Bethan took a deep breath and met his gaze. She gave him a small smile in return. “What a coincidence, Mr. Morrison. Are you here to pick up your daughter?“
“It’s not a coincidence. I came here for you,“ Brettley replied, his eyes still fixed on her.
“You came here for me? “ Bethan furrowed her brows skeptically, unable to believe what she had just heard. “You ordered for me to leave your house this morning, yet now you came to the kindergarten just to look for me?“
“Why is that so hard to believe? “ Brettley narrowed his eyes a little. “If it weren’t for you, my daughter wouldn’t have insisted on coming to school with your son.“
Bethan’s breath caught in her throat. Her guess was right; Nellie had started attending school at the same kindergarten that Neil went to.
“Mr. Morrison, I believe you’re mistaken,“ began Bethan. “Nellie’s insistence on attending school with Neil must’ve been because they’re very close with each other. I don’t think it has anything to do with me. I’ve never even mentioned this idea to her.“
She gave a slight smirk and added, “Mr. Morrison, I have a piece of advice for you: Instead of trying to blame your problems on other people, why not actually sit down and have a conversation with your daughter to find out what she really wants? Nellie and Neil are close friends, and it’s normal for them to want to attend school together.“
Brettley’s eyes narrowed as he heard Bethan’s response. This woman was a piece of work. Not only did she suddenly quit her job at Blue Bay Villa, but she acted so uncouthly and impolite to him all at this moment, too.
When Brettley did not reply, Bethan frowned and tried to sidle past him. She did not want to talk to him any longer, so instead, she would find another spot to wait.
However, when she moved to the left, Brettley stepped in front of her, blocking her way. When she moved to the right, he did the same. She reluctantly lifted her head to stare at him. “Mr. Morrison, you’re in my way.“
He narrowed his eyes at her and said, ”Well, if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t even be here anyway. It was difficult for me to give in to my daughter and send her to a preschool like this because of you, so what’s so hard about me being in your way? ” Brettley was obviously infuriated about his daughter’s insistence, yet at the same time, he knew he could not change her mind, so he decided to take out his anger on Bethan.
Bethan shot him a glance of helplessness. She did not understand why this man acted like a child.
She relented and slid back into her original spot, leaning against the wall while Brettley remained poised in front of her. After a while, he took out a stick of cigarette and proceeded to light it.
”Ms. Bethan, you must’ve been paid quite generously when you were abroad. Why didn’t you choose a better school for Neil? Why come to a place like this?” asked Brettley.
Bethan rolled her eyes at him. ”What’s wrong with this school?”
Anne was the one who picked out this school for Neil. Although it was not a prestigious school, it certainly was not a bad one either. The children who went to school here came from ordinary families, so there would not be too much unnecessary drama or rules to adhere to. The teachers were patient and friendly, and they did not teach glamorous sports like horseback riding or archery. Instead, they were committed to creating a comfortable learning environment for the children. In Bethan’s opinion, those were enough.
Neil was an intelligent boy. She did not want to send him to a reputable school where all they did was restrict and conform him to society’s standards. She wanted her son to grow up in a place where he could make friends and have fun.
As for Nellie, however, she never expected Nellie to attend the same kindergarten. Bethan knew Nellie was a spoiled child and maybe a regular preschool like this was not meant for her, but she disagreed with Brettley’s opinion. This school was ordinary, but it was not a bad one.
Bethan’s response to his question made Brettley snicker. “If Neil were my son, I wouldn’t send him here.“
Bethan frowned. “Well, thank God Neil isn’t your son, then.“
He could not put his finger on it, but that response somehow made him uneasy. He fixed his gaze on her, but just as he was about to retort, the school bell rang. Immediately, the crowd of parents surged forward toward the gates like a pack of sardines.
Bethan did not like the feeling of being squished up against the crowd of people, and it did not help that Brettley still blocked her way, so she remained motionless.
The children came out of the kindergarten in a single file line. One by one, Bethan counted them. One, two…
By the time she reached the 20th child, there was still no sign of Neil or Nellie. She began to panic. Neil’s class only had 25 students. Eventually, the 24th child came out of the school building, but it was not Neil either. Bethan bit her lip and wound her way around Brettley, storming toward the gate. ”Teacher, where’s Neil and Nellie?”
The kindergarten teacher was startled by Bethan’s sudden reaction. She froze for a moment before she slowly pointed in the direction of the nurse’s office. “ Nellie got injured just now, and Neil is currently with her at the nurse’s office.“
As soon as she finished her sentence, Brettley immediately stomped off in the direction the teacher had pointed. Bethan had no choice but to trail along behind him. The two adults stormed into the nurse’s office in a flurry of panic.
Inside the nurse’s office, Neil asked, “Which flavor do you like more: original or garlic?“ He was perched on the examination bed as he munched on a chicken drumstick.
“They’re both yummy! “ replied Nellie with her mouth full. She was clutching another chicken drumstick in her hand.
“Alright, then let’s sneak out to order some more tomorrow,“ beamed Neil. He reached out an oily hand to pinch Nellie’s cheek. “Tomorrow, we’ll pretend that I got hurt, and you can accompany me to the nurse’s office again.“
“Okay! “ Nellie nodded in enthusiasm. She paused for a moment as if suddenly recalling something. “Neil, Mommy never lets us eat fried chicken. She says it’s junk food. Today is the first time I’ve ever had junk food, and it’s the yummiest thing I’ve ever eaten! “ she exclaimed.
Neil raised his eyebrows in agreement. “I agree, it’s delicious! Nigel did say that fried chicken isn’t healthy, though, so we can’t have too much of it.“ After he finished his sentence, Neil immediately lifted the necklace he was wearing and spoke into it, “Isn’t that right, Nigel?“
Nigel’s stern voice came from the necklace, “ Mommy’s here.“
Neil’s eyes widened upon hearing this. He immediately hopped off the bed and hid the fried chicken. “Quick, Nellie! Pretend like you’re sick! “
Slam!
The door to the nurse’s office slammed open just as Nellie climbed onto the bed.
Brettley stormed into the room, followed closely behind by a flustered Bethan and an even more flustered school nurse. “Mr. Morrison and Ms. Bethan, please calm down…“ the nurse cried out in desperation.
“Nellie! “ Brettley exclaimed as he rushed to the bedside. “What happened?“
“Daddy…“ Nellie looked up at him and pouted, showing him her bandaged hand. “I accidentally cut myself with a knife during class… It hurts! “
Brettley gave her a helpless look as he glanced at her bandaged hand. He picked her up and immediately shot a glare at the teacher who had followed them into the nurse’s office. “How irresponsible are you guys? My daughter ended up getting hurt on her first day of school.“
The teacher replied, wringing her hands, ”She just got a small cut on her hand… ”
”A small cut?” he snarled. ”Look at the way her hand is bandaged. You call this a small cut?
”My daughter hasn’t gotten hurt, not even once ever since she returned to my side, but she got injured on her first day of kindergarten. ” He scowled at Bethan. ”
What kind of school is this? Why did you even choose this place? I ‘in taking Nellie to the hospital right this second to get an X-ray, and if she suffers a fracture, I’m holding you responsible, Bethan. This kindergarten is so irresponsible, I’ll close this place down in an instant.”
Brettley was just about to storm out of the room when Nellie suddenly cried out, ”Daddy ! ” She was alarmed that her father would be holding Ms. Bethan responsible for her incident, and more so by the fact that he would close the school down because of this.
”I’m… I ‘in fine! ” Nellie declared as she ripped off the bandage to reveal her perfectly intact and unwounded hand. ”I’m not hurt! ”
Brettley frowned and lifted her hand to check. He looked all over and discovered that his daughter was indeed not hurt. Immediately, a dark look crossed his face. ”What happened?”
Neil silently watched it all happen, but as Nellie had confessed, he decided there was no point trying to hide anymore. He brought out the chicken drumsticks that he had hidden underneath the bed and explained, ”We wanted to eat fried chicken, so we pretended that Nellie was hurt to distract the nurse and ordered food delivery without her noticing.”
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New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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