After taking a cold shower, Ricardo Vargas stepped into the study. There, he saw the butler, Don José, approaching him with a beaming smile and a cup of milk in his hand.
"You've had a hard day, young master."
Ricardo sat down on the sofa, took the milk, and took a sip. He said in a flat tone, "Don José, is the old lady satisfied?"
"Extremely satisfied! The old lady said that the big stone in her heart has finally been put down."
Ricardo sighed helplessly. "She's at ease, then."
"Young master, the old lady is getting on in years. It's inevitable that she worries. Since the fire, there haven't been any women around you, so she's naturally anxious," Don José consoled.
Ricardo's eyes fell on the documents that had been lying on the table all day. He picked them up and flipped through them, saying, "She was so anxious that she casually found me a woman who just broke up. Such a seamless hand - off and swapping between sisters for money, only business - minded people like the Morales family could do such a thing."
There was a four - inch photo of Aurora Morales attached to the document. The introduction below was sparse and mainly about her relationship with Javier Fernández.
Ricardo sensed something was wrong and asked, "What about the information about her before she was eighteen?"
"Before she was eighteen, Madam had been living in the countryside with her grandmother. Four years ago, after the old lady passed away, they contacted Diego Morales and brought her back," said Don José, who was quite familiar with Aurora's information. He sighed with emotion, "Madam has really had a tough life. Losing her mother at a young age and without her father by her side, she's endured hardships for so many years."
Ricardo, who didn't know much about this, asked a few more questions out of curiosity. "Wasn't she born to Catalina López?"
Don José replied, "No. Madam's mother and Diego Morales had a deep affection back then. Unfortunately, they got into a car accident not long after getting married... Diego Morales sent people to search for her everywhere, but there was no news. Later, Diego Morales married his current wife, Catalina López, and then they had the second young lady, Valentina Morales. It's a pity that the huge family business declined gradually in Diego Morales' hands and can no longer regain its former glory. Thinking back, Madam's mother was a well - known socialite in Westbrook city and also the top leader of the company. She turned down so many young gentlemen but fell in love with Diego Morales, a poor young man."
Ricardo gently rubbed the photo with his fingers, his eyes deep in thought.
Don José sighed and continued, "I don't know what the Morales family is up to. Originally, it was supposed to be the second young lady, Valentina Morales. Who would have thought... But don't worry, young master. Once you're married, the old lady surely won't bother you anymore."
Ricardo responded with a soft "hmm".
After a short pause, Don José continued, "Oh, young master, about the woman you asked me to investigate some time ago..." He looked hesitant. "The hotel you stayed at had a high - level of privacy. The surveillance footage would be checked by the staff before 12 noon every day. If there was no special situation, it would be deleted directly to prevent customer privacy from being leaked. When I went there, the surveillance footage of that night had already been destroyed. So... it might be difficult to find out who the woman who broke into your room is in the short term."
Ricardo closed the document and said indifferently, "There's no need to investigate anymore."
"But..."
"I've already found her," Ricardo said calmly.
Don José was both shocked and anxious. "Found her? Which family is she from? Has she seen your real face?"
Ricardo's lips curved slightly, as if he was in a good mood. "Don José, you can go out first."
Don José hesitated but then replied, "Yes."
After Don José left, Ricardo walked to the mirror. His slender fingers gently touched the left ear and then peeled off a piece of attached skin. Immediately, an extremely handsome face appeared. His skin was smooth, without any scars, and both sides of his face were identical.
That night, Aurora Morales had a very restless sleep. First, she couldn't find any women's clothes in the room, so she had to go to bed wrapped in a bathrobe after taking a shower. Second, she was worried that Ricardo might come back and, seeing her like this, something unexpected might happen. Third, she was not used to the bed, so she couldn't sleep soundly. She woke up every half an hour.
Unexpectedly, when she opened her eyes the next day, a strikingly handsome face came into view. Aurora woke up instantly. "Mr. Vargas, what are you doing here?"
Ricardo's eyes slowly swept across her flustered face, with a hint of exploration. Aurora quickly grabbed the quilt to cover herself in a flurry.
"The maid called you three times," Ricardo said lightly.
Aurora was stunned. She hadn't heard it at all... She remembered that the last time she looked at the clock was 4 am. Now it was already...
"Ten o'clock?"
Aurora sat up in bed and tidied her messy hair. "Sorry, I overslept. I'll wash up and get up right away."
Ricardo responded with a "hmm" but didn't show any sign of leaving.
Aurora frowned and asked, "Aren't you going out?"
"Are you going to go down for breakfast dressed like this?" Ricardo asked coldly.
"There are no clothes that fit me in the room," Aurora said, shrugging helplessly.
Ricardo looked at her innocent eyes and felt a twinge of pity. Before Aurora entered the house, he didn't know that she was the woman he had spent the night with. In order to perfunctorily deal with the old lady, he didn't prepare anything. He even skipped the wedding process, so naturally, he didn't think about buying clothes for her.
In fact, when the Morales family proposed to change the bride, Don José had put Aurora's information in his study at the first time, but he just hadn't looked at it.
Ricardo picked up a bag from the bedside and handed it to her. "I didn't know your clothing size, so I had someone buy a random one. After breakfast, you can go out and buy some things you like."
"Oh, thank you."
Aurora took the bag and hurried into the bathroom. Soon, she came out. Aurora wasn't used to this style of clothing, and her steps were a bit hesitant. Ricardo thought the fresh floral dress on her matched her clean temperament very well.
"Let's go. The old lady has been waiting for a long time."
Ricardo turned to leave. Aurora quickly grabbed his arm. "The old lady?"
"Yeah, my grandmother," Ricardo replied, looking down at her.
Aurora's warm little hand made Ricardo's arm feel hot through the thin clothes. Aurora secretly chided herself, "This is bad. I've already left a bad impression on the first day."
Ricardo didn't hear her murmur and instead held her hand. Aurora was startled and instinctively wanted to pull her hand back. But then she thought that this man was already her husband, and they would be living together day and night in the future. Since things had come to this, she might as well accept it calmly. After all, Ricardo didn't give her a bad impression.