Chapter 3 Mrs. Johnson Goes Out to Work
After a brief moment of confusion, Aurora quickly pulled herself together.
The next day, she contacted an agency to find a nanny who could care for Julia. After interviewing several candidates, she finally settled on a middle-aged woman in her forties or fifties.
The woman had a kind face, worked efficiently, and most importantly, Julia accepted her quickly.
Once Aurora had hired the nanny, that same afternoon she bought a professional outfit and prepared to interview at companies.
Fortunately, despite her three-year gap in employment, she had graduated from a prestigious university with an outstanding academic record, so she quickly received interview notifications.
Aurora found the location and knocked on the door.
"Come in."
Aurora pushed the door open. The man behind the desk showed a flash of admiration in his eyes the moment he saw her. His gaze flickered, and his smile became more genuine.
"Here for the interview? Please, have a seat," Leon Scott said, standing up.
Aurora thanked him and sat down across from him.
Leon's gaze swept over her waist before he discreetly looked away. "I've already reviewed your résumé. In every respect, you meet our company's requirements. But would you mind explaining why there's a three-year gap?"
Aurora hesitated for a brief moment.
In the current job market, if she told the truth, the interview would almost certainly end in failure.
She took a deep breath and explained, "I hit a creative block in design back then, so I chose to take time to develop my skills further."
"I see." Leon nodded. "Do you have any completed work on hand? Our company is currently negotiating an important partnership. If you can land this deal, we can discuss both commission and salary."
Aurora's eyes lit up with delight. "No problem."
Though she'd been home these past years, she'd often sketched designs to keep her skills sharp, and she'd carefully preserved many of her inspired works.
Aurora was confident she could win this partnership.
Leon's expression turned meaningful.
...
Michael arrived home three days later.
He dragged his exhausted body through the door and instinctively called out, "Bring me some water."
His words fell into silence with no response. He frowned slightly and looked up to find the house completely dark. Aurora and Julia, who usually sat on the sofa waiting for him, were nowhere to be seen.
Gone too were those incessant calls of "Daddy" and "Michael."
Michael frowned, somewhat uncomfortable with the change. He called for a servant. "Where are Aurora and Julia?"
The servant's eyes shifted. Remembering the pain from being kicked a few days ago, she immediately began complaining. "Mr. Johnson, thank goodness you're back. A couple days ago, Mrs. Johnson suddenly wanted to leave with Ms. Julia. We were worried something might happen, so we tried to stop her, but... but Mrs. Johnson attacked us."
"We don't even know how Ms. Julia is doing now. She still has that heart condition."
The servant's face was full of concern.
Michael frowned and said coolly, "Since you know she's Mrs. Johnson, you still dare to gossip about her?"
The servant froze, clearly not expecting this reaction.
"But—"
"Go to the butler to settle your wages. Leave immediately."
Michael dropped those words and headed upstairs.
When he entered the bedroom, he noticed something seemed missing. He frowned and looked more carefully, discovering that all of Aurora and Julia's belongings were gone.
Aurora had arrived quietly, occupying his living space, but left with fanfare, as if desperate to announce to the world that they were cutting him off unilaterally.
Michael rubbed his temples, an inexplicable irritation filling his chest.
He frowned and pulled out his phone to call his assistant. "Find out where Aurora and Julia are."
"Yes, sir."
The call had just ended when another came in—from Michael's childhood friend Jeffrey Foster. "Michael, come out for a drink?"
Michael frowned. "Not going."
"Come on, man. Tiffany's only been back a few days and you're already so lost in romance you've forgotten us?" Jeffrey asked dramatically. "What, you're choosing women over friends now?"
Michael was about to tell him to stop talking nonsense, but his eyes caught the empty nightstand beside him. The words on his lips changed. "Where?"
"The usual place. Hurry up."
...
Half an hour later, at Velvet Club.
A black Cayenne pulled up silently at the entrance. Michael got out, casually tossed the keys to the valet, and strode quickly into Emerald City's famous den of luxury.
His figure had just crossed the threshold when Aurora came rushing up from behind.
She ran while checking the time, her heart racing with anxiety.
During her interview a few days ago, the company had clearly scheduled the meeting for 8 PM, but at the last minute they'd changed their minds and said 9 PM instead.
This delay coincided exactly with Julia's bedtime, and she'd clung to Aurora for a full half hour before finally letting go.
By the time Aurora had finally coaxed Julia to sleep and rushed over, she was still going to be late.
Her heart pounding with worry, she finally found the private room and knocked before hurrying in. Without looking at the scene inside, she bowed her head and immediately apologized. "I'm so sorry, everyone. I'm here to—"
Her words cut off abruptly.
Aurora's gaze locked onto Michael sitting across from her.
He must have just arrived. His crisp shirt was impeccable, with two buttons undone revealing his sexy collarbone. His refined features looked cold and sharp in the lighting.
Michael had clearly seen Aurora too. Frost instantly spread across his face.
This woman had made such a fuss about getting divorced, and now she showed up dressed like this to work and meet clients? Did she have any idea what she might encounter looking like that?
Today, to meet the client, Aurora had dressed according to company requirements in a lotus-pink sleeveless dress. The belt accentuated her slender waist, and below were her perfectly proportioned legs.
Her skin was luminous white, and she wore silver high heels that dazzled with every step.
Leon sat in a lower seat, looking at Aurora's outfit with growing confidence. "Why are you standing there? Hurry up and greet Mr. Johnson and Mr. Foster."
Aurora snapped back to attention. Looking at the two men in the seats of honor, she lowered her eyes and spoke. "Good evening, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Foster."
Jeffrey nearly bit his tongue looking at Aurora's appearance.
God, how had he never noticed that Michael's plain-Jane wife could look this stunning when dressed up? But what was going on here?
Did Mrs. Johnson actually need to work now?
