Mrs. Sterling was clearly displeased with Sharon Dalton's answer. Her words were laced with insinuations about Aurora Sterling's shortcomings. Aurora was her granddaughter; she could say whatever she wanted about her, but it wasn't an outsider's place to cast aspersions. No matter how good Sharon Dalton was, she was still a Dalton.
"Alright, Aurora is my granddaughter, so it's only right that she stays by my side." As she spoke, Mrs. Sterling looked at Sharon Dalton. "Sharon, since you're here and have been such a great help, you should go and enjoy the party in a little while."
Sharon Dalton knew that now that Mrs. Sterling had spoken, the matter was set in stone. She could only grit her teeth and say, "Yes, I understand."
The Sterling family's luncheon began. Damien Valerius sat languidly on a European-style sofa in the lounge area, a glass of champagne in hand. His gaze was unfocused as he scanned the people in the banquet hall, searching for the woman who had slept with him only to dismiss him with a single, cheap watch.
Sean Carter stood awkwardly beside Damien Valerius. It was his first time sneaking into someone's private luncheon. He just didn't understand. His boss could have attended openly as Damien Valerius, so why on earth did he insist on sneaking in?
Damien Valerius had lived abroad for years and rarely made public appearances in the country under his own name. As a result, the outside world knew that the Valerius family had a fourth young master named Damien Valerius, but almost no one knew what he looked like.
The banquet was already underway. Not far off, a few young socialites were gathered together, chatting and laughing as they waited for the hosts of the luncheon, the Sterling family, to make their appearance.
"Who do you all think will be accompanying Mrs. Sterling today?" Miss Miller asked.
"Who else could it be? It's got to be Sharon Dalton. Isn't that how it's always been? If it's not Sharon Dalton, you don't think it could be that gaudy Miss Sterling, Aurora, do you?" a Miss Zhang said, her face dripping with sarcasm.
'Aurora Sterling?' On the sofa, Damien Valerius heard the name and his eyes couldn't help but drift toward the group of women.
"Heh, it's laughable, really. When Mrs. Sterling was young, she was a renowned socialite and a proper lady who often attended world-class gatherings. How could she end up with a granddaughter like Aurora Sterling, who's so unruly and wild?" a Miss Chen remarked.
"I know, right? That Aurora Sterling is just too much. She has this incredibly privileged position as a daughter of the Sterling family, yet she doesn't appreciate it at all. All she does is stir up trouble all day. It's gotten to the point where Mrs. Sterling has no other choice but to have Sharon Dalton, her late daughter-in-law's niece, accompany her to these events," said Miss White.
"If you ask me, ever since that Sharon Dalton managed to get close to Mrs. Sterling, she's been acting so high and mighty. Anyone who didn't know better would think she was the real Miss Sterling. Though, I bet Mrs. Sterling secretly wishes Sharon *was* the proper young lady of the family. In any case, she's a thousand times better than Aurora. I remember hearing that Aurora is engaged to the fourth son of the Valerius family. With the way that tramp acts, do you really think she'll ever marry into the Valerius family?" Miss Miller continued.
Hearing himself mentioned in the women's conversation, Damien Valerius's brow twitched. He hadn't expected them to paint such a wretched picture of this Aurora Sterling.
The women's gossip continued. Miss Zhang covered her mouth and snickered. "I heard that Aurora Sterling has a thing for handsome men and is entangled with several of them. She's probably completely used up by now. Why would Damien Valerius ever marry her? Isn't he afraid of catching a disease?"
The woman's words caused Damien Valerius's expression to darken. 'His little fiancée is entangled with several men?' The thought of how Aurora Sterling had slept with him for one night, only to leave with nothing but a curt note and a watch, made his eyes grow cold.