bothering to look at her, Arthur Lockwood took out a gold-embossed business card, placed it on the table, and slid it in front of Aurora Sinclair. "This is my card. Keep it safe! Call me if you run into any trouble in Kingsford!"
Aurora Sinclair glanced down at the card, then looked back up at him in apparent confusion.
Arthur Lockwood explained gently, "It has my contact information. If anyone bullies you, just give me a call, and I'll bring my guys to beat them up for you!"
Aurora Sinclair nodded, giving him another one of her 'you're-a-good-person' looks. She picked up the card and tucked it into the cloth pouch she wore at her chest.
'He's as nice as my junior sister!' she thought.
Arthur Lockwood smiled, touching the beaded bracelet on his wrist as he casually asked, "What time is your flight?"
When Aurora Sinclair just looked confused again, he had no choice but to turn to the dumbstruck Sue Quinn.
Arthur Lockwood's bodyguard nudged her. "Our Young Master is asking you a question!"
Sue Quinn quickly lowered her gaze and bowed slightly, answering with the utmost respect, "Young Master Lockwood, the Second Miss Sinclair's flight is at four in the afternoon."
Arthur Lockwood glanced at his watch and sneered. "That time has long passed. You'll both come with me."
***
「Miles high in the sky.」
Sitting in first class, Arthur Lockwood fiddled with the beaded bracelet on his wrist, fuming indignantly.
"The Sinclairs are real pieces of work! I used to think Master Sinclair was the most sensible one, but who knew he could be so cruel to his own granddaughter? Abandoning her on a mountain for all those years, and now he's letting a servant abuse her to this extent!"
His throat felt dry, so he grabbed the water on the table, took a couple of big gulps, and continued his rant. "Morgan, you should have seen the look on that Sinclair family servant's face. If I were Aurora Sinclair, I'd have fucking slapped her…"
Alvin Morgan, who had been reading a book, glanced coolly at Arthur's wrist. "Feeling soft after taking her gift?"
A direct hit.
Arthur Lockwood was instantly at a loss for words. He glanced at his wrist, covering the beads with his other hand as he chuckled sheepishly. "I'm just indignant on her behalf, that's all! Besides, Aurora Sinclair saved Dixon…"
"Hand it over."
Arthur Lockwood's face fell, his reluctance palpable, as if Alvin Morgan were a thug robbing him of his treasure.
Beta Morgan rolled his eyes from the side. "He just wants to look at the craftsmanship of the bracelet!"
As soon as he heard that, Arthur Lockwood perked right back up, taking off the bracelet and handing it over.
"Take a look for me, Morgan. Is this thing particularly valuable? Even better than the one my grandfather gave me?"
Alvin Morgan shot him a glance, twirling the bracelet between his fingertips. The beads were delicate and smooth to the touch—it was indeed a rare treasure.
He slipped the bracelet onto his own wrist.
It was a bit loose.
Alvin Morgan pursed his lips.
He took the bracelet off and tossed it back to him.
"Keep it as a family heirloom."
Arthur Lockwood's eyes lit up as he quickly put the bracelet back on.
His delighted expression was a real eyesore!
***
In the spacious aircraft cabin, Sue Quinn was furtively sizing up the person across from her, who was resting with their eyes closed.
She never would have imagined that Aurora Sinclair actually knew the young master of Kingsford's Lockwood family.
She had tried to probe with a few indirect questions earlier, but Aurora Sinclair had remained silent, which made her so angry she had spent the last few minutes inwardly cursing the 'wild brat'.
Now that the Lockwoods were all in the first-class cabin up front, she finally dared to speak brazenly.
"Second Miss Sinclair, the Lockwoods are a prominent family in Kingsford. It's a good thing to associate with them, of course, but you are a member of the Sinclair family. A connection this valuable must be reported to the Family Head, who will decide what to do with it…"
Aurora Sinclair paid her no mind, keeping her eyes closed as if she had fallen asleep.
Inwardly furious, Sue Quinn leaned forward to poke her. But before she could make contact, Aurora Sinclair's eyes snapped open, and a startlingly sharp glint in her gaze made Sue's fingers tremble.
But it was there for only a second—a flash in the pan—before vanishing without a trace.
Sue Quinn thought she must have seen it wrong. Aurora Sinclair's expression was now as it always was: cool, calm, and distant.
'How could a coarse country bumpkin like her possibly have such a dangerous glint in her eyes?'
'I must have seen it wrong!'
Sue Quinn reverted to her usual arrogance, crossing her arms and leaning back against the sofa. "Second Miss Sinclair," she said haughtily, "did you understand what I just said? Young Master Lockwood's business card must be given to the Family Head!"
Aurora Sinclair continued to look at her calmly, making no move.
Swallowing her anger, Sue Quinn tapped the bundle on the floor with the tip of her shoe. "That little gold card Young Master Lockwood gave you! Give it to me—"
As if finally understanding her, Aurora Sinclair bent down, untied her bundle, and took out the gold-embossed business card.
Sue Quinn snatched it away, her face alight with glee as she stared at the contact information. She looked one step short of falling to her knees to worship it.
'With this, the Eldest Miss will have a chance to get into the Lockwood family's circle. The Madam will definitely value me even more!'
***
In the first-class cabin, Alvin Morgan glanced at the surveillance feed in front of him, his brow furrowing slightly.
"Go bring Aurora Sinclair in here."
Arthur Lockwood assumed he was talking to Beta Morgan, right up until Alvin kicked him again.
"Me?"
"You think I should go myself?"
Alvin Morgan gave him a cool glance.
'This guy is impossible!'
Resigned to his fate, Arthur Lockwood stood up and left.
On the monitor, Sue Quinn was as obsequious as ever when she saw Arthur Lockwood, bowing and scraping.
Aurora Sinclair, however, calmly stood up, slung her various bags back onto her person, and did a quick check to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything. Then she picked up the pet carrier Arthur Lockwood had bought her and obediently followed him toward the first-class cabin.
Beta Morgan, who was also watching the monitor, couldn't help but chuckle. "Boss, this Second Miss Sinclair is quite a character! There's hardly anyone on this plane; is she really afraid of losing her things? And that hen—it's the first time I've ever seen someone put a chicken in a pet carrier."
Alvin Morgan closed the laptop on the table and shot him a cool glance. "A gift from someone you cherish is a treasure, no matter how cheap."
Beta Morgan: "…"
***
When Aurora Sinclair saw Alvin Morgan, she froze for a moment before giving him a slight nod.
Beta Morgan greeted her with a smile. "Miss Sinclair, we meet again!"
"Hello."
Arthur Lockwood was stunned. The Second Miss Sinclair hadn't uttered a single word this whole time—he was starting to think she was mute. Why did she suddenly decide to speak to Beta Morgan?
'She was still a woman of few words, but at least it was better than complete silence, right?'
Beta Morgan gestured for her to sit.
The first-class cabin was even more spacious and comfortable than business class, with seats that were more like plush leather sofas.
Aurora Sinclair unloaded her various bags, placed them neatly beside the sofa, and sat down primly, her knees together.
Beta Morgan started to hand her a cup of freshly ground coffee, but a single glance from Alvin Morgan stopped him. "Get her milk."
So, Beta handed the coffee to Arthur Lockwood instead and turned to pour a glass of milk for Aurora Sinclair.
Arthur Lockwood: "…"
'Why do I get the feeling Morgan is acting like a doting father worried about his daughter?'
Aurora Sinclair accepted the milk and thanked him again.
Then she took out another beaded bracelet from her small bundle, seemed to compare it to the size of Beta Morgan's wrist, and handed it to him.
Beta Morgan was flabbergasted!