Chapter 14
10 vouchers
Eliana was absolutely certain of one thing, that she had no intention of fighting Logan for Samuel’s custody. But that didn’t mean she was willing to be dragged into the school every few days and put on the spot because of him.
Til ogan couldn’t even manage to raise his own child properly, then fine, but she wasn’t about to keep taking the fall for his
failures
Over the years, she’d practically exhausted herself just to keep this family looking peaceful on the surface. Now that she was already preparing to walk away, she didn’t even think she should still bother protecting his dignity.
Yet the moment those words left her mouth, the look Logan gave her shifted. So in the end, it still comes back to using the kid to pressure me, thought Logan with a knowing sneer.
Before he could respond, someone nearby sucked in a breath. Especially Darla.
Everyone in their circle knew how Logan treated Eliana. They also knew the marriage had only happened because Logan’s grandfather, Isaac Eliot forced it back then.
Even the Eliot family elders had accepted her grudgingly, never hiding their dissatisfaction with Eliana who they didn’t think was good enough.
And because Eliana had spent years avoiding conflict for the sake of family, people had slowly labeled her as easy to step on. So hearing her talk back to Logan like this stunned them.
Darla recovered first. She folded her arms and let out a dry laugh. “Mrs. Eliot, you’re joking, right?” she said. “You do know The Summit Preschool was founded by Isaac himself. Can you stop pushing your own problems onto everyone else?”
She then shook her head, sneering. “The Lyons family isn’t what it used to be. You couldn’t afford The Pioneer Program when you were young, and we all understand that. No one looks down on you for it. But faking things like this? Isn’t that crossing the line?”
“Mrs. Webster, was I talking to you?” Eliana turned her head and shot back immediately. What exactly do you understand That your sense of superiority is spilling over and making a mess? I’m talking to Logan, not you, yet you keep interrupting So is this how the Ruiz family teaches manners, or is this the Webster family’s idea of class?”
She then raised her eyebrow and gave her a knowing look. “I know, you’re just afraid that if you stop talking, people might forget you exist. But relax. Out of all the parents here combined, none of them are as noisy as you
Eliana still remembered that in her previous life, she had endured plenty of humiliation from Darla Back then, she had no backing, neither from the Eliot family nor from Logan. Even Samuel hadn’t stood by her. Her own life had been falling apart, and she simply didn’t have the strength to fight outsiders.
She’d swallowed everything, only to meet a miserable end. When her life was nearing its end, people were still lecturing der about family and keeping boundaries.
She remembered bleeding out, listening to Logan and Samuel gently coax another woman and breaking their own rules just to eat junk food they’d always forbidden, right in front of her.
So this time around, she was not enduring anymore.
Darla stared at her in disbelief. She’d never imagined the usually mild Eliana could cut so sharply. A few parents nearby failed to hold back their laughter, and Darla’s face flushed bright red.
She stood there speechless, unable to retort. That was when Isabella spoke up.
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Tiana Isabella tumed in softly, “Don’t you think you’re being a little too aggressive? People might thank you lack buste manners and Samuel might get excluded at school because of you
Is that a hans lined her eyes to her and asked calmly. “Are you saying all the parents at this school are the narrow minded, or are you implying a’s okay for them to exclude Samuel?”
I didn’t mean that Isbells shook her head quickly, then tuned to Logan with reddened eyes, Logan, I was just trying to be fair
Tabula. Elana cut in coldly, “do you really think this whole mess has nothing to do with you? I know you taught Sammel those questions. And aside from you, I can’t think of anyone who’d come up with answers that ridiculous”
Elins had known teabella’s background for a long time. That so–called overseas education was a total lie. She knew Isabella had followed a self–proclaimed artist abroad, lived recklessly for years, and been scammed out of both money and dignity
She’d burned through everything her parents left her. When she finally couldn’t survive anymore, she returned, polished her image, and latched onto Logan, hoping he’d be her long–term safety net.
Eliana had only learned the truth shortly before her death in her previous life, through an anonymous email. She’d never even gotten the chance to show Logan. So she knew exactly what Isabella was made of.
Isabella instinctively tried to deny it. But yesterday, Samuel had dragged her over to help with homework. Logan knew that perfectly well. She knew lying now would shatter her carefully crafted image.
She shifted her gaze toward Samuel, gesturing him for help. Samuel quickly spoke up, trying to defend Isabella.
“Mom, why are you lying?” he blurted out. “The questions I got wrong, were the ones you taught me before! Isabella taught me the right way. Why are you always picking on Isabella? Just because I like her more than you, you have to target her?”
Murmurs rippled through the room, but Eliana’s expression barely changed. She’d clearly seen Isabella signal to Samuel carlier Using a five–year–old as a shield was lower than she’d expected. She didn’t know why Samuel was so loyal to Isabella, but she didn’t bother figuring it out now.
So Samuel, she crouched down in front of the boy, “you’re admitting you got those questions wrong? That’s fine. But if you knew you were wrong, why did you still snatch things from your classmates?”
Only then did Samuel remember what mattered most. He still had to get his first place. “I didn’t do anything wrong” he shouted. “I got everything right. Isabella said so!”
He stomped his foot and raised his voice. “She said her way was correct. Yours was just complicated and outdated. Mom, you just don’t understand… none of you do! You’re all pretending!”
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A
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
