At least then, he’d have a skill to make a living.
Declan had no idea what Cordelia was really trying to achieve. He just stood there silently, watching.
As for the ten bodyguards, he had already investigated them.
They were indeed professional behavior modification instructors from a legitimate school, each highly experienced. They were very expensive, though.
There was something Declan couldn’t understand.
When he investigated that school, he discovered Cordelia had booked this service three years ago.
That meant she had been planning to educate the children years back.
But how…
How could that be possible?
Darrell stared dazedly at Cordelia.
After a few seconds of standoff, he snatched the cigarette from his mouth and hurled it to the floor. “I’m not smoking anymore!
“I quit smoking, okay?”
His eyes burned with fury. Right in front of Cordelia, he smashed the phone into pieces.
“You just don’t like me spending my time on the phone or the computer,
“Fine, I’ll quit, alright?
“Do you really have to lock me up?
“I’m not some damn animal!”
Cordelia simply watched Darrell quietly the whole time. After he was done venting, she bent down slowly to pick up the things on the floor.
Her tone no longer carried the earlier sarcasm.
Instead, it was deadly serious.
“Darrell, when I disciplined you harshly before, you resisted and acted out. Now I let you do what you want.
“And yet, you’re still unhappy?
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Chapter 20
“Then why don’t you tell me, what exactly do you want?”
Darrell grew even more agitated.
He shouted in rage, “What do I want? I should be the one asking you that!”
Darrell’s eyes were bloodshot, and a tear slipped down from the corner of his eye.
“Since I can remember, you two have done nothing but fight at home! You fight over everything!
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“Dad is always busy with work. We can hardly see him at home. And you? You either lock yourself in your room or scream like a lunatic all day long.
“You took the time to teach Conrad with patience and looked after Elton gently. But me? What about me stuck in the middle?
“You never cared about me. When I was sad, hurt, or sick, did you ever know?”
He became more and more emotional, pouring out the grievances he’d bottled up for over a decade.
Cordelia stood there frozen, flooded with guilt.
Had she really treated her child this way all those years?
Declan also began reflecting on himself. Had he neglected his family in pursuit of his career?
“When Conrad threw tantrums and smashed things, you cooked for him to calm him down. When Elton cried, you sang to comfort him.
“But me?
“All these years, I’ve never even eaten a single meal you cooked for me.”
Darrell’s words were like daggers, stabbing deep into Cordelia’s and Declan’s hearts.
After Darrell vented everything, he sat back down at his desk and started gaming as if no one else existed.
Cordelia stood frozen in place.
That thin, fragile boy once again raised an invisible wall, wrapping the real him inside bad habits of gaming, smok- ing, and fighting.
A few seconds later, the behavior modification instructors gestured for Cordelia to step outside for a word.
They all left Darrell’s room together.
The bald–headed teacher in the lead spoke first.
“Ms. Fernandez, Mr. Beasley, you both heard what Mr. Darrell blurted out.
“He feels neglected all the time, which is why he acts out in extreme ways. At the start, he smoked and fought only to get your attention.
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Chapter 20
“But after years of this, bad habits became ingrained. To correct them, we must start at the root.”
Before, Cordelia had treated the issues between her and Darrell as a contest.
Whoever held out longer and forced the other to submit would win.
She’d never been a mother before, so she didn’t know how to teach her children.
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It wasn’t until Darrell spilled out all the grievances buried in his heart that she finally understood that the relationship between parents and children was never meant to be a contest.
After a pause, Cordelia said softly, “I understand. Right now, the priority is to ease his suffering.”
The instructor nodded. “Yes. Otherwise, constant suppression will only cause the child more pain. Even if one prob- lem is fixed by chance, others may arise.”
Hearing this, Declan actually felt relieved.
At first, he had worried that Cordelia might be desperate enough to bring in unqualified behavior modification in-
structors.
That could make Darrell’s condition spiral further.
Fortunately, these people turned out to be quite professional.
So, he asked, “Is there anything we can do to help?”
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The instructor pondered for a moment. “First, let the child feel his parents‘ love. He needs to know that you love him.
“Start with the little things.”
Cordelia already had an idea.
“I know what to do.
