At that moment, a crowd of prominent ladies had gathered around Mrs. Sterling. When Sharon Dalton and her friends approached, the ladies' attention shifted to Sharon.
Sharon Dalton looked at the ladies. 'She sneered inwardly', but her expression was troubled as she continued speaking to Mrs. Sterling. "In the past, I was always the one who accompanied you, Grandma, during the Sterling family's banquets. Now that Aurora is suddenly here today, Miss Miller and the others probably aren't used to it, so they came directly to me." As she spoke, Sharon observed the reactions of Mrs. Sterling and the others present. "If this were before, it wouldn't have been a big deal for me to show Miss Miller and her friends around. But with Aurora here today, I think it would be more appropriate for her to give them the tour."
At Sharon Dalton's words, the expressions of Mrs. Sterling and the other ladies present subtly changed, and the looks they gave Aurora Sterling were no longer as warm as before.
Aurora Sterling watched Sharon Dalton calmly. 'She knew Sharon wouldn't let things lie today. Aurora had rightfully stolen her chance to be in the spotlight, and with a petty personality like Sharon's, how could she possibly accept that?'
'Sure enough, Sharon couldn't wait to make her move. Those words, which seemed so considerate of Aurora, were in fact a reminder to everyone present, including Mrs. Sterling, that Aurora was a completely incompetent granddaughter. In the past, whenever the Sterling family hosted anything, it was always Sharon Dalton bustling about by Mrs. Sterling's side. Aurora had never shown up even once. On the contrary, whenever the Sterling family had a major event, Aurora would be out partying wildly, and scandals about her were sure to follow the very next day.'
'Meanwhile, Sharon Dalton had always been as dutiful to Mrs. Sterling as a real granddaughter, fulfilling the filial duties that the unfilial Aurora had neglected.'
While she spoke, Sharon Dalton deliberately let a hint of grievance show in her eyes, leading the more observant guests to start connecting the dots. 'Could it be that Aurora Sterling had been bullying her? Is that why she snuck in quietly through a side door today?'
Seeing the way everyone's gazes on Aurora Sterling had changed, Mrs. Sterling's expression soured. 'She couldn't help but feel a little resentful that Sharon Dalton had said such a thing, but she was even more resentful of her own granddaughter for being so disappointing in the past. People's impression of her was already deep-rooted, and it wouldn't be easy to change it overnight.'
Aurora Sterling took in everyone's reactions and sneered inwardly.
'Very well. Sharon Dalton walked right into this one herself!'
Aurora Sterling smiled sweetly, and her voice was so soft and melodious it made everyone's ears tingle.
"Sharon is right. Since I'm a child of the Sterling family, it should be my duty to show our distinguished guests around. It's my fault, really. I was so focused on staying by Grandma's side to learn more about proper etiquette that I neglected the young ladies."
Hearing Aurora Sterling's response, Mrs. Sterling was stunned for a moment before breaking into a genial smile. After all, Aurora's temper used to be terrible. She especially never got along with Miss Miller and her friends. It was rare for them to even see each other, but when they did, Aurora would usually either ignore them or give them a nasty look.
Sharon Dalton, however, was not pleased. 'She had expected Aurora to scowl and be openly hostile at the sight of Miss Miller and her friends, just like she always used to. She never thought Aurora would be so gentle today.'
Even Miss Miller and her friends were in disbelief. 'Is this really Aurora Sterling?'
Somewhere on the second floor of the ballroom, Damien Valerius stared at Aurora Sterling with dark eyes. "Why is that woman talking in that voice? Who is she trying to seduce!"
Sean Carter stood behind Damien Valerius with an exasperated look on his face. 'Come on, Boss. Miss Sterling is surrounded by women. Who could she possibly be seducing?'