Warned by Mrs. Sterling, Nanny Vaughn sullenly pursed her lips. Banking on her seniority in the Sterling Family and the favor she held with the old matriarch, she pressed on, "I'm only thinking of the family's best interests, Ma'am. She has been so reckless for so long; how could she possibly change for the better all of a sudden? I just think it was a mistake for you to let her attend the luncheon today. It was always Miss Sharon accompanying you in the past, and everything always went off without a hitch. With her here today instead, I'm really worried she's going to make a huge fool of herself later!"
Although Mrs. Sterling deeply disliked Nanny Vaughn's words, she couldn't help but start to worry. Even so, she put on a brave face and said, "I trust Aurora. I'm sure she won't embarrass me today."
Seeing Mrs. Sterling stubbornly refusing to back down, Nanny Vaughn pursed her lips in disapproval. 'Go on, put on a brave face,' she thought. 'You'll regret it when that girl Aurora makes a fool of herself.'
Meanwhile, Aurora and the others had left the banquet hall. In truth, there was another reason she had asked the butler to accompany them: she hadn't been back to the mansion in years, and her memories of the layout were hazy. The Sterling estate was also massive. As a young lady of the Sterling Family, getting lost in her own home would be an absolute joke.
Aurora smiled at the other young women. "So, where would you all like to go for a walk? Just let me know, and I'll lead the way."
Miss Miller and Miss White exchanged a look, and then Miss Miller asked, "Hey! Seriously, Aurora, is something wrong with you? Did you take the wrong medicine or something, being so nice to us?"
"Yeah!" Miss White eyed Aurora with suspicion. "You're not planning on dragging us to some secluded place to murder us, are you?"
Hearing the other two, Sharon Dalton gave an imperceptible, cold smile.
'Yes! This is it!' she thought. 'Keep provoking Aurora! Make her reveal her true nature!'
The butler watched Aurora with concern, already bracing himself to clean up whatever mess she might make.
To everyone's surprise, Aurora just chuckled. "Listen to yourselves. Aren't we all good friends here? Why would I kill you, especially in my own home?"
"'Good friends?'" Miss White stared at Aurora in disgust. "What crazy talk is that? Who's good friends with you?"
Exactly! Miss White's words earned nods of agreement from the other girls. None of them liked Aurora.
Aurora glanced at Sharon Dalton, who was standing off to the side looking utterly innocent, and sneered inwardly. 'The massive feud my past self had with these girls must have something to do with Sharon.'
"I know I've done a lot of things wrong in the past. That was just me being immature, and I'd like to apologize." Observing the girls' reactions, Aurora continued, "I also think there must be some misunderstanding between us that has made things so unpleasant. I genuinely want to be friends with you, and I think it would be best to clear the air. That way, we won't be manipulated by people with ulterior motives and continue to misunderstand each other. After all," she added, "your families and the Sterling Family all have business dealings. Wouldn't it be helpful for our families if we got along?"
As she spoke, Aurora's gaze shifted pointedly toward Sharon Dalton.
Sharon Dalton froze for a moment, then quickly retorted, "Aurora, why are you looking at me like that? Are you suggesting I'm the one who sowed discord between you and the others?"