Unpredictable Betrayal : A Sweet of Revenge

Actually, Aurora was surprised to see Regina’s arrival at Alden’s mother’s birthday party. Imagining the woman being showy, pretending to be cute, and overly familiar made Aurora nauseous.

However, Aurora immediately recalled Alden’s story the other day. Their families had been close for a long time. They even used to live next to each other, and Regina’s mother and Alden’s mother were friends. But it felt like they weren’t genuinely willing. Especially because despite the long-standing connection, Regina had acted overly.

“Auntie, I miss you so much, it’s been a while since we met.”

Upon arriving at Zendaya’s residence and after her mother gave hugs and birthday wishes to the celebrant, it was Regina’s turn to show off. She even bothered to bring a large-sized gift. She presented it directly while expressing her longing because they hadn’t seen each other in a long time.

Zendaya welcomed her warmly. She returned Regina’s hug, then accepted what the woman had brought.

“Auntie, I miss you too. Back then, when you moved, you were still in school. Now they say you’re a doctor, right?”

Regina smiled broadly. The woman nodded repeatedly.

“Now Gina has become a specialist doctor too.”

“Yes,” added Regina’s mother. Then the middle-aged woman glanced at Alden, who was standing next to Zendaya. “Back then, she used to whine about wanting to go to medical school to be like Alden, she said.”

Hearing this, Zendaya was certainly proud. She was glad her son was being made a role model and influencing positively the daughter of her friend.

“Auntie, it’s not surprising. Gina has always been smart.”

Regina’s head swelled even bigger after receiving praise and validation from Zendaya. In Aurora’s eyes, Regina even looked like a worm squirming uncomfortably, the woman seemed to be grinning for no reason.

“Gina even works at the same hospital as Alden.”

“Oh, really?”

Regina nodded her head again.

“Yes. That’s why I’m so happy.”

“Just so you know…” Regina’s mother interjected. “Almost every day she’s excitedly cooking packed lunches and says she wants to share them with Alden.”

Aurora continued to listen to the stories of the mother and daughter in front of her. She was actually a bit bored. Fortunately, Zendaya concluded and immediately invited her to tour around.

“Alright, you guys enjoy the food that’s already prepared. There are plenty of varieties there. I’ll go around to greet the others first.”

She took Aurora around. Upon observation, Aurora realized that Alden’s mother actually had many friends from various backgrounds. It could be seen from the various guests who attended.

There were some from ordinary backgrounds, businessmen, government officials, and also some socialite mothers. What was unique was the last group of people that the woman approached. From their appearance, Aurora believed that this gathering might indeed be intended for the Arab descendant mothers.

“Come on, let’s introduce you to Alden’s potential partner.”

Zendaya pulled Aurora. She showcased the woman to her friends.

“She’s a pediatric specialist. The one who owns Santa Monica Hospital.”

“Wow, impressive.” One of Zendaya’s friends exclaimed in awe. “And she’s beautiful too. Matches Alden who’s handsome.”

“Yes,” another agreed. “Harmonious. The guy is handsome. The girl is beautiful. If they have children, their faces will surely be cute.”

Aurora smiled to herself. Her ears swelled with praises from a group of well-dressed mothers in front of her.

“It’s pointless to be pretty if your heart isn’t good.”

From the back row, a woman’s voice interrupted. Soon after, her figure appeared, causing Aurora to freeze momentarily. Savana’s presence seemed sudden, as if she had been there for a while and suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Was she actually on the guest list? Or did she sneak in like a thief, as she used to do at the hospital?

“Zendaya…” Savana called out. “Are you sure you want to make Aurora your daughter-in-law?”

Zendaya turned, carefully observing Savana’s movements. Meanwhile, Alden immediately pulled Aurora to move behind him while adopting a wary stance. He was worried that the middle-aged woman would go crazy as she usually did.Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

“Why do you ask?” Zendaya inquired to make sure. “Is there something wrong?”

Savana responded with a smile.

“Do you know about Aurora’s status —”

“Widow?” Zendaya cut in, as if she knew exactly what her friend was about to say. “I know, and that’s not something that’s a problem.”

A wide smile still adorned Savana’s face. Her eyes displayed a gaze that was difficult to decipher.

“What about Aurora being barren and unable to have children?”

“Enough, Aunt Savana!”

Alden interjected sharply. He stared intensely at Savana, who appeared nonchalant. Meanwhile, the guests surrounding them immediately focused their attention after hearing the commotion.

“Don’t slander and speak recklessly! Besides —”

“Alden…” Zendaya shook her head. She urged Alden not to lose control, which would only further disrupt the atmosphere.

Meanwhile, Aurora couldn’t do anything. Zendaya had already signaled her not to take too much action, fearing that it would attract even more attention.

“Savana…” Zendaya called out. Her voice was soft but firm. “Please don’t cause a scene here. Please respect me as the host.”

But Savana wouldn’t be herself if she obeyed. The more she was forbidden, the more she revealed herself.

“Why, Zendaya? Do you think I’m speaking recklessly? Do you think I’m spreading slander?” Savana then looked around. She saw each and every person gathered around, observing her. “Just so you know, Aurora used to be my son’s wife.”

This first statement startled Zendaya. She wanted to make sure, but Savana quickly spoke again.

“That’s why I know how rotten Aurora is. She was divorced by my son because she couldn’t bear children. And even before officially becoming a widow, she was already flirting with this handsome doctor.” She boldly pointed at Alden. And because of Savana’s recent remarks, surely everyone there who heard immediately became restless and agitated.

“For God’s sake, that’s slander!” Aurora spoke up. She couldn’t stand hearing herself being belittled and slandered like this.

“What slander? You did marry Alex and eventually got divorced, right? And even after divorcing, you shamelessly left debts to the extent that Alex had to sell the house to pay them off.”

“Enough, Aunt Savana! It’s all —”

“Aurora!”

Zendaya interrupted. Meanwhile, Alden immediately called security. He asked them to escort Savana out of his mother’s residence.

***

“Aunt… Aurora needs to leave now. Aurora apologizes for —”

“It’s okay…” Zendaya cut in. From her expression, it was clear that she didn’t want to discuss what had just happened. “Just be careful on your way home. Thank you for coming.”

Aurora bid her farewell with mixed feelings. She was worried that the earlier incident might have a negative impact on her relationship with Alden in the future.

“Why are you quiet?”

Ten minutes into the journey home, Alden noticed Aurora sitting silently. Her gaze seemed vacant, as if she were pondering something heavy. And Alden was sure that Aurora was still disturbed by the commotion caused by Savana earlier.

“Are you thinking about the quarrel earlier?”

Aurora turned to him. The beautiful woman nodded weakly, behaving as if she were deeply troubled.

“Let it go… don’t think about it. Besides, it’s just slander.”

Aurora chuckled bitterly.

“Maybe you know it’s slander. But not everyone there who heard Mama Savana’s rant knows that what she accused me of is nothing but nonsense. Besides, I feel bad for your mom. Her birthday party was ruined because of that insignificant incident.”

As they arrived in front of Aurora’s house, Alden immediately unbuckled his seatbelt. He turned to face Aurora with a smile.

“Don’t worry, Mom won’t be angry. Besides, I’m sure she’ll understand.”

“Yeah.” Aurora knew that. “Perhaps Aunt Zendaya doesn’t mind. But I’m still worried that there will be unpleasant gossip afterward. Just imagine, Mama Savana telling everyone about my status as her son’s former wife.”

“So what? I don’t care if you’re anyone’s former wife.”

“I know,” Aurora debated irritably. “But still, others might think differently about your family. Not to mention she slandered me about being barren and having difficulty having children. A flirtatious widow who left debts.”

“Okay… okay.” Alden tried to calm her down. From her tone alone, he knew Aurora was getting worked up.

“I swear by anything, yes! Mama Savana really needs to be taught a lesson. She’s really gone too far.”

This time, Alden just smiled. He chose to offer a bottle of drink to Aurora and not respond to what she was complaining about, fearing she might be provoked further. If possible, he wanted Aurora to stop discussing Savana rather than getting angrier and ending up frustrated herself.

“Okay, let’s go, and when you get to your room, just rest. Please, don’t stress about what happened earlier.”

For her sanity, Aurora complied. She hoped that after this, there would be no more problems for her to worry about.

Meanwhile, Alden chose to return to his mother’s house instead of going to the apartment. As soon as he arrived and entered the house, Zendaya intercepted him. She called him over, asking him to come closer.

“Alden, Mama needs to talk to you seriously.”

Alden approached. He immediately took a seat next to his mother.

“It’s late, Ma. Can’t it wait until tomorrow?”

“No,” Zendaya shook her head. “I need to talk to you right now.”

“About what? About Aunt Savana’s rant? It’s all untrue. She’s just slandering.”

Zendaya shook her head again. She wore an extremely serious expression.

“Mama wants to make sure about Aurora.” Now it was Alden’s turn to put on a serious face. He tried to guess what his mother wanted to discuss with him.