Chapter 4: Chapter 4

In the next moment, she answered the call. “Yes, Mr. Quigley.” “Grandma wants to see you tonight. Are you available?” The cool voice of Matthew came from the phone. Just as Aurelia was about to reply, the taxi had already entered Starry Sea Mansion.

“I’ve already arrived at Starry Sea Mansion, and it’s the perfect opportunity for me to meet Old Mrs. Quigley.” She had married Matthew solely for the sake of Mabel. Hence, no matter what she was dealing with, she would set it aside if Mabel wished to see her. Matthew fell silent for a few seconds. After that, Matthew’s voice came through again. “Wait at home for about half an hour.

Gordon will come to pick you up.” “All right, thank you.” After hanging up the phone, she entered the mansion. Various door lock codes and other information sent by Matthew were on her phone, making her entry quite smooth. Just as she had changed into her slippers, the ringtone of a WhatsApp voice message echoed through the spacious mansion, sounding particularly piercing.

She took out her phone and saw it was a notification from Luna. Aurelia let out a faint, cold laugh and rejected Luna outright. In the evening, I’m going to meet with Old Mrs. Quigley. I don’t want to deal with these sc*mbags. Luna looked at the rejected voice message, and her meticulously maintained face instantly darkened. “Hubby, Auri actually refused to reply to my voice message!”

Originally, Gideon was a man of refined temperament. However, upon hearing Luna’s words, he saw red. “Why did you bother?

Just let her stay outside. She’s been graduated for three months and hasn’t even found a job. She doesn’t have a penny of income. Don’t give her any money either. I want to see how long she can hold on!” “You’re right,” Luna said, her thoughts increasingly filled with appreciation for Melanie. “After all, she didn’t grow up with us. It’s understandable that our bond isn’t as deep and we don’t know her as well. But Melanie is truly sensible.” “I already canceled her card. There’s no need to worry about her. She’ll return on her own in a day or two.” “When she returns, I must properly teach her how to handle things.” That evening, a Maybach whizzed through the road and came to a stop in front of the Quigley residence. Aurelia stepped out of the car and expressed her gratitude to Gordon. Gordon was somewhat taken aback. Throughout the journey from Starry Sea Mansion to the Quigley residence, Aurelia had not once inquired about Matthew’s whereabouts. Logically speaking, shouldn’t she be very curious about what Boss was doing after the two got their certificate in the afternoon? In Jacaster, countless women yearned to marry Matthew. In Gordon’s view, Aurelia was merely leveraging the influence of Mabel, aiming to marry Matthew for his status.

Gordon even thought other women simply didn’t have the good fortune of Aurelia, who had the knack for winning over Mabel’s affections. He was just curious, wondering if Aurelia would actually inquire about Matthew’s whereabouts. Aurelia followed the butler, who came to greet her, walking toward the Quigley residence. Seeing that, Gordon raised an eyebrow in surprise. Just as he was turning around, Aurelia called out to stop him. “Mr. Zeller.” Gordon halted. I knew it! She wouldn’t be able to help it! “Is your jade pendant a family heirloom, or was it a gift from someone else?” Aurelia glanced at the jade pendant worn around Gordon’s neck, a glint flashing in her eyes. Gordon was taken aback. He looked down at the jade pendant he was wearing. “It was a gift from someone else, and I quite liked it upon receiving it. I’ve been wearing it constantly lately. They say it’s an artifact from the Late Middle Ages.” Aurelia gave a faint smile. When Gordon went to pick her up, it wasn’t yet dark, and she was able to see the jade pendant clearly. The landscape painting on the pendant exuded a sense of refined elegance. However, since she wanted to repay her debt of gratitude to Mabel and married Matthew, she couldn’t just stand by and watch Matthew being implicated by those around him during the term of the agreement. Her gaze fell upon a particular spot on the jade pendant, where there was a hint of a darker shade. A trace of blood had seeped in. “The jade pendant is indeed from the Late Middle Ages.” Aurelia nodded in agreement. However, it wasn’t anything of value. “From the moment I first laid eyes on it, I couldn’t look away. Do you know about these things, Ms. Shaw?” Gordon rubbed the jade pendant. The quality of the jade was truly exceptional, delicate, and warm to the touch. “I do, but I don’t know much.” Aurelia nodded. “The person who gave me this said that this jade pendant was once a landscape design personally crafted by a painter from the Late Middle Ages and then carved by a geomancer. It’s definitely worth collecting.” “Forgive my frankness, but your jade pendant must have been taken from a dead person. It will bring disaster to the one who wears it and those around him. I presume you haven’t been wearing it for more than ten days, right?” Aurelia uttered frankly without considering if her words would startle Gordon. After all, Gordon often saw Mabel, and Mabel, who was already in poor health, was more prone to recurrent illnesses. Gordon was taken aback. “Taken from a dead body?” The hand clutching the jade pendant trembled fiercely. “How did you figure that out, Ms. Shaw?” Gordon asked. Is she trying to scare me because I didn’t proactively tell her about Boss’ itinerary? That can’t be it, though... Aurelia glanced at her watch. “The time I agreed upon with Old Mrs. Quigley has arrived. If you trust me, take it off and return it to the person who gave it to you. If you don’t, don’t see Old Mrs. Quigley within a month,” she said. A month later, he’ll eventually believe me. During this period, Matthew, who often meets with him, will also be caught up in the misfortune. However, as long as Old Mrs. Quigley is unaffected, it’s fine. After she finished speaking, she directly followed the butler into the Quigley residence. Gordon stood in front of the door, disheveled in the wind. Should I continue to wear the jade pendant? Upon seeing Aurelia enter, Mabel walked over with a beaming smile. Tears even shimmered in her eyes when she said, “Good, Auri! After your refusal yesterday, I couldn’t sleep well all night. Thankfully, you agreed. Quickly, show me your marriage certificate.” “I’m sorry, Old Mrs. Quigley.” A pang of pain suddenly struck Aurelia’s heart when she saw Mabel’s teary eyes. “Stop calling me that. You’re my granddaughter-in-law now, call me Grandma.” Mabel wiped her tears. Her old age made it harder for her to control her emotions. Aurelia handed the marriage certificate to Mabel. “Yes, Grandma.” Mabel took the marriage certificate, and upon seeing the signatures of her grandson and granddaughter-in-law on it, she couldn’t help but beam with joy. “Excellent! Marvelous!” she repeated. “Auri, you’ll understand in time. Matthew is truly a good and reliable man. Marrying him, you will never regret it.” She looked at the photo on the marriage certificate as if she could never tire of it. Aurelia nodded in agreement. Even though she had only met Matthew twice, she could tell that he was indeed a reliable person. The fact that Matthew was willing to sacrifice his own marriage for his grandmother was enough to prove his filial piety. “By the way, Auri, Hannah left a letter with me. She said that if you got married within a year, I should give it to you. If you didn’t get married, then it’s as if she never gave me the letter. Now that you and Matthew have gotten your marriage certificate, it’s time for me to give you this letter.” Mabel picked up a letter from a table nearby and handed it to Aurelia. Upon hearing that it was a letter from Hannah, Aurelia hurriedly asked, “Do you have any news from Hannah, Grandma?” “If she doesn’t want to be found, no one can ever find her. Hannah told me this over the phone when she left a year ago, asking us not to worry about her.” Mabel sighed and shook her head. Aurelia felt a slight sting in her nose.

Recalling her previous life when she didn’t heed Hannah’s advice, her heart ached in waves.