Unpredictable Betrayal : A Sweet of Revenge

Alden glanced at Aurora’s figure from a distance. Leaning against the wall with both hands folded in front of his chest, he observed how busy Aurora was handling patients.

Honestly, Alden’s heart warmed. He enjoyed the sight this afternoon. But when he remembered his mother’s request instructing him to keep his distance from the woman he loved most, his heart instantly ached.

Alden patiently waited, praying day and night for a chance to be reunited with Aurora. And when he felt that his prayers had been answered, suddenly a trial came.

“I won’t do it! No matter what, I will never distance myself from Aurora.”

In front of his mother, Alden made his stance clear. Despite being warned, he insisted he would not distance himself even an inch from the woman he had loved for so long.

“Does that mean you don’t love Mama?”

Alden laughed bitterly. He responded to his mother’s words casually.

“There are many ways to show my love and devotion to you, Mama. If you want, I would even give the world to prove how much I love and care for you. But not by distancing myself from someone who is clearly not at fault.”

“Are you okay seeing Mama become the subject of ridicule and the target of others’ insults fueled by slander?”

Alden shook his head.

“Of course, I’m not okay with it. But both of us know that Aunt Savana is the one at fault and spreading rumors. So why should Aurora be the one to be avoided?”

“Mama is taking this stance because she doesn’t want you to be seen as using Aurora for personal gain. Mama doesn’t want our family to be accused of things because it’s assumed we’re seeking benefits.”

“Exactly. Give me time to clear Mama’s name. Let me prove and resolve this issue from its roots. Don’t push me to run away from the problem and shift the blame onto Aurora, who is clearly a victim of irresponsible slander.”

For God’s sake, Alden wouldn’t stay silent. He would do whatever it takes to convince his mother that Aurora is the only one worthy of being his companion. Whatever it takes, Alden would do to gain his mother’s blessing and permission to freely engage with Aurora again. If necessary, he would propose and marry Aurora as soon as possible.

“Alden.”

From behind, someone gently tapped his shoulder. Turning around, he found Asher standing there, smiling at him.

“Asher… what is it? Is there a patient needing surgery?”

Asher shook his head. That wasn’t his reason for approaching Alden.

“I want to talk to you about something important. Can you come to the room for a moment?”

Alden agreed with a nod. He followed Asher to the men’s room. Once there, he was immediately invited to sit on the sofa on the right side of the room.

“What important matter do you want to discuss with me? Is it about a patient?”

Asher shook his head. Leaning back in his chair, Asher took a more relaxed and comfortable position.

“It’s about Aurora.”

“Aurora? What about her?”

Asher sighed softly. It wasn’t usual for him to act strangely like this. His gestures were exactly like someone who felt uncomfortable.

“I apologize in advance if my words offend you. I want to confirm about the incident that happened at your mother’s birthday party.”

Alden remained silent for a moment. Then he responded to Asher’s question.

“Did Aurora tell you about the unpleasant incident caused by Aunt Savana?”

Asher nodded. Because of this, he was also furious.

“Yes. Aurora has told me. She asked for my help to clean up all the mess that has happened. And this time, I’ll make sure everything is resolved to the core.”

As if getting a breath of fresh air, Alden became enthusiastic. He also wanted the problem to be resolved quickly so he could clear Aurora’s name and his mother’s from the accusations and vile slander spread by Savana. Imagine, because of that woman’s malicious words, many people were incited and ended up accusing them of various things.

“Before that, there’s something I want to tell you too, Ash. Honestly, because of this issue, my mother has become a subject of ridicule. Because of this, she even asked me to keep my distance and if possible, to distance myself from Aurora immediately.”

Asher was surprised. Alden’s story caught his attention. If his colleague’s mother forbade Alden from associating with Aurora, it meant something serious had happened, and he couldn’t just stay silent.

“What actually happened?”

Alden recounted the chronology of events that had befallen him and Aurora. He explained in detail about Savana’s sudden slandering and mercilessly cornering Aurora. Then he continued with the chaos in the WhatsApp group. Until the baseless accusations Savana had massively directed at Alden’s mother.

“Oh God…” Asher exclaimed, incredulous. He shook his head at the crazy behavior Savana had displayed. “Aunt Savana really needs to be taught a lesson.”

Alden agreed with a nod. He was frustrated himself with the unpleasant chaos that old woman had caused.

“Because of her words, many of Mama’s friends were incited. It’s strange how those educated people could easily believe. Yet, if they were to examine carefully, the accusations Aunt Savana often made were completely baseless.”

“So, because of this, your mother asked you to distance yourself from Aurora?”Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

With regret, Alden nodded.

“Yes.”

“And do you agree with that request?”

“No way. It’s ridiculous. Why should Aurora and I bear the burden when Aunt Savana is the one acting crazy? That’s why I have to find a way to solve all these problems so they don’t drag on.”

Asher appeared pleased with a smile. Seeing Alden’s determination, he felt confident that this time Aurora hadn’t made a mistake in choosing her partner. Observing Alden’s efforts, Asher became more enthusiastic about helping his brother and colleague resolve the ongoing issues.

“Let’s go back to our initial discussion.” Asher’s expression turned serious. Changing his sitting position, he leaned forward to speak closer. “After hearing your story just now, I want to ask for your help with something.”

Alden nodded. Though unsure of what kind of help was needed, he seemed willing to assist.

“Okay… what do you need help with?”

“As we know, Savana caused a scene and spread slander coincidentally at your mother’s birthday party, right?”

Alden nodded again.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“May I ask, are there CCTV cameras installed in your parents’ house?”

“Of course,” Alden confirmed. “Almost every corner of Mama’s house is equipped with CCTV.”

“Does the CCTV have audio?”

Alden nodded once again.

“Yes, Ash.”

Asher immediately snapped his fingers, his face beaming with a wide smile.

“In that case, I need you to provide a copy of the CCTV footage from the time of the recent incident. I want the footage that shows Aunt Savana badmouthing Aurora to everyone.”

Alden finally understood. Why hadn’t he thought of this before?

“Okay! I’ll copy it as soon as I get home from work, and I’ll make sure you receive the footage tomorrow morning.”

“And one more thing…” Asher continued. Before ending the conversation, he asked Alden for another favor. “You mentioned Savana also made derogatory remarks in Aunt Zendaya’s WhatsApp group, right?”

“Yes.”

“In that case, could you also take photos of some of Savana’s messages in that group that deliberately spread slander and accused Aurora of various things? Please provide all the chat photos to me tomorrow.”

Alden agreed. Understanding Asher’s instructions, he promised to complete the task as soon as he got home from work.

***

“We’ve arrived, Darling.”

Aurora reflexively turned. For the first time in a long while, Alden called her “Darling.”

As usual, he escorted her home. Somehow, for some reason, he called her by an unusual term of endearment.

Truly, Aurora’s ears felt like they were expanding. Don’t ask about the condition of her cheeks right now. She was 100% sure they were as red as boiled crabs.

“Aurora…” Alden called when he noticed Aurora wasn’t getting out immediately but instead was lost in thought. “Why are you silent? Are you okay?”

Aurora blinked. She quickly nodded. It wouldn’t be funny if she were mistaken for fainting.

“Y-yes. I-I’m fine. Thank you for escorting me home.”

Alden smiled happily. Seeing Aurora this happy, how could he tell his mother’s request asking him to keep his distance?

“With pleasure. Hurry down, take a shower, have dinner, and then rest.”

“Yes, got it. You also take care on the road.”

“Okay. I’ll text you once I get home as usual. See you tomorrow, Darling.”

After Aurora got out, Alden hurried off. In the middle of the road, he suddenly received a call and was asked to stay overnight at his mother’s house.

Because of the task from Asher, Alden immediately agreed to the request.

However, upon arriving at his mother’s house, Alden heard his name being called. Entering the house, he was immediately asked to join in the dining room.

“Alden.”

Alden naturally felt puzzled. Once in the dining room, he found Regina sitting neatly with her mother right beside her.

Then, a question arose in Alden’s mind: for what purpose was he summoned to gather in the dining room like this?