Aurora Dourada: Retorno By Ricardo Almeida

Mila couldn’t help but worry. “Asher, you must attend with her on that day. No matter what happens, we must do our best to protect Bella

and not let anyone bully her.”

“Of course. Aunt Mila. Thank you for letting me know.”

After Asher left, Mila entered the study.

“Arnold, what happened earlier? Did you have a fight with Asher?”

Arnold crouched down, picking up the scattered books from the ground one by one, with his back facing Mila, his voice muffled.

“No, it’s nothing.”

“Stop lying. The argument was so loud that I could hear it from

outside. I just couldn’t make out what you were saying.”

Mila scolded him with a resentful expression on her face. “Asher has

always been calm. In all these years, I’ve never seen him lose his temper. You’ve only been here for a few days, and you’ve already

upset him like this? It must be your fault!”

Arnold became agitated upon hearing this. “What did I do wrong? He’s the one who wronged me!”

“Arnold! Stop making excuses! You’ve had your freedom out there for years with no one to control you, and now you’ve become even more arrogant and reckless!”

“If you want to live with the Thompson family, then getting along with

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everyone is important. But I can leave any time I want. I don’t need to curry favor with them!”

Arnold suddenly felt that the words he had uttered were too harsh, but it was too late to regret them.

Mila’s expression dimmed as bitterness rose in her heart. The air grew tense and quiet.

Arnold pursed his lips, feeling embarrassed. But before he could say something to ease the tension, Mila said softly, “I’m sorry, Arnold. I know I’ve embarrassed you and the entire Larson family. I’m forever the black sheep of the Larson family.”

“Aunt Mila, I didn’t mean that. I…”

“I know. I don’t deserve to be your aunt, let alone control you. I’m glad you came back this time. Just make sure to look after yourself from

now on.”

With a somber expression, Mila lowered her head and left the room.

“Aunt Mila!”

Arnold’s guilt intensified, and he was about to chase after Mila when something suddenly caught his attention.

A secret compartment in the empty section of the bookshelf stood

out. It would be impossible to detect if there were books covering it.

Arnold hesitated and reached into it, only to find it empty.

A strong wave of curiosity washed over him as he pursed his lips with

a mix of emotions.

After Ryan and lan left, Justin never saw Bella come out of her room again. When it was time for dinner, despite his persistent knocking on the door, she refused to come out. She kept giving excuses that she felt unwell and had no appetite.

Justin couldn’t understand what was wrong with her. She had been perfectly fine earlier that morning, so why did she change so drastically? He stood at the door, racking his brain to figure out where he might have made a mistake.

But he hadn’t done anything wrong. In fact, he hadn’t done anything at

all.

Just as Justin started feeling overwhelmed and helpless, the doorbell rang downstairs.

At that moment, Bella’s door also opened, and she stepped out wearing a peach-colored robe. Inadvertently, she bumped into Justin. and felt the impact of his strong muscles against her forehead.

“Why are you standing at the door like a guard? It’s such a rela afternoon. Aren’t you going to take a nap?” Bella rubbed her forehe

gently, her tone somewhat cold.

Justin held her with both hands, gazing deeply into her eyes, palms sweaty. “I was worried about you, so I’ve been waiting at the door.”

Then he reached up to touch her forehead. “Thankfully, you don’t have a fever. Is something bothering you?”

“It’s nothing.”