She felt a sense of satisfaction as she hit "send," as if she had done sothing right for once.
Five minutes later, her phone buzzed. It was a reply from Aiden.
"Stop snooping around to get breaking news, Diana."
Diana’s face twisted in anger. "He’s so clueless," she muttered to herself.
She quickly typed back: "You should be ashad. Spencer only uses you guys as assets, not friends! He’s never seen you as anything more."
Within monts, Aiden’s response popped up: "Spencer may seem cold, but when it matters, he’ll act like an apprentice during tough tis. You’ll see."
Diana laughed bitterly. "Wanna bet, Aiden?" She typed quickly.
But the next mont, Aiden blocked her.
Diana blinked at her screen. Her ssages from that point on didn’t go through.
"Fine," she said, clenching her phone. "I’ll just leave him to it. Let him think he’s got everything under control. But one day, he’ll regret not paying attention to ."
Aurora walked into her house, still wearing the crown from the ceremony.
She was exhausted from the day’s events, but as she was about to head to her room, sothing caught her attention.
She glanced into the living room and saw a few unfamiliar faces.
Her aunt Jean was lying on the sofa, looking totally at ho. But it wasn’t just her aunt.
There were two young adults sitting on the chairs, both looked like they were in their early twenties. Aurora frowned, but she quickly masked her reaction.
Jean imdiately noticed her and smiled brightly. "Aurora! Co here, co sit down! Let introduce you to your cousins."
Aurora’s frown deepened slightly, but she walked into the living room with an air of calmness.
"Cousins?" she asked, raising an eyebrow as she looked at Jean.
Jean gave her a warm smile and nodded. "Yes, honey! This is Ruby and Tan."
Ruby, a woman in her twenties, smiled at Aurora. "Hi, Aurora! Nice to finally et you!"
Aurora nodded at Ruby and Tan, feeling a bit uncomfortable with the situation.
She was tired, and these people were strangers, but she kept her expression neutral.
Ruby, her voice sweet, smiled even wider. "I heard you won the Hocoming Queen award at school. That’s amazing!"
Aurora raised an eyebrow in surprise. "How do you know about that?" she asked, wondering if these strangers were really so interested in her life.
Ruby chuckled softly, explaining, "One of my best friends’ sisters goes to your school, and she told all about it. She’s so proud of you!"
Aurora smirked a little. "Well, it was just regular participation that got there," she replied, brushing off the complint.
Ruby’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. "Can I see the crown?" she asked eagerly.
Aurora paused, eyeing Ruby for a mont, before she took off the tiara and handed it over. "Sure, go ahead," she said, but kept a firm grip on it in case things went too far.
Ruby gasped as her fingers touched the crown. "Oh wow, it’s real!" she said, her voice full of awe. "This is so beautiful! And it’s studded with diamonds!"
Aurora stood quietly, watching Ruby admire the tiara. But Ruby didn’t seem to want to give it back just yet. Instead, she kept turning it in her hands, admiring it like it was her own.
"I look like a princess in a Disney movie!" Ruby said with a laugh, as she playfully placed it on her own head.
Tan, her brother, nodded in agreent. "Yeah, Ruby, you look good! But if you had just a little bit more makeover, you might beco one," he said with a smirk, hinting at sothing Aurora didn’t need to hear.
Jean, from the sofa, sighed with longing. "I wish my daughter had a tiara like this."
Ruby glanced at Aurora, a glint of hope in her eyes.
"Aurora, can I keep it?" she asked.
"It’s such a beautiful tiara, and you’ll probably win more anyway. I might never have the chance to get one like this again. Can you just... let have it?" she added, almost pleading.
Aurora’s eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of amusent flashing in her expression. "Who are you exactly?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
Ruby blinked, looking a little taken aback. "I’m your cousin, of course!" she said, her voice full of innocence.
Aurora tilted her head, unfazed. "You’re my cousin, not my mother. You don’t just get whatever I have."
Ruby’s face turned red. She looked at Aurora with tears welling up in her eyes.
"But... I’m just asking for sothing so small! Why are you being so hard-hearted?"
Aurora chuckled lightly, crossing her arms.
"You want to give you the tiara? How about this: when you’ve got a diamond-studded one of your own, and you’re willing to give it to , I’ll consider it."
Ruby’s face turned pale. "I would definitely give it to you if I had one!" she said quickly, but her voice wavered.
Aurora’s smile was cool as she nodded.
"Then one day, when you do have one, I’ll let you have this tiara. But for now, it stays with ." She held her hand out, expecting Ruby to return it.
That’s when Tan stepped forward, a lecherous look on his face.
He looked at Aurora with a sly grin.
"You’re taking things too seriously," he said, eyeing her in a way that made Aurora’s stomach turn.
"Won should be gentle and mild, not hard-hearted. Otherwise, no guy will even look at you."
Aurora raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Oh, trust . I don’t need any lessons from soone who looks like a virgin." She didn’t even flinch, her words cutting through the air.
Tan’s face turned red, and his temper flared. He pointed at Aurora. "You’re disrespecting !"
Aurora shrugged. "That was the point," she said nonchalantly.
She turned back to Ruby, her voice cool. "Now, if you don’t want to take this from you by force, you better give it back. Politely."
Ruby’s eyes darted from Aurora to Tan, clearly unsure about what to do.
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