The three of them briefly discussed the matter before agreeing to invite Sonya and her husband to dinner at The Waterfront that night.

When Sonya and Elias arrived, Aubree's family was already waiting in the private room. Aubree hung her head low, seemingly despondent, while her parents wore grim expressions.

When they entered the room, Aubree lifted her head and forced a smile. "Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Farwell," she said.

Her smile quickly faded, as if she harbored a grievance.

Sonya was puzzled. "Aubree, what's wrong? Did someone bully you? Tell me about it."

Gina's voice rang out. "She's upset because of the rumors circulating. People are accusing Aubree of being a gold digger, and she's been crying for days."

Aubree immediately refuted this. "No, I know Lucian doesn't mean it. I've heard the rumors, but I haven't taken them to heart…"

Her voice trailed off as her eyes reddened.

Gina shot her a resigned and worried look. "You've remained by Lucian's side for years, so we know your feelings. But outsiders don't. If Lucian…"

She paused and lowered her voice. "If Lucian loves you, he won't let you suffer. He can ignore your plight, but I can't! Listen to me. It's time to break up with him."

Sonya and Elias clearly heard their exchange. Sonya's brows furrowed as she demanded, "What's going on? Is it about the rumors? I'll deal with them immediately!"

Gina let out a bitter chuckle and raised her head. "How will you handle it? Everyone in Horington knows. They claim Aubree and Lucian's engagement is just wishful thinking on Aubree's part; that Lucian has no intention of marrying her. They also claim our family used your family to climb the social ladder. Now, with Lucian's new lover and the unannounced engagement, they say Aubree is holding Lucian back."

"That's utter nonsense!" Sonya's face darkened.

Gina's lips twitched. "They're right. For years, Aubree has remained by Lucian's side. We're the only ones who know about the engagement. We've received much from Lucian. Since he isn't interested in Aubree, we shouldn't hold him back."

She shot her daughter a distressed look. "Aubree still… I've advised her for days, but she can't bring herself to break up with him. As her mother, it breaks my heart to see people gossiping about her. It's better to end the pain than prolong the agony. I'll decide on her behalf today to break off their engagement."

Aubree hung her head low and trembled slightly. Her devastation was evident, though her expression was hidden.

Sonya was shocked by their sudden request to break off the engagement. Her expression changed drastically as she declared, "Impossible! Lucian and Aubree have been engaged for years. How can we call off the engagement like that?"

"This is the only way to quell the rumors," Gina explained bitterly. "Don't worry. I'll tell Aubree to forget him so she can find her own happiness."

Silence followed. A moment later, Sonya said icily, "There's another solution."

Before Gina could respond, Sonya grabbed her bag, rose to her feet, and declared, "Aubree is the only daughter-in-law I'll acknowledge. Don't worry. I'll handle this personally!"

With that, she turned and strode away without looking back.

The repeated promotional sentence has been removed as it was irrelevant to the story. The text has been edited for grammar, punctuation, and flow. Word choices have been improved for clarity and style.