Chapter 38
Chapter 38
And contacting Ernest? No way at all. The banquet incident was still fresh in Stella’s mind.
“Forget it. No rush. I’ll check tomorrow,” Stella muttered, putting her phone away and heading to wash up.
Meanwhile, at the Lloyd Villa, Irene had been sulking earlier because Stella had left and Ernest wasn’t playing with her.
But the moment she saw her dad come home-Sylvia in tow, holding snacks-her mood flipped instantly.
She snuggled into Ernest’s arms, opening wide to eat the treats Sylvia offered, her eyes squinting in pure delight. “Dad, were with Ms. Jansen the other day, so I totally forgot about the parent-child activity.”
Ms. Jansen really was the best, thought Irene. Unlike Mom. She hadn’t even bothered feeding her oatmeal.
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‘I’ve already apologized, so couldn’t Mom just make another bowl and pretend nothing happened?’ Irene sneered inside. ‘How petty!’
“Good thing your teachers reached out to your dad in time. Otherwise, you might have missed the whole thing,” Sylvia said, a faint, bittersweet smile tugging at her lips. “I can’t wait to see how awesome you’ll be that day.”
She then glanced at Ernest. “Ernest, make sure you take plenty of photos and videos for me, alright?”
“Sure.” Ernest nodded.
Sylvia paused, slightly puzzled-his calm response wasn’t what she’d expected.
“You can come too, Ms. Jansen!” Irene exclaimed. She swallowed a bite and babbled nonstop, brimming with excitement. “I want you to play with me. The teacher said the games are super fun, and I want you to be there.”
“But this is a parent-child activity,” Sylvia reminded gently, a tinge of regret in her tone. “It’s supposed to be your mom who attends.”
Mentioning Mom immediately soured Irene’s mood. She pouted fiercely. “I don’t want her there! She didn’t even give me oatmeal today before leaving.”
Even Betty, standing nearby, flinched at that. “Miss Irene, you were the one who…”
“Betty! Shut up!” Irene shrieked, her glare sharp enough to make even Betty step back in fear, as if the girl could slice her in half.
Seeing that Ernest remained completely unfazed, showing no concern for what Irene had done to Stella, Betty wisely held her tongue and quietly backed away.
The living room fell silent-just the three of them, like a distorted little family. The tension was thick enough to hear a pin drop.
Irene glanced up at Ernest, unsure. He didn’t react, so she peeked at Sylvia, whose face remained gentle and calm, as if she hadn’t heard Betty at all.
“What’s wrong?” Sylvia asked softly. “Are you already full?”
Irene’s expression softened, and she beamed. “No, I’m still hungry! Feed me more.”
“Okay,” nodded Sylvia.
1/3
The next day, when Stella called to ask about the parent-child activity, Irene didn’t hesitate to reply, “I don’t want you to come. Sylvia will be with me!”
“Alright,” Stella said calmly, unsurprised. “Then I won’t make any preparations.”
For years, Stella had been involved in every school event-games, parent-child activities, and so on.
For a little kid, everything was physically demanding. Days ahead, she would prepare snacks, towels, water bottles, and sometimes even extra clothes. Small tasks, but mentally taxing.
Now, none of that was needed, and Stella felt a rare lightness and ease.
Irene, excited to have Sylvia attend and to show off, suddenly pouted when she realized Stella wouldn’t be making her usual snacks.
“Mom, you’re not making my cookies and cupcakes?” she asked.
“No,” replied Stella.
Irene hesitated. “Then what will I eat?”
“You’ll have to ask Sylvia.” Stella answered calmly. This text is hosted at.net
“But…” Even though she adored Sylvia, Irene realized Sylvia had never cooked before-not even boiled water. Those cookies and cupcakes simply wouldn’t happen.
But she didn’t blame Sylvia. After all, a jewelry designer like Sylvia had precious hands to protect, not to risk in the kitchen like Stella.
“Don’t even start,” Stella cut her off.
She knew Irene would only miss her if there were no snacks.
“I don’t need you anyway. Ms. Jansen will buy me snacks!” Irene snapped, hanging up before Stella could respond.
Stella stayed calm, putting her phone down to review the design sketches Jeremy had sent her.
Less than three days until she returned to Lumière. Even fully prepared, her nerves tingled slightly.
**
Meanwhile, back at the Lloyd Villa, Irene was tilting her head, whining at Ernest.
“Dad, Mom won’t make my cookies and cupcakes,” she complained. “What should I do?”
“Then just eat something else.” Ernest ruffled her hair. “And Sylvia cannot attend the parent-child event. Only your mom
can.”
At a top-tier elite kindergarten, while the school wouldn’t meddle in family affairs, they conducted background checks: parental status, marital status, and even weekly psychological assessments of each child.
If the information provided didn’t match the school records, the student would be expelled with no exceptions.
This strict approach prevented negative influences from spreading. After all, children often mirror their parents.
2/3
A top-tier elite school was not so easy to manipulate. Multiple stakeholders, institutional support… even Ernest couldn’t override it easily.
Hearing that Sylvia couldn’t go, Irene’s eyes went wide. She slumped, crestfallen. “Why? If Ms. Jansen can’t go, then I don’t
want to either.”
More importantly, she didn’t want Mom to go either-not at all.