hapter 34 Ten Million Dollars
The following day, Daisy came to deliver food to Aurora ast usual.
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However, instead of Celeste accompanying Daisy this time, Lily came along.
Lily was a twenty–year–old college student with innocent eyes, and she seemed young and optimistic.
Aurora was just three years older than Lily, but she was already like a wilted flower, no longer innocent but only exhausted.
The instant Lily set eyes on Aurora, tears welled up involuntarily.
She held up Aurora’s injured left hand. Not only were Aurora’s fingers broken, but the back of her hand and her arm were covered with marks from Joshua’s merciless whipping with belt.
The bruises and wounds were horrifying.
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Lily uttered with concern, “The Elvador family has gone too far. How could they have beaten you like this?
“Aurora, leave the Elvador family. Don’t stay with those devils any longer.”
Chapter 34 Ten Million Dollars
Aurora could sense the genuine care Lily had for her.
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During Aurora’s five years in prison, none of the Elvador family visited her.
Daisy and Lily were the only ones who would visit the jail so that Aurora could still feel the goodness in the world.
Aurora thought Daisy and Lily were so nice that she had to protect them at all costs.
With a smile gracing her face, Aurora looked at Lily and said, “I’ll listen to you.”
“Really?” A flicker of surprise danced in Lily’s eyes.
“Yeah, really.” Aurora nodded affirmatively.
Nevertheless, before Aurora could part ways with the Elvador family, she needed to secure a fallback option for Daisy and Lily. She simply couldn’t let Barnett manipulate her by using them as leverage.
Thinking about this, Aurora changed the subject and asked about Lily’s situation at school.
“Lily, how are you doing in school?”
“Not bad. I manage to bag a scholarship each semester.”
Seeing her so confident, Aurora felt relieved in her mind. “Lily, you wanna go abroad for further study?”
Chapter 34 Ten Million Dollars
Lily faltered momentarily, and a glimmer of yearning flashed across her eyes.
Yet, money was an issue.
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Daisy had given birth to Lily when she was in her forties. When Lily was in primary school, her father had unfortunately passed away, leaving Daisy to shoulder the arduous task of raising her alone.
Daisy had worked hard enough to pay for Lily’s college education, so how could she expect to study abroad?
“I don’t think so,” Lily replied, her tone resolute. Still, Aurora caught the subtle shift in her expression.
“What if, and mean if, you had the chance to study overseas without having to fret about finances? Would you be willing then?”
Lily let out a helpless smile. “Of course. But where would such a golden opportunity come from? I can only fantasize about it in my mind.”
Hearing this response, Aurora was finally relieved.
If Lily wanted to go abroad, everything would be fine.
As soon as Aurora got the 10 million dollars, she would send Daisy and Lily abroad.
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Lily could finish her education abroad while Daisy would take care of her.
As long as Aurora sent them away, Barnett would no longer hold any sway over her.
If she wished to leave the Elvador family, no one could stand in her way.
Even though the Elvador family refused to let her go, she would kill them and leave all the money to Daisy and Lily.
This was precisely why she had asked Celeste for 10 million dollars.
Aurora had endured more than her fair share of hardships, and she wasn’t about to let those who cared for her suffer the same fate.
Over the subsequent two days, Aurora’s life was relatively tranquil.
One morning, Bertha freshened up and descended the stairs for breakfast, only to be taken aback by the absence of Joshua, Celeste, and Barnett.
Looking at the breakfast that was already prepared on the table, Bertha asked suspiciously, “Are my parents and brother not up yet?”
The maid responded, “Mr. Joshua Elvador and Mr. Elvador rushed to the office early in the morning without even having
Chapter 34 Ten Million Dollars
breakfast. Mrs. Celeste Elvador just ate a little bit and left.”
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Bertha was aware that Joshua and Barnett had been tied up with the east suburb project in recent days, leaving at the crack of dawn and returning late into the night.
However, it was rare to see Celeste up and about so early.
“Do you know where my mom went?” she continued to ask.
The maid shook her head. “I’m not certain, but Mrs. Celeste Elvador took several handbags with her.”
Bertha grew even more bewildered.
Nonetheless, Bertha didn’t dwell on it too much. Glancing at the breakfast, she lost her appetite.
After Bertha went upstairs to change her clothes, she drove away from the house.
In a few days, the land in the east suburb was set to go under the hammer. By then, the vast majority of the elite in Orley would be in attendance, and Bertha had received an invitation. She needed to purchase some gowns and jewelry for herself. There was no way she was going to be outshone by other women.
Bertha drove to the most opulent shopping mall in Orley.
– –
She walked into a high–end customized dress store. She came to the store often, so the sales clerk knew her. The clerk immediately had a cheerful smile on his face when he saw her
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coming. “Ms. Elvador, you’ve arrived at just the right moment. We’ve got several new limited–edition dresses in stock today, airlifted from Barnes. Their designs are truly inspired, and the materials are of the utmost luxury. Slip one on, and you’ll be the undoubted center of attention.”
Bertha grinned smugly, resembling a haughty peacock. She delicately ran her fingers over the exquisitely crafted dresses, already picturing the envious stares from the ladies and the admiring gazes from the men at the upcoming auction.
The more she envisioned it, the more elated she became. Eventually, she settled on a floor–length gown encrusted with Swarovski crystals. The hem of the dress shimmered as she moved as if it were a starry sky.
The sales clerk’s eyes widened in astonishment. She heaped praise on Bertha and didn’t neglect to tout other products.
“Ms. Elvador, our store not only stocks dresses but also offers handbags that pair perfectly with them. Would you like to take a look?”
Inflated with pride from the compliments, Bertha replied without a second thought, “Where are the handbags? Show me.”
“Right this way.”
Bertha followed the sales clerk to the handbag display.
As she arrived, she noticed a few designer bags at a glance. Her eyes instantly widened with disbelief. “These bags…”
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Noticing her halt, the sales clerk followed her line of sight. “Those are pre–owned bags. A wealthy lady just dropped them off for sale. You like them, Ms. Elvador?”
Bertha didn’t like the bags, but she recognized them.
Most of those were Hermes bags, and they were all limited editions worldwide. The cheapest one was worth close to a million dollars.
Bertha knew this because these bags unmistakably belonged to Celeste.
At this moment, she finally realized why the maid said that Celeste had taken some bags out of the house. It turned out that she had taken them all out and sold them.
But why did she do that?
As the chairman’s wife of the Elvador Group, would Celeste be short of money?
If she didn’t lack money, why would she sell her bags? Besides, those were bags she hardly ever carried.
Something definitely happened.
A sense of foreboding surged through Bertha’s mind.
A million thoughts raced through her mind.
Chapter 34 Ten Million Dollars
Bertha hadn’t caught wind of any financial woes at home recently. Although the cast suburb project was fiercely
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competitive, given the Elvador family’s clout, they surely didn’t need to sell off bags to raise capital.
If Celeste didn’t do it for home or company, the only other possibility would be…
Bertha suddenly thought of something, so she took out her cell phone and hurriedly called Celeste.
When the call connected, Celeste’s dulcet voice came through. “Baby, are you up?”
“I’m up. Mom, where are you going?”
“I’m driving. I’m on my way to the hospital to visit Aurora. What’s the matter?”
Bertha tightened her grip on the phone.
Celeste had just sold her bags and was going to visit Aurora, so it was necessary for Bertha to suspect that she was going to give Aurora the money from the sale of the bag secretly.
Bertha would never allow that to happen.
She thought, “Everything in the Elvador family is mine, and that bitch doesn’t deserve to take a cent.”
