Chapter 50
Chapter 50
1/2
It wasn’t until the next morning that Joshua gave Valeria a call to ask about what had happened the night before. “Sorry, Valeria. I was at the factory last night. It was too noisy, so I didn’t hear my phone. I’ve been rushing an order for a brand and worked straight through the night.”
Valeria didn’t say much. She knew that was simply how life worked for adults. She never really expected someone she wasn’t close to to truly understand what she’d been through.
Smiling, she chatted a bit about fabric and textiles before ending the call.
After breakfast, Valeria got ready to take Selena to school.
“Mommy, the teacher said we’ll be having an outdoor activity next week. Are you coming too? “Selena handed her a voluntary participation form from her backpack.
The weather that Saturday was expected to be unusually nice, and the school had planned an outing to a cultural park and a botanical garden, with group tickets arranged.
Valeria’s first reaction was to say no as she worried it might be too tiring for Selena. However, deep down, she also hoped Selena could be part of the group and bond with her classmates.
She didn’t answer right away. Instead, she crouched down and gently touched Selena’s hair. ” Lenny, do you want to go?”
“Uh-huh! I’ve already made plans with Leo. His daddy and mommy are coming too,” Lenny said, holding her hand excitedly.
She asked again, “Mommy, will you come too? The teacher said we can bring our parents.”
Seeing the joy on Selena’s face, Valeria nodded. “Sure.”
After dropping Selena off at school, Valeria returned to L&M. She had just sat down and taken a sip of water when she received a message.
“Ms. Neal, will you be coming along with Selena this Saturday?”
“Yes.” Valeria added an emoji after that. Then she sent, “Leo, are you also going with your parents this Saturday?”
“The Prince of Love” replied, “Yes, my daddy is coming with me. My mommy is busy with work.”
“Selena’s Peace” replied with a pat-on-the-head emoji.
“The Prince of Love” sent back several rose emojis in return.
super, super
On Friday night, at the Grant residence, Leo was sitting on the toilet, crying his lungs out.
Sebastian had just returned home when he heard the noise. “What’s going on?” he asked.
At the bathroom door, Martha knocked gently. “Leo, don’t cry. I’ll call your mom right now.”
Nicholas sat on the couch, rubbing his temples. “Are Mallory and Zayn really that busy? It’s just one day for a school event on Saturday, and they can’t even make time for that?”
Martha finally got through on the phone.
Nicholas let out a cold snort, and his tone was stern.
On the other end, Mallory hunched her shoulders and stayed silent for several moments before finally saying, “Dad, Zayn flew to Iugrea two days ago and still hasn’t returned. I have a meeting with a Japrium partner tomorrow. Maybe I could have Lydia take Leo to the class outing.”
Lydia Todd was Mallory’s senior assistant.
Hearing that, Nicholas’s expression didn’t soften at all. “You act like no one is busier than you. The whole Grant Group might as well shut down without you.”
Martha shot him a glare and knocked gently on the bathroom door. “Leo, I had the kitchen make fried chicken and macaroni just for you.”
Nicholas grumbled in frustration, “It’s just a botanical garden. It’s not like you haven’t been there before. I’ll take you to the amusement park another time.”
“No! I already made plans with Ms. Neal. I can’t miss my first date with Ms. Neal-” His voice
broke off into sobs.
Leo was crying so hard that his voice turned hoarse, and his words became muffled.
Martha couldn’t quite make out what he said. “Who? Alright, alright. Don’t cry anymore. I’ll go with you, okay?”
Sebastian moved to head upstairs but paused midway. He took off his coat and draped it over his arm, glancing toward the downstairs bathroom.
