Chapter 29
Brenda initially tried to intervene, but seeing the parents‘ collective fury, she thought better of it, frowning and stepping aside without another word.
Once they had vented their anger, the group turned back to Brenda to address the issue. Logan’s dismissive attitude was unacceptable, so they had to seek a resolution from her.
Brenda was caught in the middle. She couldn’t afford to offend Logan, but these parents were equally formidable. “Well, rul see what Mr. Eliot’s intentions are,” she said, struggling to mediate. “If he decides not to send Samuel for a while, that settles it. If he does plan to bring him back, I’ll notify you all.”
“But please rest assured, if Samuel returns, I will keep a very close eye on him. Today’s incident was also my fault. During nap time, I assumed the children were asleep and only left a teaching assistant in charge. I promise it won’t happen again.”
Hearing this, and having already made their point quite forcefully–especially after giving that woman with Logan a thorough thrashing–the parents finally relented.
The Eliots, they reasoned, would have to take discipline more seriously now. Satisfied for the moment, Melvin’s mother and the others left to take their children to the hospital.
Meanwhile, Logan drove straight home with Samuel. With Nathan Turner’s recent return stirring up the business landscape, Logan already had his hands full at the company. Now, piled on top of that, were these domestic and school dramas.
A simmering, unnamable anger churned inside him the entire drive home. He didn’t say a single word, his face a storm cloud.
Samuel, who had been upset, saw his father’s expression and knew he was truly furious. He bit back his tears, not daring to make a sound. He was genuinely afraid of Logan.
But curled up in his car seat, Samuel’s nose stung with held–back tears. ‘I did everything Isabella said. How could what she said be wrong? So why did everything turn out like this?‘ He wondered.
Since Isabella’s return, his grandparents had constantly sung her praises in front of him. Logan was always more patient with her, too. Plus, she showered him with treats and fun. For a while, Isabella had seemed perfect in his eyes
But today, he’d followed her instructions exactly, and ended up getting yelled at by so many people, even getting his dad in trouble. And Isabella hadn’t said a single word in his defense.
She’d promised she wouldn’t be like Mom, forcing him to apologize. But the result was worse than any apology
When Eliana took his side, she’d at least stand up for him completely if she thought he was right. She only made him apologize when she believed he was wrong.
But it was never like today, with everyone against him. It was the first tiny crack in Samuel’s trust in Isabella.
Back home, Samuel watched silently from a corner as Logan put his phone down and immediately started making calls, his voice tense. It all seemed to be because of him.
When Logan finally hung up and looked over, Samuel flinched, tears welling up again. “Daddy, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to Auntie Isabella said it was okay. I don’t know why it turned out this way.”
Just then, the sound of a car pulling up announced Isabella’s arrival. Logan was angry at her for giving the child such terrible advice. But seeing the swelling and vivid handprints on her face, his reproach died on his lips. “What happened to you?”
Isabella felt deeply humiliated, but she sniffed and put on a brave face, “I just tried to reason with them. I said their children
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Chapter 29
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had picked on Samuel first, mocking his work, saying his past achievements were fake. So Samuel was just defending
himself
“Maybe his method wasn’t perfect, but standing up for himself isn’t wrong, is it? I wanted to talk it out, but they wouldn’t listen. So we got into a fight
Hearing this Samuel, already overwhelmed with grievance, burst into loud sobs. A moment ago, he’d felt let down by babella. Now, seeing her injured for his sake, she seemed wonderful again.
Elana had never gotten into a physical fight defending him. “Isabella, are you okay?” he cried, running to her. Ill get the first aid kit.
He fetched the kit, tears still streaming. Logan took it, guided Isabella to sit on the sofa, and carefully began disinfecting her wounds. It was at this precise moment that Hannah arrived.
Seeing Isabella’s battered face, Hannah’s eyes filled with concern. “Good heavens, what happened? How did you get hurt like this
Samuel quickly piped up, Grandma, Isabella got hurt because of me. It’s all Mom’s fault for not coming back. No one helps me with my homework, so things like this happen. If it weren’t for that, Isabella wouldn’t be hurt.”
Hannah, who had just gone through the trouble of hiring a new tutor, felt her own anger flare at Samuel’s words. This whole situation had been exhausting.
She turned to Logan, her voice sharp. This time, no matter what, you need to put your foot down with her. If you let her waltz back in here easily, I won’t stand for it.
“If she wants to come back this time, she’ll have to get on her knees and beg for forgiveness properly!” She spoke through gritted teeth, but Logan felt an uneasy twinge.
For some reason, he had a growing suspicion that the issue wasn’t whether he would let Eliana return, but whether she had any intention of coming back at all. It was this very suspicion that had driven him to use the land as leverage.
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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.
