Reese’s pupils trembled slightly, and his mouth unconsciously opened.
He found it hard to breathe.
Father?
Valerie’s expression remained unchanged.
Her eyes were clear and bright, but cold.
In the depths of her eyes, there was no sign of Reese.
“Valerie…”
“Yes, father.”
Reese’s voice was low.
Valerie did not flinch. She looked straight at Reese. Slowly and steadily, she called out “Father“, which made Reese’s heart ache a bit.
“Dad!”
Reese recalled the soft voice when Valerie called him “Dad“.
What expression did she have when she called Reese “Dad“?
“Bang!”
The sound of a cup forcefully hitting the table startled Valerie.
She looked at Reese in confusion, whose cheeks flushed in anger.
“I told you to address elders properly. So, you deliberately did so to annoy me, didn’t you?”
“Cannot I call you ‘Father“? Isn’t that a more respectful way of addressing an elder?”
Reese was furious.
He wondered, “What is going on?
“What happened to Valerie?
“She keeps her distance from me. What does she want?”
Ah?
“What are you doing?”
Kieran, who had not slept well last night, entered the dining room and immediately sensed the strange atmosphere.
Reese’s rationality was brought back by Kieran’s voice.
“Kieran, you come at the right time. Look at Valerie. Her character has changed! She’s even contradicting us!”
Reese angrily pointed his finger at Valerie.
Kieran’s brow twitched.
He had seen the way Valerie was even before his father did.
After Reese accused Valerie, the three sat awkwardly in the dining room.
Valerie had lost her appetite.
She just wanted to go back.
And she did just as she thought.
“I’m leaving first. I’ll come back later.”
“Wait! Is this how you should behave?”
Reese stood up abruptly, stopping Valerie from leaving.
Valerie’s brow finally moved.
“Father, is there anything else?”
Now it was Kieran’s turn to widen his eyes.
“Father…”
Kieran mumbled to himself.
A trace of gloominess appeared in Kieran’s sharp gaze.
“Valerie, let’s have a proper conversation today. Dad is also here. If you have any grievances, you can talk to us and explain why you did this.”
Kieran pulled out a chair, crossed his arms on the table, and examined Valerie.
Reese also sat down. He propped his elbows on the table with his hands on his chin.
Both of them had no intention of having a good conversation.
What grievances?
If Valerie told them, they would always have a bunch of excuses to retort.
The men of the Horton family never allowed themselves to be in the wrong.
When Valerie was five or six years old, she argued with them.
What she got in return was their increased dislike and reproach.
Valerie clenched her teeth, placed her hands on her legs, and tightened her fists. She lowered her head, refusing to look at them.
“Speak. Everyone is busy. We all have things to do in a while, so
there’s no obligation to indulge your temper. If you have any
dissatisfaction, just say it directly.”
Kieran’s volume gradually increased
Valerie’s heart pounded with disappointment.
Dissatisfaction? She dared not have any dissatisfaction.
Having dissatisfaction implied that Valerie held a glimmer of hope for them.
Valerie lifted her head and stared directly at the two men who were looking at her coldly.
“Kieran, Father, I have no dissatisfaction. I just did things that I to be criticized for it?
thought were proper. Dor
“When Father saw me in the morning, I greeted him, but he said I should address him respectfully like Zoe, and show respect to my elders.
“I just called him ‘Father‘. Isn’t that a respectful term?
“Father, why are you angry? You even encouraged Kieran to criticize me.
“I don’t understand. It seems like no matter what I do, you will accuse me.
“Is what I’ve done not enough?
“I’ve given everything to Zoe that she likes, such as jewelry and my room. I’ve given them to her.
“You told me to eat by myself, not to trouble everyone. I’ve learned to do it and won’t trouble you anymore.
“I just had breakfast early. Do I have to accept your criticism for that too?”
Valerie’s expression didn’t show as much anger or sorrow as expected, as if she were telling a story.
The pace was slow, and the tone was distant.
The two men sitting across from each other didn’t know how to respond at all.
If Valerie cried and made a fuss like before…
Crying and making a fuss?
Reese’s heart missed a beat.
When was the last time Valerie made a scene in front of him?
And what about the room she mentioned?
Zoe was in poor health, and Valerie’s room was big, so Reese asked Valerie to give the room to Zoe…
Where was Valerie living now?
Zoe’s previous room had been turned into a dressing room.
Where was Valerie living now?
Reality made Reese’s chest throb directly.
A chill surged through him.
Even Reese’s toes began to feel cold.
Kieran glanced at Reese, observing his expression.
Reese’s pupils contracted as he looked at Valerie.
It seemed that he thought of something.
But Kieran did not soften his attitude.
Zoe was in poor health, and Valerie’s room was big, with good air circulation.
Why not just let Zoe have it?
The Horton’s house had so many rooms. They could arrange one for her.
Valerie was so small. How much space did she need?
Even the way Valerie addressed Kieran had changed from “Kier” to “Kieran,” just like her addressing Reese.
Valerie was willful.
Kieran’s mind raced at high speed.
He wanted to see if there was any way to change Valerie, who was stubborn.
Out of the corner of his eyes, Kieran noticed the newspaper in Reese’s hands.
A spark of inspiration flashed in Kieran’s mind!
“You should be around 7 years old this year, right? It’s time for you to go to elementary school.”
Hmm?
Valerie looked up at Kieran with a puzzled expression.
In Valerie’s previous life; she wouldn’t be thought of until two years later before she was sent to a public elementary school.
Did this trigger the butterfly effect?
A wave of shock rose inside her.
Valerie quickly calmed down.
It didn’t matter if she went early or late. Anyway, it was a public school.
It was time for Valerie to go to elementary school.
In that case, she had to thank Kieran. He reminded Reese to send Valerie to school.
“Yeah, school! That prestigious international school still recruits students. I’ll go and see if there are any spots left.”
Still in a daze, Reese heard Kieran mention elementary school.
His mind cleared up instantly.
Reese didn’t even bother to have breakfast. He walked straight to the study.
There shouldn’t be excitement.
It was more like that Reese was escaping.
Reese didn’t want to admit it, and he didn’t want to face Valerie.
Reese would help Valeric get into a prestigious school…
Only by doing so could he relieve his sense of guilt.
With that thought in mind, Reese quickly dealt with the matter of enrolling Valerie in the prestigious school.
The two men planned which school Valerie should go to, cach engrossed in their own thoughts.
Kieran used work as an excuse and left after making a cup of coffee. He had nothing more to say to Valerie.
Valerie was left alone in the kitchen, with her eyes wide open.
Wasn’t it supposed to be a public elementary school?
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Comments
heave
such a looser . doesnt even know where his daughter sleeps. *scoffs*
2023-11-01
9