"So it was her?" Damien Valerius's eyes narrowed dangerously, a cold glint flashing within them. He had returned from abroad specifically to handle the matter of his fiancée; he never expected the woman to deliver herself right to his doorstep.
Damien Valerius toyed with the woman's watch, a dangerous chill in his eyes. "Where is she?"
Sean Carter couldn't help but feel a surge of anxiety for Aurora Sterling. "She's already checked out. She's likely headed back to the Sterling estate. Mrs. Sterling is hosting a luncheon at the residence this afternoon."
At the Sterling family residence, the banquet hall was being decorated in a flurry of activity. Mrs. Sterling was set to host a luncheon there that afternoon.
The Sterlings were a prominent medical family, with most members working in healthcare and holding influential positions in the country's medical community. However, Aurora Sterling's father, Timothy Sterling, represented a branch of the family that had not gone into medicine. Instead, he had left the medical field for the world of business, starting a pharmaceutical trade and founding the company Sterling Pharma.
Aurora's grandfather had passed away many years ago. When she was young, Mrs. Sterling had been a famous socialite in the city who valued etiquette and rules above all else. Her greatest passion in life was hosting all manner of parties and banquets.
Inside the banquet hall, Sharon Dalton was meticulously directing the Sterling family's servants in decorating the venue.
Nanny Vaughn walked over and said to Sharon Dalton with a fawning smile, "Miss Sharon, it's a good thing you're here helping manage things. If we had to rely on that troublemaker Aurora, the Madam's luncheon would be a complete disaster."
This Nanny Vaughn was a long-time servant of the Sterling family who had always been by Mrs. Sterling's side. Since she was childless and well-liked by Mrs. Sterling, she had been allowed to stay with the family to live out her retirement. She wasn't usually required to do much work, so she held a certain status within the household.
A disingenuous smile touched Sharon Dalton's lips as she listened to Nanny Vaughn. "Oh, Nanny Vaughn, please don't say that. Everyone in the Sterling family is so good to me. My uncle treats me like his own daughter, and Grandma has been wonderful. It's only right that I do my part for the family. Besides, with my aunt gone, I feel I should do these things on her behalf, as her niece."
Sharon Dalton was Aurora Sterling's cousin—the daughter of Joy Dalton, the younger sister of Aurora's late mother.
"At the end of the day, you're the dutiful and capable one. Not like that Aurora girl, who does nothing all day but throw tantrums like a spoiled princess. She's nothing like our Madam. In fact, Miss Sharon, I think your poise and bearing are reminiscent of the Madam in her youth," Nanny Vaughn said, lavishing praise on Sharon Dalton.
Upon hearing Nanny Vaughn say she had Mrs. Sterling's youthful grace, Sharon Dalton's eyes lit up, clearly delighted by the compliment. She took off the bracelet she had been wearing for only a day and discreetly slipped it onto Nanny Vaughn's wrist.
"Miss Sharon, this..." Nanny Vaughn's eyes gleamed as she stared at the bracelet on her wrist.
Sharon Dalton chuckled. "I'm still too young to wear a bracelet like this. I think it suits your disposition much better, Nanny Vaughn. Please, it's yours."
"Well then, thank you, Miss Sharon." Nanny Vaughn was so delighted her eyes nearly narrowed into slits.
...
After changing her clothes, Mrs. Sterling made her way to the living room, supported by the butler. She sat down on the sofa and sighed.
"Madam, why the sudden sigh?" the butler asked.
Mrs. Sterling glanced at the time. "Sigh... It's getting so late, and that girl, Aurora, still isn't back."