Aria's next task for the day was to assist Jennifer and Harper, her cousins, with the evening party. Aria had nothing planned for the day because it was a weekend. She was in her final year of undergraduate studies, and she was a responsible student who excelled in all subjects. Her parents were overjoyed when she received accolades from her university. George Edwards, her grandfather, was very proud of her. When she was accepted into the top university through a scholarship for students who aced the entrance tests, he even gifted her a car.
Aria headed to the kitchen to load the dishwasher with the coffee cups. Grace, her eldest aunt, was there to see her. Aria smiled as she responded, "Good morning, Aunty Grace." Grace didn't return the smile, but she did have something to say, "I told them to make juices for Jennifer and Harper. They have gathered in Jennifer's room. Deliver it to them. They were also looking for you. Look into it since they require assistance." Grace raced out of the kitchen with that. Aria was used to being bossed around like this. She's grown accustomed to it.
Aria sets the coffee cups down and turns around to see a maid carrying a tray containing two juice glasses and two bowls of dry fruits. Aria takes the tray and heads towards climbing the stairs once again. Even in this generation, the family was one. But the truth was that George Edwards' older boys didn't trust one other enough to stay away. They were more concerned about their parents' wealth distribution. As a result, they stayed at the Edwards estate together.
Aria didn't knock because she was holding a plate in her hand. She entered the room by pushing the door open with her leg.
Jennifer, the family's second-oldest grandchild, was resting in her bed. Harper, the family's third-oldest grandchild, was seated in the whirling chair. They were both engrossed on their cellphones.
Jennifer's gaze was drawn to Aria as she heard the door to her room open and close.
"Do you have no idea how to knock on a door?" She inquired impolitely. Aria set the dish down on the table and said, "My hand was busy with something. As a result, I could not."
"Then you should have requested permission," Harper remarked, her phone still in her hand. Aria frowned, puzzled as to why she needed to ask permission. It wasn't as if she was invading their personal space. They had only asked for her presence.
Aria chose not to respond right now, instead handing the juice glasses to each of them one by one. Jennifer took it quietly while focusing on her phone. "The next time you don't respond to anything I say, you'll get a hit on the head," Harper stated angrily as he took the glass from Aria's hand. Aria took a step back and took a look around the room. She had no idea what kind of help they needed from her.
"Aria, get downstairs immediately. I've received a delivery package. Pick that and return, "Jennifer remarked. "I can ask Mr Walton to get it," Aria said quickly.
Jennifer gave Aria a cold glance right away "Don't talk back to me; just follow my instructions. It's an important package, and that old man is going to mishandle it."
Mr Walton was the Edwards estate's most senior employee. He has devoted the most of his youth to serving this family. Because he had no relatives, George Edwards had permitted him to stay on the estate as a token of gratitude for his faithfulness. Considering his age and experience in the estate, he now supervises all of the estate's work.
Aria did not want to begin an argument at this moment, so she quickly ran downstairs to get the package. Most of the employees at the estate had already arrived by now. They did not miss how Aria was running towards the entrance of the estate.
Aria went back upstairs after signing for the parcel. When Mr Walton saw her while supervising a task, he felt horrible. He was well aware of how the family members treated her. But he was unable to intervene. In fact, every staff member at the estate was aware of Aria's treatment, and some of them were upset, while others were relieved for various reasons.
With heavy breathing, Aria stood in front of Jennifer. She gave the parcel to her and stated, "So there you have it. I've brought it with extra care."
Jennifer grabbed the parcel after tossing her phone on the bed. Aria calmly followed her instruction to obtain scissors. Aria stood silently and attentively as Jennifer unboxed the package. She peered inside the package a little to see what was inside.
Aria scoffs lightly when she sees what's inside the present, which Jennifer and Harper observe. "Can you tell me what you're scoffing at?" Harper asked rudely. She had come to a halt in front of Aria. Jennifer and Harper were both focused on Aria at the moment. Aria shook her head and said, "I didn't... it's just cosmetics, after all. Mr Walton could not possibly have handled it incorrectly." Aria punctuated her sentences with pauses.
Jennifer explained, "These are from another country." Aria, on the other hand, didn't understand something and expressed her dissatisfaction "You already have cosmetics from another nation on your shelf. Why would you want to buy more?" The designs and tags on the cosmetics caught her attention. 'Made in France,' it said. Why do they use cosmetics from different countries for every party? Aria was baffled by the necessity of wearing makeup.
Harper came dangerously close to hitting Aria in the head, but Aria was quick to lean back and avoid the blow. Angered by this, Harper spat out, "Don't try to outsmart yourself. You have nothing to do with what we buy or what we do. Now, let's go get our evening attire ready. It must be on its way from the boutique right now."
"Should we bring her along?" Aria was dejectedly gathering up the empty juice cups when Jennifer inquired. "For what?" Harper asked back. Harper responded with a question. She felt compelled to bring Aria along. After all, this was a major event, and she didn't want to miss out on the opportunity to meet the world's wealthiest family.
"Perhaps to assist us with our dresses. I wouldn't put my gowns in the hands of anyone other than Aria. She may be Edwards' poor granddaughter, but she has some life-saving abilities." Jennifer was correct in her assessment of Aria, and Harper couldn't come up with a retort. She simply nodded and proceeded to inspect the cosmetics.
When Aria heard her name called, she had already opened Jennifer's room door to go downstairs. She turned around, completely uninterested in listening to her older cousins. "You're coming to the party with us," Aria's face lit up with joy when she heard Jennifer's comments, but it quickly faded when she heard Harper utter "Don't get too worked up. We're merely taking you with us to assist us with the gowns. Oh, and you'll be staying back in the Carter's parking lot. So, put on something presentable and not anything shabby."