Chapter 325: See, Awkwardness Came Too Quickly
Everyone teased and joked about Aurora.
Women can sometimes be each other's harshest critics.
The more beautiful and capable a woman is, the more likely she is to face jealousy and criticism.
Because so many people have a 'if I can't have it, neither should you' mentality.
Aurora stayed calm while everyone around her was mocking and taunting her.
Class representative Eric spoke up, "Everyone, let's ease up. We're all classmates; there's no need to make things so awkward."
If he really wanted to stop it, he wouldn't have waited until now.
Aurora was well aware of this. She took a sip of tea and asked, "May I ask what position your husband holds at AJ Group?"
The one who had been bragging about her husband was Nemesis Vaughn. Back in school, Nemesis always followed Selene around to curry favor with her.
Nemesis proudly replied, "My husband Brian Scott is an executive at AJ Group, managing the entire Southern Region. He has about a hundred people under him. If any of you need help, just let me know."
Aurora racked her brain but couldn't recall anyone named Brian being in charge of the Southern Region.
As soon as Nemesis finished speaking, people started to flatter her.
Nemesis enjoyed the compliments and became somewhat carried away.
"Aurora, just have your husband go to AJ Group and mention my husband's name." Nemesis suggested confidently.
Aurora replied politely, "I'm afraid I'll have to decline your kind offer. My husband's leg is injured; he can't handle a job in the security department."
Upon hearing that Aurora's husband was injured, everyone looked a bit schadenfreude, showing sympathetic expressions.
Maia asked with concern, "Aurora, is your husband's injury serious? My husband works at a hospital; maybe he can help."
Maia was sincere.
"It's okay, thank you," Aurora responded. "Please enjoy your meal, everyone. I have something to attend to, so I'll be taking off."
Aurora really didn't want to argue with these old classmates and didn't bother to expose Nemesis, finding it too pointless.
However, in others' eyes, her actions seemed like a retreat.
Selene stood up and grabbed Aurora, "Aurora, we just got together, and you're leaving? It might come off as disrespectful to everyone. Don't be embarrassed; we value all roles here, including being a housewife."
Selene pressed Aurora back into her seat, unintentionally showing off her new bracelet, which cost tens of thousands of dollars.
"Aurora, women age quickly after thirty. You can't neglect yourself like this. You need to live elegantly, use good skincare products, and wear nice clothes." Selene exposed her wrist, and the shiny bracelet caught everyone's eye.
Immediately, someone asked, "Selene, your bracelet is beautiful. How much did it cost?"
"Not much, just around a hundred thousand dollars." Selene's face was full of pride, her vanity completely satisfied.
"Just a hundred grand for this bracelet? Selene, you're living the high life! I can't even imagine."
"Selene's wrist is so slender and beautiful. With this bracelet, it looks even better."
"It's okay! It's nothing really." Selene pretended to be modest but was actually flaunting her wealth. She grabbed Aurora's hand, "Aurora, a woman should have some decent jewelry..."
Before she could finish, Selene saw the bracelet on Aurora's wrist and was stunned.
She was very knowledgeable about luxury goods and immediately recognized that Aurora's bracelet was extremely valuable.
But then she thought, Aurora dressed so plainly, the bracelet must be fake.
Others also noticed the bracelet on Aurora's wrist.
"Aurora, your bracelet is beautiful. It must be expensive."
Actually, no one could tell the true value of the bracelet; they just thought Aurora couldn't afford anything lavisnice. Inquiring about its price served as a means to embarrass her and elicit discomfort.
Aurora touched the bracelet on her wrist, "Are you talking about this? My husband gave it to me. He said it's not worth much; nothing in this world is more precious than me."
Don't blame Aurora; she wasn't lying.
When John gave it to her, that's exactly what he said.
To John, this bracelet worth over six million dollars was indeed not valuable; Aurora was priceless.
When they heard that it was a gift from Aurora's husband and that it wasn't worth much, everyone instinctively assumed it was cheap, just a trinket from a street vendor.
However, John's idea of "not worth much" was completely different from theirs.
Nemesis spoke up, "Aurora, nowadays men can be smooth talkers. Don't let someone fool you with a cheap trinket. While it's true that love is priceless and the value of a gift doesn't matter, you need to distinguish between sincere words and those meant to deceive you. Just because a man splurges on you doesn't guarantee his love, but a man who hesitates to spend on you likely doesn't hold true affection."
Everyone thought Aurora was too naive, being so happy with a cheap gift from her husband.
Aurora nodded in agreement, "You're right. As women, we mustn't let men deceive us with sweet talk; we need to be more discerning."
Aurora was actually reminding Nemesis, but others thought Aurora was just a fool who didn't understand the underlying meaning.
The way everyone looked at Aurora changed from disdain to contempt, and finally to pity.
Their hostility towards Aurora diminished significantly. Seeing Aurora living poorly and being deceived by her husband made them feel better, giving them a sense of superiority over her.
With Aurora as a comparison, they felt their own lives were much better.
Seeing that Nemesis hadn't caught on, Aurora asked, "How long have you been married to your husband?"
Nemesis smiled, "Just a month. We had a whirlwind romance; it was love at first sight. My husband is a local, and his parents are both university professors."
Aurora thought back to how she was deceived by John.
John pretended to be poor; she wondered if Nemesis's husband was pretending or if it was real.
At that moment, Nemesis's phone rang. She glanced at it and smiled, "My husband is next door. I'll call him over to meet everyone. Aurora, I'll put in a good word for you with my husband and help your husband find a job."
Saying this, Nemesis went out, eager to show off her husband.
Everyone knew what was going on, smiling on the outside but feeling jealous and uneasy inside.
In no time, Nemesis returned with a man.
The man looked decent, dressed in a suit, exuding a bit of an executive's demeanor.
"This is my husband, Brian," Nemesis introduced proudly, "He's currently in charge of market development for AJ Group in the Southern Region."
"Hello, everyone," Brian waved to the group, generously saying, "Today's meal is on me."
"Nemesis, your husband is so generous."
"Well, thank you in advance. We won't hold back."
Nemesis, feeling elated, waved her hand, "Order whatever you like."
Then, Nemesis brought Brian over to Aurora, "Honey, this is my classmate. Her husband is injured and out of work. Can you help arrange a job for him at AJ Group? We're all classmates; gotta look out for each other, right?"
She said it was to help each other, but it was actually to show off in front of Aurora.
Aurora sat there with a smile. When Brian caught sight of her, his face changed dramatically, almost going weak in the knees. He stammered, "Ms. White!"
The mention "Ms. White" made everyone look at Aurora in unison.
Nemesis was puzzled, "Honey, what do you mean by Ms. White?"
Brian, trembling, explained, "This is Ms. White, the wife of the owner of AJ Group."
This revelation shocked everyone in the class.
Aurora was actually the wife of the owner of AJ Group?
Little did they know, they had been teasing her all along, even joking about finding her a job.
The atmosphere around Aurora shifted instantly as everyone's expressions changed.
Jealousy, envy, and awe.
Aurora also recognized Brian. She smiled, "Mr. Scott, what a coincidence. I just heard your wife say you manage the entire market for AJ Group in the Southern Region. Since when did the security department manage the marketing department?"
"Security department?"
Everyone was surprised and then realized, "Nemesis, your husband is actually in security?"
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