Aurelia was no stranger to this; there was only ever one mistress of the house. It used to be her mother, but now it was that woman, Clara Philips. The servants were quick to adapt, and they wouldn’t risk offending the current mistress for the sake of a disfavored young lady like her.
After waiting a while longer and seeing no one coming down from the second floor, Aurelia couldn’t stand it any longer. She grabbed her phone and dialed Mason Nightshade’s number.
The phone only rang once before it was picked up, and a man’s deep, magnetic voice came through the receiver. Though it was just a simple word: "Hello."
Mason glanced at his phone, realizing how late it was. Seeing her call, he knew she must have been getting impatient.
Indeed, getting her to wait so obediently for this long was already quite an achievement.
Balthazar Shaw noticed the situation and stopped talking. Mason ignored Balthazar’s inquiring gaze and answered the call, his voice softening as if no one else was around. Even his usually cold and sharp eyes softened.
Mason asked with a gentle laugh, his expression soft, showing none of the cold indifference and fierce gaze he had when facing Balthazar.
"When are you going to be done?"
Aurelia yawned as she asked, her voice chilly and impatient.
If Balthazar Shaw were to hear how she spoke to Mason, he would likely be fuming. One would expect a father-in-law to have the upper hand over a son-in-law, but for the past three hours, he had been consistently overshadowed by Mason, barely able to lift his head in front of him.
Mason raised his wrist, glanced at the time, and said, "About half an hour more."
Hearing this, Aurelia frowned, "Tell Ignatius Yates to send me home."
"Just wait a bit longer, it’ll be over soon, okay?" Mason coaxed her softly.
"Forget it, I’ll have the Shaw Family’s car take me back," Aurelia muttered and hung up the phone.
Mason looked at the phone with a grim expression, stood up, and said to Balthazar Shaw, "We’ll talk about the rest another day, I have something to deal with now."
"Is there something important? Can I help?" Balthazar stood up as well.
Mason raised his eyelids, his sharp eyes fixed on Balthazar’s square face, the flickering gaze unable to hide any emotion—ah, he really has aged. Mason curled his lips coldly and said, "Didn’t you just hear what I need to do? What are you trying to verify?"
Balthazar was taken aback, staring at Mason’s eagle-like sharp black eyes, feeling oppressed as if he’d been seen through. He had been navigating the business world for years—if not a wily old fox, at least deeply cunning—yet he didn’t expect a 25-year-old, who hadn’t been in business long, could make him nearly lose his composure.
Did Mason see that he was deliberately dragging time?
Balthazar laughed dryly, "What is there to verify or not, we are a family. If there’s anything you need help with, just let me know. Aurelia is the daughter of my late wife and me. She lost her mother young and may be a bit unruly and willful. Please be more tolerant with her in the future."
The abrupt change of topic was quite jarring. Mason laughed coldly and turned to leave. As he descended the stairs, he immediately saw the television flickering. The woman on the sofa was curled up like a cat in a corner, clutching a pillow to her chest. Her sharp chin rested on top of it, and her long, thick eyelashes cast a shadow on her fair, luminous face.
As he approached, he could hear her slow, even breathing. She must have been exhausted, falling asleep while watching TV.