Chapter 196: Chapter 196



Aurora huffed silently, her thoughts prickling with defiance. Yesterday’s kick hadn’t been forgotten, and she was determined not to show weakness.

“Mom is not here. It’s just me and my brother at home,” she declared.

Paula, momentarily taken aback, marveled at Joelle’s audacity to leave two young children unattended. Yet, she saw an opportunity—to perhaps mend things with Adrian by offering her help.

“Oh, I see,” she responded, crouching to speak through the mail slot. “Can I come in to keep you two company? It’s quite risky for you to be alone without an adult.”

Aurora replied, “But I don’t even know you. You look much older than my mom. Should I call you Granny?”

Paula, only twenty-three, felt a rush of irritation at the comment. If it weren’t for Adrian’s sake, she would have dragged this little girl out and given her a good beating. “Well, I am just twenty-three, not really old, right?”

“What? Twenty-three? Maybe you should take better care of yourself. Like my mom, who loves her skincare routines.”

Paula, sensing her patience thinning, decided to get to the point. “Little girl, is your father named Adrian Miller?”

Aurora’s expression sharpened. Her mother had cautioned her never to disclose family details to strangers, particularly those she found disagreeable. “Does my dad interest you?” she countered.

“No, no!” Paula attempted a reassuring smile. “I’m just wondering who’s the fortunate parent of such a witty child like you?”

“It’s my dad!”

“And who is your dad?”

“Are you interested in my dad?”

“No, no!” Paula’s face drained of color as she realized she’d been outmaneuvered by the young girl. Her frustration echoed her previous interactions with Joelle—exasperating and circular.

“Hey, open up!” Paula’s voice was firm.

Aurora, curious and cautious, peered through the mail slot. “Mom said I shouldn’t open the door to strangers.”

Paula gestured to herself. “We met just yesterday, remember? Your mishap with my high heels—surely that doesn’t make us strangers?”

Aurora frowned slightly. “Did you come here to ask me to clean your shoes?”

“I need to talk to your parents. Now, open the door!” A flicker of fear crossed Aurora’s face.

When the door swung open, Paula entered with a victorious smirk, thinking she should have bypassed the small talk. “Now, fetch me a glass of water,” she commanded, making herself comfortable on the sofa as if it were her own home.

Aurora hesitated, then climbed onto a chair and filled a glass with water. “Where’s your mom?” Paula asked.

Aurora shook her head. “I’m not sure.”

“Did she mention when she’d return?”

“No, she didn’t.”

“She’s quite negligent,” Paula murmured, finishing her water and setting the glass down, her mind racing with schemes. “Start crying, kid.”

Aurora blinked in confusion. “What?”

“Just start crying, and claim you miss your dad,” Paula coaxed, phone in hand ready to record. If Adrian wouldn’t meet with her voluntarily, she resolved to find a way to compel him to come to her.

“I don’t know how to cry on command,” Aurora said plainly.

“Useless!” Paula’s irritation flared, and she reached out, giving Aurora a light pinch—not to hurt, but to frighten her.

To her dismay, Aurora immediately burst into tears. “Gina!”

At that moment, Gina, fresh from changing Ryland’s diaper, entered the room and gasped at the scene unfolding before her. “What are you doing? How did you get in?”

Paula scrambled to her feet, retorting defensively, “You said the house was empty, didn’t you? You little trickster, you misled me!”

Aurora, tears streaming down her face, cried out, “Gina, she barged in, demanded water, and then she pinched me…”

Having witnessed the pinch, Gina’s belief in Aurora’s words was unshakable. She quickly retrieved her phone. “This is trespassing and child abuse! I’m calling the police!”

“Wait, wait! I’m leaving now, just don’t call the cops!” Paula pleaded, panic setting in.

Yet, witnessing how Paula had sneaked in during her brief absence and then harmed Aurora, Gina was determined not to let her off the hook so easily. “Leaving so soon? I saw you pinch her. You’re staying right here until the police arrive!”

Cornered, Paula attempted to deflect. “You’re accusing me of pinching her? Who even are you? What gives you the right to be here? For all I know, you could be the real threat, maybe even a kidnapper!”

“How dare you!” Gina yelled, her voice fierce.

Aurora, brave despite her tears, stood before Gina, arms outstretched protectively. “Gina is not a kidnapper!”

“Hah, as if anyone would believe that,” Paula scoffed, pulling out her own phone to dial. “Adrian, you need to hear this…”

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