Chapter 7Aurelia 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. Gideonand 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 settledin 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 thenoveldramahour 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.