Chapter 164
Chapter 164:
Aurora sat on the Matriarch’s right. It was the position of honor. The seat usually reserved for Edward, or a visiting head of state.
She wore a high-necked black dress that cost more than Vivian’s car, tailored to perfection. Her posture was impeccable, a sharp contrast to the nervous energy radiating from the rest of the table.
Elias sat beside her, his presence dark and imposing. He watched the room with the lazy alertness of a predator, his hand resting casually near his steak knife.
The Matriarch sat at the head of the table. She looked frail, wrapped in a shawl, but her eyes were alert, darting between Aurora and Edward.
“So, Dr. Vance,” Eleanor said, slicing her meat with surgical precision. Her smile was tight, not reaching her eyes. “Edward tells us you trained overseas. Conflict zones? How… rugged p>
“Trauma requires quick thinking,” Aurora replied smoothly, her voice cool water over hot stones. “Something I find useful in boardrooms as well as battlefields p>
“We prefer Harvard in this house,” Vivian sneered from across the table. “We like our doctors to be… civilized p>
“Her hands healed what Harvard couldn’t,” the Matriarch interrupted, her voice sharp. She slammed her fork down. “Show some respect, Vivian p>
Vivian flushed red but didn’t back down. A cruel idea sparked in her eyes. She signaled the waiter with a subtle nod.
As the nervous young waiter approached to refill the water glasses, Vivian stretched her leg out under the table. Just as the waiter leaned over Aurora’s shoulder with a heavy crystal pitcher of ice water, Vivian kicked his ankle. Hard.
The waiter stumbled. The pitcher tipped.
Ice water cascaded down.
Aurora didn’t scream. She didn’t flinch away. Her combat instincts kicked in. She shifted her body minimally, shielding the Matriarch from the splash, taking the brunt of the freezing water herself.
𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲:
The water drenched her left side, soaking the black silk sleeve of her dress instantly. It was cold, sticking the fabric to her skin.
“Oh my god! I’m so sorry!” the waiter gasped, turning pale.
“It was an accident,” Aurora said calmly, though her eyes shot a look of pure ice at Vivian. She stood up, water dripping from her elbow. “I’ll just dry off p>
“You’re soaked,” Edward said, standing up immediately. “Let me help p>
Aurora unbuttoned her cuff to dry her arm. The wet silk was uncomfortable. She rolled the soaked black sleeve up to her elbow to keep it off her skin.
The crystal chandelier light hit her inner forearm.
The room went silent.
There, stark against her pale skin, was a birthmark. A distinct, crescent shape that curled slightly at the edges.
The Matriarch gasped. It was a sound of pure shock. It was the final piece of the puzzle she had been assembling since she woke up in the ICU.
“The Crescent,” she whispered. Her hands trembled violently as she reached out.
Eleanor frowned, confused. “What? It’s just a mark p>