At the Walton residence.

Tessa had already heard that Grace had met with Aurora. She couldn’t help wondering what the two of them had talked about. Watching her mother sitting on the sofa with a pleasant expression only made her more curious – had they made some sort of private arrangement behind her back? Tessa knew very well that Grace had always favored Aurora. After all, she herself hadn’t achieved much at the company.

She hadn’t secured a single project, and even the shareholders had started voicing their dissatisfaction. Knowing all this filled Tessa with resentment, but there wasn’t much she could do. She’d been trying hard to improve her own performance, yet nothing seemed to work. No matter how she tried, the contracts never went through. For some reason, everyone only wanted to work with Aurora.

Worse still, they flatly refused to collaborate with anyone else. The thought alone made Tessa’s chest burn with frustration. She stepped behind Grace and began to gently knead her shoulders.

Grace’s tense body immediately relaxed, and a look of comfort spread across her face. Still, she asked with mild surprise, “Tessa, what’s this all of a sudden?”

“Mom, what are you talking about?” Tessa feigned annoyance but kept her hands moving. “It’s only natural that I care about you. You’ve been working so hard lately, I can see how tired you are.”

“My sweet girl,” Grace said with a satisfied smile. Yes, this was her eldest daughter. Between her two girls, wasn’t it obvious which one she preferred? Aurora had never once shown such thoughtfulness toward her.

“It’s only right that I do what I can to ease your stress,” Tessa continued gently. “You’ve been through so much, and I really do feel for you. I know I haven’t performed as well as my sister at work, but I’ve been trying my best to learn.” Her voice carried a hint of guilt and a faint tremor, both of which Grace caught immediately, her heart softening at the sound.

Grace’s expression froze for a moment. She hadn’t realized how much her eldest daughter had been thinking or how hard she’d been trying. She had indeed been frustrated lately – compared to Aurora, Tessa’s business ability was clearly lacking. At the company, she hadn’t earned anyone’s respect, and now things were only getting worse.

The pressure from the shareholders was relentless, and Grace had started to regret agreeing to Aurora’s resignation. She used to believe the company would function just fine without her younger daughter – that no one was indispensable. But now it was clear she’d been wrong. Aurora’s capability had always stood out; in truth, she’d surpassed nearly everyone else at the company. Under her leadership, the business had reached new heights. And the moment she left, everything began to crumble, even worse than before.

Still, despite the mounting pressure, Grace reminded herself not to put that burden on Tessa. Yet now, hearing her daughter’s words, she realized Tessa already knew. The guilt in her voice was unmistakable.

Grace sighed softly, her tone gentler as she said, “It’s alright. No one is born knowing how to do these things. As long as you keep learning, you’ll get there. I believe you can become even better than Aurora.”