Grandpa Aston was silent for a moment, then gently folded the prescription paper covered in writing and placed it back in Aurelie’s hand.
“Keep it safe for now,” he said.
“This shouldn’t be decided right now—I need to have a serious talk with your husband and those old fogies on the board about how much ‘Moonlight Illusion’ is worth and how it should be handled.”
He paused, then took a silver ring engraved with the Keegan family crest from his wrist and slipped it onto Aurelie’s middle finger.
“Please wear this for now—it’s a small token of my appreciation as your grandfather.”
The ring was a bit too big, dangling precariously on her finger, yet it carried warmth akin to body heat.
Grandpa turned to Carrin and smiled, saying, “Your sister-in-law was just frightened by a falling object today.
Let her rest before proving anything.” Although Grandpa spoke with a smile, his authority remained undiminished.
“Take Miss Aurelie to the room prepared for her,” said Grandpa Aston.
“Take good care of her, and don’t let me hear anyone disturbing her.”
The maids led Aurelie to the master bedroom where Vincent usually slept.
After the maids left, Aurelie looked for her pajamas but couldn’t find them.
She had no choice.
She took a Vincent shirt from the closet and groped around until she found a slightly thinner one.
The shirt was too big for her petite frame and unsuitable as pajamas, but Aurelie didn’t care and went straight to the bathroom to shower.
Just as Aurelie was about to undress, her cell phone’s familiar ringtone above the sink broke the silence of the spacious, luxurious bathroom.
This was Ivy’s special ringtone.
Ivy was Aurelie’s childhood friend from the orphanage.
The orphanage housed just seventeen kids, their ages spanning a full decade.
Among them were a handful of low-tier abandoned werewolves, Aurelie included.
Vampires lived there too.
So did deformed creatures and other isolated supernatural beings—even a mermaid.
From the moment children arrived, caregivers assessed their talents and baseline capabilities, then trained each one in specialized skills meant to keep them alive once they left.
Out of those seventeen abandoned souls, Aurelie stood alone as a prodigy, mastering every skill anyone bothered teaching her.
Theory came naturally to her.
But she excelled equally in hands-on work, moving through practical tasks with remarkable flexibility and speed.
“Evie!” Aurelie’s voice brightened instantly.
“You finally called!”
“How’s everything?
You okay?
When are you coming back here?”
“I’m doing fine, Evie.
But I can’t return to the orphanage yet.
You know why—I won’t go back until I’ve found that Soul Summoner perfume formula.
I made a promise,” Aurelie said.
“Yeah, I get it,” Evie replied, her sigh heavy with disappointment.
“Oh wait, almost slipped my mind,” Evie continued.
“I was browsing the dark web earlier—guess what I found?
Someone’s trying to buy the ‘Moonlight Fantasy’ perfume formula!” She paused.
“They’re offering serious money apparently.
Want to know who the buyer might be?”
“Huh?
Who is it?” Surprise colored Aurelie’s response.
“Oh, you definitely know this person.
The name reads F.
Love.
M,” Evie said, barely containing her laughter.
“Ah!” Aurelie laughed outright.
“Should’ve guessed.
God, she’s so sickeningly sweet.
Loves that bastard Matthew so much she plasters his initials on everything.”
“So?
Would you actually sell the formula to your beloved stepsister?” Evie asked.
After ending the call, Aurelie hurried through a quick shower, pushed open the bathroom door, and stood there drying her hair with a towel.
She took one step forward, then…
“Ouch!”
Her face smacked straight into what felt like a high wall.