Rebirth: A Second chance at life-Chapter 43: Did she get back with Alexander?

Aurora stepped into the tiny basement room, her gaze sweeping over the miserable sight before her. Luna didn’t even know what to say. Aurora had suffered far worse than just being locked in a basement, but seeing the reality of it still made her blood boil.

Even though she had inherited the original Aurora’s memories, witnessing the wretched conditions firsthand sent a cold wave of disgust through her. The air was thick with dampness, and the stench of mold clung to the crumbling walls, which were stained with years of neglect. The dim, flickering bulb cast eerie shadows across the narrow space, making it feel even more suffocating.

This was meant to be her room—if one could even call it that. A daughter of the Smith family, yet she was treated worse than a servant. Even the maids had proper bedding, yet all she had was a hard, uneven floor. Aurora scoffed, shaking her head at the sheer cruelty of it all.

Pushing aside her thoughts, she walked over to the old wooden table, her fingers tracing its rough surface. She knew exactly what she was looking for. Reaching deep inside the hidden compartment, she pulled out a carefully wrapped pendant—the only possession the original Aurora had ever cherished.

Aurora let out a low chuckle, her fingers tightening around the real pendant as amusement flickered in her eyes. Lily was trying to buy me with a fake pendant... How ridiculous. Did that woman have any idea that the so-called dumb and foolish Aurora—the girl they tormented and treated like trash—had already fooled them once?

The real pendant had never left Aurora’s possession. She had carefully safeguarded the one thing her grandmother had left her, the only possession Aurora truly cherished. While they schemed and sneered, thinking they had control over her, she had silently outplayed them. Poetic justice, Luna mused, a smirk curling on her lips.

Aurora unwrapped the cloth with steady hands, and as the jade pendant was revealed, her eyes narrowed in astonishment.

The deep green glow of the emerald jade was unlike anything she had ever seen. The quality was impeccable—so rare that even the wealthiest elites would struggle to obtain such a piece. The more she studied it, the more her shock deepened. This wasn’t just valuable—it was priceless.

How in the seventh hell did Grandma Helen come across something like this? Aurora thought, her mind racing. The pendant’s origins were a mystery, but she would uncover the truth soon enough. For now, she slipped the jade securely into her pocket, her expression unreadable as she turned to leave.

As she ascended the stairs, her sharp gaze landed on two more members of the Smith family—her stepfather and the matriarch herself. Their expressions flickered between disdain and curiosity, but Aurora paid them no mind.

Turning to Lily, a cold smirk tugged at her lips. "Don’t even think about messing with me any further," she said, her voice laced with an eerie calm that sent a chill through the air. "I am not registered under this family, my father is dead, and the one who raised me is gone as well. From this moment on, refrain from reaching out to me."

Her words, dangerously low yet powerful, echoed through the grand hall, making it clear—Aurora Smith no longer existed. The one standing before them was someone they should fear.

"You fool!" Lily’s voice cracked with rage, her trembling finger pointing accusingly. "Do you truly believe you can defy your own mother?!" Her breath came in ragged gasps as her face twisted in fury.

Then, as if a switch had flipped, she staggered back dramatically, clutching her chest. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, her lips quivering as she turned to the crowd that had gathered. "Oh, look, everyone! Bear witness to my misfortune! What an unfilial daughter I have!" She let out a strangled sob, her voice rising to a fevered pitch. "Heaven will punish you for this!"

Her shrill wails echoed, weaving through the tense air like a siren’s cry, demanding sympathy—demanding judgment.

"Enough!" Stephen Smith’s voice thundered through the hall, cutting through Lily’s hysterics like a blade. The weight of his authority settled over the room, silencing even the whispers among the gathered onlookers.

His face darkened, his sharp eyes narrowing as he turned his gaze upon his wife. "I told you," he said, each word laced with ice, "not to bring your bastard child into this home." His voice dripped with disdain, his hands tightening into fists at his sides.

"And now, look at the mess your child has created," he sneered, his glare shifting to the trembling figure before him. "The Smiths were generous enough to put a roof over her head, yet this is how she repays us?"

Veronica’s grandmother scoffed, her lips curling in disgust. "Well, what do you expect from an ill-bred child?" she sneered, her sharp gaze flickering between Lily and her daughter. With a slow shake of her head, she let out a cold chuckle. "I warned you, Stephen. I told you not to marry this vile woman. But did you listen?"

She turned her piercing gaze back to Lily, her voice dripping with contempt. "And now, look at the ungrateful creature she dragged into our home—dirtying it with her very presence." freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

With that, she spun on her heel, her silk robes swaying with the movement. She had made her judgment, and in her eyes, there was nothing more to say.

But just as she took a step toward the door, a quiet yet firm voice shattered the tense silence.

"Wait," Aurora said.

The room, heavy with hostility, stilled. All eyes turned to her—the timid girl who had always been too afraid to speak. But something was different this time.

Her fists clenched at her sides, her once downcast eyes now holding a glint of something unfamiliar—something dangerous.

Aurora lifted her head, her lips curling into the faintest, most chilling of smiles. Her once timid gaze now held an icy sharpness, piercing through the so-called family that had tormented her for years.

"The Smith family has never welcomed me," she said, her voice laced with mockery. "But let me make one thing clear—I never wanted to be here in the first place."

She reached into her purse, pulling out a stack of crisp bills. Without a second glance, she flung them at Lily and Stephen, the fluttering notes landing at their feet like discarded scraps.

"Take this—ten thousand dollars. Consider it payment for all the years you so graciously fed me stale bread and rice," she continued, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "And of course, I must thank you for the ’room’ you gave me—one that not even a mouse would find suitable, let alone a human."

The entire room fell into stunned silence.

Aurora let out a soft chuckle, shaking her head. "I’ve done more work in this household than a maid, yet you act as if I owe you something. So here you go," she gestured toward the money with a smirk. "I’m returning your so-called generosity—double-fold."

Without waiting for a response, she turned on her heel, her every movement exuding confidence, power, and finality.

Everyone stood frozen, their expressions a mix of shock and disbelief.

The same thought echoed in their minds—Where did she get the money?

Stephen and Grace, the Smith matriarch, were especially shaken. Their gazes bore into Aurora, as if seeing her for the first time. Is this really the same weak, spineless girl they once knew?

Veronica’s mind raced. Did Alexander give her alimony? Did he provide her with money?

She clenched her fists, recalling Alexander’s strange behavior from yesterday. He had been different—distant, thoughtful even. The idea clawed at her, making her stomach churn. Did she get back with Alexander?

Her heart burned with fury at the possibility. This bitch!

Her jaw tightened, teeth grinding in barely contained rage. But before she could let her anger explode, her mother’s voice rang out, calm yet laced with something sinister.

Whatever she said—it was enough to make Veronica’s smirk return.

Oh... so that’s how it is.

"You wicked girl!! You actually think that your so-called sugar daddy will protect you forever? Is that why you suddenly have the audacity to run your mouth in front of us?" Lily’s voice dripped with venom, her face twisted in pure rage.

She took a step forward, her manicured nails digging into her palm as she clenched her fists. "Once he gets tired of you and throws you away like the useless trash you are, you’ll come crawling back. But don’t think for a second that we will take you in!" Her voice was sharp, filled with mockery and hatred.

Lily’s blood boiled as she glared at Aurora. The plan was crumbling before her eyes, and the consequences of failure loomed over her like a storm cloud. She had promised her husband that Aurora would be handed over to Mr. Harrison tonight, securing them a lucrative business deal. Mr. Harrison, a man infamous in the elite circle for his twisted desires, had already set his sights on Aurora, and in return, he had promised her husband an exclusive project in South City.

If Aurora slipped through her fingers now, not only would she lose the deal, but she would also face her husband’s fury—a price she was not willing to pay.

Aurora paid no heed to the chaotic theatrics of the Smith family, their shouts and curses fading into meaningless noise. Without sparing them a second glance, she turned on her heels and strode toward the entrance, her posture exuding an air of indifference. Lily’s furious screams echoed behind her, but Aurora remained unaffected, as if their existence no longer held any significance in her world.

Reaching her sleek black car, she pulled open the door and slid inside. With deliberate care, she retrieved a small, sealed packet from the compartment and carefully placed the few strands of hair she had plucked from Lily earlier inside it. A smirk tugged at her lips.

Everything has a purpose... And soon, Lily would learn that some mistakes come with a price.