Chapter 41
Chapter 41
Chapter 41
Irene gave a soft nod, lowering her head and not daring to mention giving the medal to Sylvia again.
Irene knew that some of her words would upset Stella. But she didn’t care about Stella’s feelings-she only cared about Sylvia’s.
“Alright,” Stella said, nodding and not pressing the issue further.
Since it was what her daughter wanted, Stella, as a mother, would naturally do everything she could. But if Irene said she wanted to give it to Sylvia, Stella wouldn’t put any effort into the game.
As for whether Irene would sneak it to Sylvia later, that was something Stella wouldn’t see, and frankly, it wasn’t her concern
anymore.
But for now, just like she’d thought before, she was simply a mother standing here.
Bang! The starting gun rang out, cutting through the gym. In an instant, dozens of families lined up at the starting line and dashed forward together.
But most of these parents, the ones who could afford to send their kids to this top-tier private kindergarten, were rich socialites who had never worked up a sweat in their lives.
It wasn’t long before several families had fallen, and the others were struggling to move forward, creeping along like snails.
Amid the chaos, one family was a striking sight. They zoomed past everyone in a flash.
Stella was in complete control, effortlessly handling both the grown-up and the kid, giving orders with perfect rhythm. “Left, right, left, right…”
Her steady voice kept them moving in sync, and even with their legs tied together, it was like nothing was holding them back. They were speeding toward the finish line.
Two minutes later, Irene tore through the red ribbon, cheering, “Mom, you were amazing!”.
To be honest, back in college, Stella was terrible at games. She didn’t care for club activities and preferred staying in the lab researching medicine. But after marrying Ernest and having Irene, she forced herself to learn everything-including games.
Irene’s school often held events like this, and Stella went from being awkward to secretly practicing on her own, until she could easily win the top prize with her little partner.
Stella just smiled and said, “Go on, Ms. Lee’s waiting to give you your medal.”
“Okay!” Irene nodded, grinning from ear to ear, and dashed off toward Linda.
Stella was feeling a bit worn out herself. Just as she was about to take a break, Ernest suddenly spoke up, “No matter how busy you are, try to stop by home when you can.”
“Huh?” Stella looked at him, puzzled, wondering why he was saying this, especially since they were about to get divorced.
His tone was calm, like he was just making a casual remark. “Irene’s been struggling without you. Kids shouldn’t have emotional ups and downs. It’s not good for them.”
“Alright, I understand,” Stella said with a slight nod. She wanted to ask him about the divorce, but after saying that, Ernest turned and walked away.
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Chapter 41
“Whatever, there’s no need to rush. If he deals with it, he’ll be the first to tell me, Stella sighed to herself, and made her way
to the rest area.
Irene grabbed her medal and rushed over. At that moment, she proudly flaunted it to Sylvia, hoping for some praise. “Ms. Jansen, look! I won this medal all by myself. Am I awesome?”
Although Stella did most of the work, Irene believed Stella only did it to make her happy. So, in Irene’s eyes, the victory was
hers alone.
If Stella hadn’t looked so down earlier, and if Irene didn’t still need Stella for the next round of games, she would’ve handed the medal over to Sylvia immediately-instead of just showing it off.
But that was fine. Irene decided she would give the medal to Sylvia once Stella left.
What Irene didn’t know was that her smug little grin and the gleaming gold medal were blinding to Sylvia-everything about it felt irritating to her.
‘So she’s hinting I can’t measure up to Stella now? Just as expected, a thankless little girl who can never be won over. If they’d let me play, medals like that would be nothing-I could win as many as I wanted, Sylvia thought disdainfully.
Sylvia glanced at Ernest, testing the waters. “Ernest, watching you all play looks so fun. I’ve never played a game like this with Irene before. How about I join in for the next round?”
“That’s against school rules,” Ernest said flatly, not even looking her way.
Sylvia’s expression shifted slightly. She didn’t believe the school leaders would dare go against the big boss of Seabrook’s top
company.
But without Ernest’s approval, there was no way she could join the
game.
“Dad, could you ask Ms. Lee if I can team up with Ms. Jansen? I really want to play with her.” Hearing Sylvia wanted to play made Irene practically buzz with excitement, her heart racing with anticipation.
“Go on, ask Ms. Lee yourself-if she’s okay with it, then you can play,” Ernest said, sounding utterly unfazed.
“I won’t.” Irene, clearly knowing what Linda would say, clung to Ernest’s leg, begging, “Daddy, please! Can you talk to Ms. Lee for me?”
“Irene, really, it’s fine. Just getting to watch you play is more than enough for me,” Sylvia said, acting all understanding, but her words only made it sting more-she knew exactly how to make Irene anxious to do something about it.
The disappointed look on Sylvia’s face tugged at Irene’s heart, and she just couldn’t hold it in anymore. “Daddy, I’m begging you,” she pleaded, her voice full of desperation. For original chapters go to.net
“It’s no use begging me-if you want to play, you have to ask Ms. Lee yourself,” Ernest replied, utterly unbothered.
Seeing that begging Ernest was pointless, Irene could only glance over at Stella. She knew asking Stella probably wouldn’t work either, but she wasn’t willing to give up the tiny chance.
After all, Stella had just helped her win the medal. Irene felt that she was once again the most important person in her mom’s heart. With that in mind, she believed Stella would never refuse her request.
But before Irene could gather the courage to ask, Stella stood up, made an excuse about needing water, and walked away.
‘Why even stick around?’ Stella thought. ‘Wait here just so Irene can beg me on Sylvia’s behalf? No thanks!’
Even if Stella had told herself not to care anymore, dealing with this endless drama was just too much to handle.
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“Mom,” Irene called, trying to chase after Stella, but Sylvia stopped her.
“Irene, it’s really alright if I’m not in the game,” Sylvia said with a gentle smile. “Let your mom go have her drink-she worked so hard just now to help you win that medal. No need to bother her again.”
But Irene’s disappointment quickly turned into defiance. The thought of not being able to play with Sylvia made her feel rebellious.
“It’s just running a few steps, what’s so hard about that?” Irene pouted. “And we have water here already, so why does she need to go buy more?
“Dad works hard every day to earn money, and she doesn’t even make any herself-so why does she get to spend Dad’s money like it’s nothing?”
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