<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Chapter 1213 I Will Never Be Your Son</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">The bus was cramped, and Conrad’s harsh words drew amused nces from some of the other mothers.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Most of them were full–time housewives who envied Meredith, a woman still involved in her family’s business, the Seiler family. While they admired her sess, they took a certain satisfaction in her struggles with Conrad.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Conrad, not finished, continued to taunt her. “My mom told me you couldn’t have kids of your own, so now you’re hoping I’ll be your son. Well, I’ll never be your son! I can’t stand you. One day, I’ll take over my dad’s business and throw you out. You’ll be an old, lonely woman, unwanted by everyone.”</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Meredith’s face darkened, but she knew better than to argue with a child.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Seeing the situation, Cecilia nudged Meredith. “Meredith, why don’t you sit with me? Jon can sit with Conrad.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Jonathan, ever the polite boy, agreed. “Ms. Seiler, why don’t you let my mommy sit with you? She’d love to talk</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Grateful for the gesture, Meredith moved to sit with Cecilia. As soon as Jonathan sat next to Conrad, the boy’s demeanor shiftedpletely. He straightened up, put away his phone, and didn’t utter another word.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Meredith smiled sheepishly at Cecilia. “I must look ridiculous to you.”</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Cecilia shook her head. “You’re handling things better than most would. Don’t worry about what others think. But you should look after yourself too.”</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Cecilia knew that children weren’t always reliable. She believed it was even less likely Conrad, born outside of a traditional marriage.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Meredith nodded thoughtfully. “I’d love to have a child of my own, but that’s a luxury I don’t have right now.”</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Cecilia squeezed her hand. “No matter what happens, you won’t be alone in the future. Not as long as I’m around.”</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Meredithughed. “Then I guess we’ll both live long and keep each otherpany when we’re old.”</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">“Deal.”</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Theirughter was genuine, but from a distance, Miranda watched them with envy. Though she had plenty of friends, she knew they only stayed close because of her family’s influence.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Finally, they arrived at the pic spot.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">The moment the bus stopped, parents began bustling around, eager to help their children off. Under the guidance of the teacher, everyone started settling in, finding a ce to rest.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">The area had been prepared ahead of time. Sunshades had been strategically ced across thewn, and nkets were spread out, offering afortable ce for everyone to sit. The children, however, were far too excited to rest. As soon as they hopped off the bus, they scattered, running around wildly andughing. with pure joy.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">The teacher called out, “Let’s take a short break, everyone. After that, we’ll divide into four teams for a three–legged ry race. The winning team will get a prize, and there’ll be a small penalty for the losing team.”</font></font>
The three–legged race was a ssic game where two people were tied at the leg and had to move in sync, leaning on each other for bnce as they raced,
For now, though, everyone settled down for a brief rest before the activity began.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.
Soon enough, the teacher asked everyone to start forming their own teams. In total, there were over forty children, so each of the four teams would have around ten members.
But as parents and children paired up, a clear pattern emerged–no one approached Cecilia, Meredith, Prisci, or Helen.
It became ringly obvious that Miranda’s scheme to iste them was working.
Cecilia and her small group of mothers stood awkwardly to the side, clearly set apart from the others.