The three of them looked utterly pitiful, but their eyes were glued to the cloth pouch in Aurora Sinclair’s arms.
Aurora Sinclair shook her head. "You can’t use it all the ti."
"Why not?"
"Its effectiveness will diminish."
The three of them had no choice but to back down. However, Zeke Quincy shalessly demanded a bottle, arguing that since Jean Quincy and Tanner Sinclair both got one, he should too.
This topical dicine was incredible. A single spoonful could apparently be reused two or three tis. Once the black, fibrous substance no longer congealed into a "jelly," it ant the dicine was spent.
The trio grew even more curious about Aurora Sinclair’s junior apprentice and insisted she invite the girl to Kingsford for a visit after her college entrance exams.
Aurora Sinclair nodded in agreent.
The trio was very satisfied!
anwhile, Hailey Gordon and Stella Sinclair’s faces darkened completely.
’That Aurora Sinclair is a freak,’ Hailey Gordon cursed inwardly, over and over. ’She’s a freak, and so are the people around her...’
Others might not know, but years ago, she had been in the room of Aurora Sinclair’s mother, Noelle Rhodes, and had seen all sorts of glass bottles. They were covered in chemical symbols she couldn’t decipher, written in red and blue ink, and looked utterly bizarre.
Noelle Rhodes was supposed to be an ordinary biology teacher.
Back then, in an attempt to figure out what Noelle Rhodes was up to, Hailey had tailed her. What she saw was a scene that still gave her goosebumps just thinking about it.
Noelle Rhodes had been mixing her own concoctions and testing them on her daughter, Aurora Sinclair, while Thomas Sinclair actually helped...
The reflection in the car window mirrored the terror in Hailey Gordon’s eyes.
"Mom, where on earth did Aurora Sinclair learn martial arts?"
Stella Sinclair, who had been bottling it up all evening, finally couldn’t hold back. She clenched her fists and turned to Hailey Gordon.
She was finding Aurora Sinclair far too mysterious, to the point of being frightening. It was as if Stella herself was insignificant before her.
She was like a treasure buried deep underground, waiting for the day it would be unearthed to stun the world.
Beside her, Hailey Gordon snapped out of her reverie. Seeing the fear and worry in her daughter’s heart, she pulled her into a comforting embrace. "Stella, you have to rember: the only young lady of the Sinclair family is Stella Sinclair. Aurora is just a freak. She’ll never be your equal!"
"Mom, I’m scared... Grandpa likes her, our uncle likes her, and now even Jean Quincy and Zeke Quincy are fawning all over her..." Stella’s voice was laced with indignation and resentnt.
"Being liked isn’t the sa as being valued. Stella, you need to be the one the Sinclair family values, not so good-luck charm that a few people are fond of."
’Compared to a few individuals, the entire Sinclair Family is what truly matters!’
A vicious glint flashed through Hailey Gordon’s eyes.
’Master Sinclair wants to pave the way for that freak?’
’Not on my watch! He can forget about it!’
***
「The next morning.」
Early the next morning, Aurora Sinclair received a call from Jean Quincy.
"Aurora, my foot fits in my shoe!" Jean Quincy sounded so happy she could have pirouetted on the spot.
"Good. But don’t dance."
"Aurora, my dad said he wants to treat you to a al to thank you for healing my foot. When are you free?"
Aurora Sinclair glanced at her new class schedule and replied, "Sunday evening."
"Huh? What about Sunday during the day?"
"I’ll be painting."
Jean Quincy was speechless.
She had thought herself busy, but she never expected Aurora Sinclair to be even busier.
After she hung up, Butler Sinclair, who was sitting across from Aurora, placed a bowl of porridge in front of her, smiling. "Miss Aurora, I’ve already spoken with the two professors. You won’t need to attend your tutoring sessions before the art school entrance exam. You can just focus on learning traditional Chinese painting with Mr. Anson..."
Aurora Sinclair held the porridge bowl and nodded obediently.
Last night, after returning ho, Stella Sinclair had called Master Sinclair to recomnd a Tier-2 mber of the Calligraphy Association.
This mber had supposedly won runner-up in a youth calligraphy and painting competition. He also owned a private art gallery and, when not creating his own pieces, spent his ti teaching students traditional Chinese painting.
Most of his students were girls, so he had a wealth of teaching experience.
To put Master Sinclair at ease, she even sent him the mber’s profile and photo.
Master Sinclair agreed imdiately, heaping praise on her over the phone, and then told Butler Sinclair to arrange Aurora Sinclair’s study schedule.
***
「anwhile, at Arcadian University.」
Beta Morgan sat idly in his chair, watching his brothers bustle about.
"Pip, I’m still not used to Miss Sinclair not coming around anymore."
Benjamin Morgan glanced at him but didn’t respond.
’Only his second brother, who always thinks he’s so damn smart, would say sothing so suicidal.’
Sure enough, it wasn’t long before Alvin Morgan finished a stage of his experint and said coolly, "Beta Morgan, go to the Old Master’s study and get the set of brush, ink, paper, and inkstone from the desk."
Benjamin Morgan was speechless.
That set of the "Four Treasures of the Study" was all top-of-the-line, the kind of thing only the leaders of the Seven Great Families had the privilege of using. Its value was on par with a piece made by a Craftsman.
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