Tears slipped from the corner of her eyes, and Aurelia quickly handed her a tissue.
"Lisbeth, honey, let's save the blues for later, alright?"
Lisbeth knew the traditions well, no tears, no sorrow, no quarrels at this time, or risk a year filled with the same. But she couldn't help herself, and happiness seemed like a distant dream now.
Harriet took a sip of her Earl Grey, her voice languid, "Aurelia, don't take things too lightly. You're young and beautiful now, and Leopold's all sweet on you, but when you're my age, he might get bored, lose interest, and start looking for some young thing on the side."
The words struck a chord in Aurelia, a shiver running through her, but she masked it with a slight smile.
"Aunt Harriet, the future's a mystery to us all. I'm focusing on the here and now. And if one-day things do go south, well, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it."
Harriet didn't buy that Aurelia was so easygoing. Youthful naivety, she thought, “She would turn to regret when the beauty faded and the man strayed.”
"Back in the day, I thought the same. He'd play his little games, and I'd turn a blind eye, telling myself he was just having fun, nothing serious. But, now he proved me wrong."
Aurelia countered, "You should've never let Uncle Charles off the hook that first time. If you play deaf and dumb, he'll think it's all fine and dandy, and it'll only get worse. You can't coddle men like that. The more you bend over backward, the less they see you."
Her words hit home, and Harriet's face paled ever so slightly.
"If I made a fuss, he'd say I was making mountains out of molehills, wouldn't that just annoy him more?"
Aurelia shrugged, "Silent or not, it's not like he appreciates you either way."
"At least he comes home. If we fight, he'll stay away even more," Harriet retorted.
"But he's hardly home now, right? Or you wouldn't be this upset, would you?" Aurelia pointed out.
Charles was silent for a moment, then said, "Alright, I know."
Beverley hung up, and Harriet, having heard the woman's sobs, felt a spark of anger, "He's with that little temptress."
Beverley wrapped her arms around her, "Mom, let's not fight with Dad when he gets back. Arguing will only push him further toward her."
Harriet snorted, "Even if I don't start a fight, he will. He's convinced I've turned the staff against him. He'll be nice to me?"
"Just clear things up with him," Beverley suggested.
Aurelia thought Beverley seemed progressive on the surface but was actually quite traditional at heart. If it were her, she'd never let her mom be the doormat, and she'd team up with her to take down the mistress, making her regret it.
They would see if she dared to mess with them again.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The CEO’S Unplanned Heir novel (Aurelia and Leopold)