Free Web NovelChapter 712: I Want to Know If It’s Because Of My Daughter
"Um, Wendy..." Tom was reluctant to give the designs back to Wendy. He guffawed heartily and asked, "What do you plan to do with these designs?"
"Uncle Tom, if you like them, I’ll let Stewart Corporation produce and market them," Wendy said with a smile.
"What?" Tom could not believe what he had just heard.
Stewart Corporation was only a small corporation that had not been publicly listed yet, while MC Enterprise was one of the mainstays of the Lake City economic scene.
No matter how he looked at it, giving the designs to MC Enterprise was much more advantageous to Wendy than giving them to him.
It was then that Tom realized that Wendy wanted to help him.
His expression became solemn. As much as he wanted to bring the designs to the market, he said, "Never mind. I think the designs will be wasted on me. It’s better that you give them to MC Enterprise."
"Uncle Tom, don’t you have any faith in my skills or your business?" Wendy asked.
"Is the production line facing any quality control problems?"
"Of course not. Our company strictly complies with all quality control standards," Tom immediately retorted.
"If that’s the case, I don’t have any problems collaborating with Stewart Corporation to bring the collection to the market," Wendy said seriously.
"Do you really want to give the designs to Steward Corporation?" Tom still could not believe it.
Wendy smiled and nodded. When Tom saw that, he turned to his wife who was standing next to him, and said, "Can you pinch me? I want to know if I’m dreaming."
"You’re not dreaming." Donna smiled and pinched Tom.
"Ow, ow, ow!" Tom was all smiles. "I’m not dreaming!"
He bowed to Wendy deeply. "Thank you!"
Tom knew why Wendy did so. She wanted to help Mary make up for what happened to the family.
With Wendy’s designs, it would not be too long before Stewart Corporation could be publicly listed.
"Now that you’ve agreed to it, I’ll make preparation to move my team into your company," Wendy said.
"No problem," Tom thumped his chest and said. "I’ll reserve the biggest office for you."
Wendy had been jobless lately, though her design team remained in the design department of MC Enterprise.
"Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, can you do me a small favor?" Wendy said.
Tom fully knew what Wendy wanted.
He nodded.
Then, he put the designs away and went to Mary’s side.
He coughed lightly and maintained a solemn expression on his face. "Mom doesn’t blame you, Syl. She misses you, and she even calls out your name in her dreams.
I’m the one who can’t forgive you for causing Dad’s death. I can’t say that I hate you either. After all, we’re siblings. It’s just that sometimes, I let my emotions get the better of me because I can’t forget how you caused Dad’s death. I know that you didn’t mean it, and I apologize for hitting you the last time you came back."
Mary stood up and burst into tears when she heard Tom’s apology. "I’m sorry. I’m the one who should apologize to you and Dad."
"It’s all in the past now. You should come back and visit us more often," Tom said.
Tom had already forgiven Mary a long time ago.
Just like he said, they were siblings after all.
Seeing that his mother was happy to reunite with Sylvia, he had no reason to drive his sister out of the house anymore.
Now that their father had left them, Tom wished that his mother would be able to live her remaining days without any regrets.
...
Wendy and the others stayed the night in Queens City.
The next day, Mary was reluctant to leave. It was the first time in many years that she had returned home.
She wanted to spend some more time with her mother.
Janine sat on the wheelchair. She lifted a hand with much difficulty and waved it.
"You should go."
Mary had slept together with Janine the night before. They had talked about many things.
Janine knew that Mary was a teacher. Her students were waiting for her at school.
"Mom..." Mary did not want to go. She fell on her knees and started crying in front of her mother.
"You should go back. Come visit me some other time." Janine was crying too.
"I will, Mom. I’ll come visit you every weekend." Mary wiped her tears and stood up.
No matter how unwilling she was, she had to leave.
Wendy and the others also said their goodbyes.
When they were back in the car, Mary said to Wendy, "Thank you, Wendy."
The previous night, Janine had told her that Wendy and Michael had come to the house the week before.
Wendy smiled and shook her head. "Grandma and Uncle Tom have already forgiven you. Even if I didn’t visit them last week, they would have welcomed you all the same."
Even if that were the case, the two parties needed the right opportunity to reconcile.
Mary nodded. She was both crying and smiling at the same time.
Leah handed a tissue to Mary. "Don’t cry, Grandma. You don’t look good when you’re crying."
"Alright, alright. I won’t cry." Mary was happy as she looked at her granddaughter.
She thought that she was destined to remain in Linton, where she would eventually retire and die alone.
She did not expect that she could gain so much. That had made her grateful.
Things returned to normal after they went home.
One day, when Leah came home from school, Wendy noticed that her eyes were bloodshot, as though she had been crying earlier.
"What happened, Leah? Did someone bully you?" She asked Leah immediately.
"Mommy..." Leah fell into Wendy’s arms. However, she dared not put her full weight onto her mother’s body, considering that her mother was pregnant.
Wendy’s heart broke as she watched Leah cry. "What happened?" She asked as she wiped Leah’s tears.
Jake put his backpack on the couch and said, "It’s Mark. His mom said she’s going to transfer him to another school."
’It’s about Mark again.’ Wendy was not too surprised when she heard the name.
"Why is his mother transferring him?" Wendy did not understand.
Jake’s expression turned grim. "I guess it’s because she doesn’t want Mark to be in the same school as Leah," he said.
"What’s her problem with Leah?" Wendy frowned. This explanation only confused her more.
Leah might not be perfect, but Wendy could not think of a reason why Mark’s mother would not want them to attend the same school.
Jake shook his head. He did not know either.
Wendy was silent for a while before saying, "Don’t cry, Leah. I’ll talk to Mrs. Jeffreys."
She was very curious about why Mrs. Jeffreys hated Leah so much.
She reached out and patted Leah’s back, comforting her.
Then, she took her cellphone and gave Michael a call. She wanted to ask Michael to help her find a way to contact Mrs. Jeffreys.
Soon, Wendy received Mrs. Jeffreys’s number.
After the call connected, Wendy said, "Good afternoon. I’m Wendy Stewart, Leah’s mother. Are you free now? I’d like to treat you to coffee. I won’t waste too much of your time."
Mrs. Jeffreys hesitated for a while before saying, "Alright. Let me know where you want to meet."
...
When Wendy arrived at the cafe, Mrs. Jeffreys was already there waiting for her.
Wendy could not drink coffee. Instead, she ordered a glass of milk.
"I can just about guess why you’re looking for me." Mrs. Jeffreys had lowered her head and was stirring the cup of coffee in her hand.
"I won’t beat around the bush, then," Wendy said. "I heard that you’re planning on transferring Mark to another school."
"Mm," Mrs. Jeffreys nodded.
"Why?" Wendy asked. "I want to know if it has something to do with my daughter."
"Mm," Mrs. Jeffreys nodded again.
"Is it because you don’t like Leah?" Wendy asked candidly.
Mrs. Jeffreys hesitated for a while, then sighed imperceptibly. She lifted her head and looked into Wendy’s eyes. "It’s not that I don’t like her. Leah is an adorable girl.
It’s just that... You might find this laughable, Ms. Stewart."
"What is it?" Wendy said. "I don’t mind hearing it."
"Mark and Leah are still children. I don’t think they know what love is," Mrs. Jeffreys said. "Mark gives candy and chocolate to Leah every day, and that isn’t a big deal either. But I’ve asked Mark, and he says that Leah’s brother doesn’t like him. Her brother doesn’t like seeing him and Leah playing together.
"I know that you and Mr. Lucas are outstanding individuals. Your fashion designs are world-famous, and Mr. Lucas’s MC Enterprise is one of Lake City’s biggest businesses. As for me and my husband, we’re just a regular lawyer and architect.
Our families are too different, and perhaps it’s best to separate them while they’re young."
Wendy instantly understood what Mrs. Jeffreys was talking about. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com
She smiled and shook he head. "In other words, you think your son doesn’t deserve to play with my daughter?"
Mrs. Jeffreys lowered her head and said nothing.
She could not change the fact that the two children were from entirely different backgrounds.
She knew the children were still very young, but if they continued to play together, it would not be surprising if they developed feelings for each other when they grew up.
She would not have been too bothered either, except Jake that was not fond of Mark.
Mrs. Jeffreys was worried that Wendy and Michael would not like Mark either.
It would be a disaster if her son begged for her approval to marry someone who was out of his league.
Wendy continued, "You’re overthinking this, Mrs. Jeffreys. Our backgrounds aren’t that different. Before I became a designer, I was just an ordinary single mother. You and Mr. Jeffreys are a lawyer and an architect. Not many people can boast such accomplishments as yours.
"Moreover, Mark is a clever boy. He’ll be an accomplished individual in the future too. When he grows up and realizes he truly has feelings for Leah, I’m sure he’ll do his best so he can be her equal.
"I believe you want your son to be an outstanding person, and you’re not going to achieve that by transferring him to another school. If you separate the two children, that’s not going to help Mark become a better person.
"As for Jake, I understand that boy’s character. It’s not that he picks on Mark. He doesn’t like any boy that tries to be friends with his sister. He’s quite protective of his younger sister, but he doesn’t mean any harm. You don’t have to worry about him. Just give him some time, and he’ll eventually realize that Mark is also being nice to Leah."
Mrs. Jeffreys was quite shocked by what Wendy told her. "Is that true?" she asked with a frown.
She had always thought that Jake disliked Mark, or perhaps Jake’s mother had somehow influenced him.
Rather than confronting Wendy face to face, she had preferred to transfer Mark away.
That way, other people would not think that the Jeffreys were trying to gain the Lucases’ favor.
Wendy smiled and nodded.
