My Wife is a Hidden Big Shot-Chapter 39: Master’s Newly Adopted Daughter
Aurora Sinclair’s Combat Power test didn’t cause any ripples.
The three boys also remained tight-lipped, resolving to take the secret to their graves.
After the district-wide joint exams, the high school seniors finally got a short weekend break.
Jean Quincy and Zeke Quincy dragged their luggage and moved into Tanner Sinclair’s house.
Because Jade Sinclair had earned Mr. Quincy’s high regard, he had gone on a business trip with Alden Quincy. The two kids were thus foisted upon the newly designated guardian, Tanner Sinclair. The logic was, if you’re watching one, you might as well watch three. Besides, with Master Sinclair around, nothing was likely to go wrong.
The moment she walked in, Jean Quincy saw Aurora Sinclair and Master Sinclair sitting on the tatami mat by the floor-to-ceiling window, drinking tea.
Each of them held a teacup, sipping as they watched the TV on the wall.
"Grandpa, Aurora, what are you doing?" Jean dropped her luggage and ran over.
She peeked around the screen door and saw that the two of them were watching a historical documentary.
It was mainly about the war between Veridia and Crestland a hundred years ago.
That war had cost Veridia thousands of High Rank Martial Artists and hundreds of thousands of Low Rank Martial Artists just to hold back Crestland’s ambitions.
Peace between the two nations was only secured for the past century because an ancestor of the Morgan family successfully developed a secret weapon capable of annihilating Crestland.
"Grandpa, you’re still watching this old-fashioned stuff!" Jean complained.
Master Sinclair shot her a glare. "What do you mean, old-fashioned? This is history. Without them, would you be living such a good life now?"
"Alright, alright... You’re right about everything!"
Seeing his stern expression, Jean stuck out her tongue and quickly changed the subject. "Aurora, I brought you a makeup case! Come take a look..."
She had noticed that Aurora’s lifestyle was so unrefined it was unfeminine. She used a bar of soap to wash her face and didn’t even use skincare products, let alone makeup.
’She’d probably ask me what makeup even is.’
"Ta-da..."
Jean pulled a gorgeous, high-end mahogany makeup case from her suitcase.
When she opened the lid, it revealed a peach-blossom-petal-shaped interior. Lifting it up, the petals separated into two staggered, alternating layers, as if a flower was blooming.
Each petal was a small compartment holding various shades of foundation and eyeshadow. The top layer held warm tones; the bottom held cool tones.
Beneath the petals were two small hidden drawers containing several shades of lipstick and makeup tools.
The makeup case was ingeniously designed and exquisitely beautiful. Jean was a little proud. "This makeup case is a replica of one of Master Elara Miles’s early works. There aren’t many of them on the market. My dad had to pull some strings to get it for me."
Aurora Sinclair nodded, curiously touching the material of the case. She asked, "You like this?"
"I do! If I could get my hands on just one piece by Master Elara Miles, I’d be so happy I’d wake up laughing in my sleep. But works from a Craftsman like her rarely enter the market. If my family ever got one, my grandpa would probably lock it away in his collection. I’d never get it," Jean said, pouting at the thought.
Aurora looked at the makeup case again, lost in thought.
"Let me tell you, my idol absolutely loves crafts. He’s even studied woodworking with a master. He has a huge collection room at his house..."
Jean picked up her phone and began chattering nonstop, educating Aurora about her idol, Darius Lynch.
Aurora glanced at the face she had seen countless times on Luna Jennings’s phone, a flicker of confusion in her eyes.
"My idol is handsome from every 360-degree angle, no arguments accepted!" Jean exclaimed, hugging her phone with sparkling eyes.
Aurora obediently nodded. Luna Jennings had said the same thing.
"He’s so amazing, you have to be a fan, right?"
Aurora nodded again. Luna Jennings had told her to be a fan, too.
"Great! From now on, you’re one of us Ice Creams. I’ll send you some of Darius’s handsome photos right now. You can set them as your phone’s lock screen and see him every day..."
Aurora looked at her phone and nodded a third time.
Extremely satisfied, Jean happily sent the photos and even taught her how to change her phone’s lock screen and background.
***
In the afternoon, Aurora had tutoring with Chester Greene, so she grabbed her backpack and prepared to head to Arcadian University.
Jean was reluctant to see her go, pouting as she asked, "Aurora, can’t you just take one day off?"
Aurora shook her head and gave Jean’s shoulder a comforting pat.
During the tutoring session, Aurora suddenly looked up at Alvin Morgan for a moment, then silently took out a sheet of A4 paper.
Alvin paused, then smiled. "Is there something you want to get?"
Aurora nodded. "Yes."
"Alright. Come to my place after the session."
Aurora thought for a moment, then nodded again.
Standing behind them, Beta Morgan stared at Alvin’s back, his face a mask of shock and disbelief.
’His Master has never brought a stranger home. In other words, besides the Morgans, no one has ever set foot in his house, not even Arthur Lockwood.’
After the tutoring session ended, Aurora got into Alvin’s car, which drove toward a high-end, secluded private villa.
The villa’s main gate was flanked by several men in black uniforms. Each one looked serious, exuding a dangerous aura.
Beta Morgan deliberately glanced at Aurora in the rearview mirror, but her expression was as calm as ever. She seemed completely unaware of the kind of place she was entering.
The car drove into the courtyard and stopped in front of a standalone villa.
After getting out, Alvin deliberately walked around to the other side to open her door.
This left the Morgan family guards standing post at the entrance dumbfounded. Their eyes grew wider and wider, making them look quite comical.
’The Master actually brought a girl back!’
Alvin shot a glance at the head of the guards standing closest.
The tall man with a face full of menacing flesh instantly became as meek as a kitten, schooling his expression.
Aurora gave him a curious look before following Alvin into the villa.
Reed Morgan grabbed Beta, who was about to follow them inside. He narrowed his eyes and gestured forward with his chin. "What’s going on? Who’s that girl?"
Beta smiled and whispered, "That’s the master’s newly adopted daughter..."
"Fuck, are you kidding me?"
"What else would you think? A woman? She’s only eighteen. The master’s not that much of a beast..." Beta gave him a strange look and walked straight through the villa door.
The guards at the entrance twitched their lips.
’Daughter...’
’There are so many girls her age in the Morgan family, and we’ve never seen the master be this considerate to any of them. Which part of that looked like he was treating her as a daughter?’
***
Alvin led Aurora to his study. Beta stood guard at the door, not daring to enter.
The study was a restricted area in the villa; no one could enter without Alvin’s permission.
The decor inside was a complete contrast to the minimalist style of the rest of the house. It featured all-wood furniture, and the floor was laid with pearwood planks.
A mahogany desk and chair sat by the huge floor-to-ceiling window. The other two walls were lined with two-meter-tall wooden bookshelves filled with all sorts of foreign-language books, meticulously arranged from right to left in a specific order, looking perfectly neat.
After inviting Aurora in, Alvin seemingly pulled a few books from a shelf at random. With a CLICK, one of the bookshelves suddenly began to swing outward, revealing a metal door.
Aurora’s eyes widened slightly, as if wondering what kind of mechanism this was.
Alvin scanned his retina and fingerprint on the keypad next to the metal door, then grunted. A mechanical voice announced, "Password correct. Please enter!"
The metal door then slid open, revealing the space inside.
"Come on in," Alvin said, stepping inside first.
It was an elevator with two buttons. Alvin pressed the bottom one.
Aurora followed him in without any hesitation.
"Aren’t you afraid I’ll sell you off?" Alvin chuckled, looking at the girl beside him who only came up to his chest.
Aurora tilted her head up, looked at him for a moment, and then shook her head. "You can’t beat me."
Alvin laughed. He pulled a small bottle from his pocket. "This is a small atomizer. If I sprayed the liquid in here on your face, you’d be incapacitated."
Aurora stared at the atomizer bottle for a while, then shook her head again, but said nothing this time.
Alvin pressed the bottle into her hand. "It’s yours. If you ever run into someone like Glenn Lockwood again, spray it in his face."
***
With a DING, the elevator doors opened.
A small robot made of pure metal stood at the entrance. "Master, welcome back! Oh? And who is this pretty young lady? My name is Ditto. I am happy to be of service!"
Aurora blinked, her eyes filled with pure amazement.
She reached out a hand to touch it, but the little robot backed away slightly, its voice turning coy.
"My, my! A proper lady and gentleman should not be so hands-on. Don’t get grabby on our first meeting, I’m shy..."
"Ditto, shut up," Alvin said suddenly, followed by a slight cough.
The little robot’s voice immediately returned to normal. "Yes, Master." Its wheels then rolled toward a metal groove in the floor.
"What is it?" Aurora asked curiously.
"An intelligent robot. It’s a first-generation model, though, so it looks a bit silly," Alvin said, a hint of unease on his face.
"It can talk?"
"You can have a normal conversation with it."
Aurora’s eyes widened again.
A slow smile spread across Alvin’s lips. "Once I finish upgrading the system, I’ll give you a new one."
Aurora happily gave him a deep bow. Though her face was expressionless, her eyes shone with gratitude.
Alvin reached out and ruffled her hair, then pointed to a safe made of some unknown metal. "What you’re looking for is in here."
