AFTER ATON HINTED about the seemingly weird relationship of Ezekiel and Vivienne, Vivienne couldn’t help but gulp. “Well, a lot has changed since then.” It was Ezekiel who answered. His voice was calm but strong. He didn’t look away, meeting Aton’s eyes with confidence. It wasn’t regret, just a statement that things were different now.Aton raised an eyebrow, sensing there was more behind Ezekiel’s words. But he didn’t push for details. He gave them a small smile instead. “I see. Well, I’m glad to see you both here. Life has a funny way of bringing people back together, doesn’t it?”Vivienne nodded, giving a polite smile. “It sure does.”Aton smiled and turned to Vivienne. "By the way, I’m really looking forward to seeing you at the upcoming award ceremony. I heard we’re both nominated for Best Designer of the Year."Vivienne blinked, surprised that Aton had even known about her nomination. She had been too busy with her own work and family to think much about the awards. She even a
VIVIENNE "Is what Genesis said true? Were you messing with the lights?" I asked as I turned to Vince, trying to keep my voice steady. Vince’s eyes widened, and he shook his head quickly. "No, Mom! It wasn’t me. It was Genesis. He was the one doing it. I tried to stop him, but he wouldn’t listen—" Before Vince could finish explaining, Genesis cut in smoothly. "Come on, Vince. Don’t try to turn this around on me. I caught you messing with the lights, and now you’re trying to frame me for it." He said it so convincingly. His voice was calm and his expression was innocent.I sighed, trying to calm myself and not blush because of shame. I knew Vince never liked Genesis. In fact, Vince always seemed uncomfortable around him. As much as I wanted to believe my son, I couldn’t ignore the possibility that Genesis might be telling the truth. After all, it wasn’t like Vince to get along with him, and maybe his frustration got the better of him tonight.I took a deep breath, my mind swirling
VINCE WAS STILL fuming as he sat in the backseat of the car, replaying last night’s events over and over in his head. He couldn’t believe his mom didn’t trust him. ‘I was telling the truth! Why didn’t she believe me?’ The thought bothered him so much that he clenched his fists just thinking about it. The worst part was that Genesis got away with it. His stupid grin when he blamed Vince for messing with the lights—it was still fresh in Vince’s mind.At least his dad believed him. Vince felt a little bit better knowing that his dad was on his side. ‘Dad knows I wouldn’t lie about something like this.’ But still, the fact that his mom thought he might have done it made him feel more upset than he wanted to admit.When he got to school the next morning, Vince was still grumpy. He walked through the hallway with his sister, Vera, next to him. She kept trying to cheer him up, but nothing seemed to work. “Hey, Vince, are you still upset about last night?” Vera asked as they walked towar
VERA’S CHEEKS WERE still burning as she stormed out of the canteen. ‘I can’t believe Vince said that,' she thought, her mind racing. 'Genesis? My crush? No way!’She shook her head, trying to push away the idea. Sure, she admired Genesis, but it wasn’t a crush. Or was it? Her face turned even redder at the thought, and she groaned in frustration.It’s not true, she told herself. ‘I don’t like him like that. He’s just… he’s just cool, that’s all.’But the more she tried to convince herself, the more confused she felt. ‘Why does Vince have to tease me like that?’As she hurried out of the canteen, trying to escape her brother’s teasing, something caught her attention. A group of boys stood near the entrance, crowding around a smaller girl. The girl looked terrified, clutching her lunch tray as one of the boys tried to snatch it from her.“Come on, just give it to us!” one of the boys jeered, shoving the girl lightly. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she held onto her tray tighter, r
AFTER THE BULLIES left, Vince, Vera, and Genesis turned their attention to the crying girl. She was still sniffling, her shoulders shaking as she tried to calm herself down. Vince knelt beside her while Genesis and Vera stood by, watching.“What’s your name?” Vince asked gently, trying not to scare her any further.The girl wiped her nose with the back of her hand and whispered, “Maesei.”Genesis leaned in a little closer, trying to understand her through the sobs. “Maesei, huh? That’s a nice name. Why were those boys picking on you?” he asked, though it was pretty obvious.Maesei just shook her head, unable to get the words out as fresh tears welled up in her eyes. Her small hands clutched the sides of her uniform tightly, and it was clear she was still too upset to talk.Vince sighed softly and looked at Vera. “Vera, what happened? Maybe you can explain since she’s too upset to speak.”Vera crossed her arms, frowning as she recalled the scene. “I saw those boys take her lunch. Th
VIVIENNEAs Ezekiel parked the car outside the school, I spotted the kids waiting by the entrance. My eyes landed on Vince and Vera, but then I noticed Genesis standing beside them, talking and laughing with my twins. I raised an eyebrow, a bit puzzled. Why was Genesis with them? I remembered Vince had been upset with Genesis after the party, so seeing them together made me wonder if they had worked things out… or if something else had happened today.Ezekiel stepped out of the car, walking around to open my door. Just as I got out, Vera came running over, her face beaming with excitement. “Mom! Dad! Guess what?” she exclaimed, practically bouncing on her toes. “We helped a crying girl today!”Vera took a deep breath, her eyes wide as she tried to fit everything into one sentence. “Okay, so there was this girl—her name is Maesei—and she was crying because these mean boys stole her lunch, and they were all picking on her! So, we came over and told them to stop, and then Vince told
VIVIENNE No matter how much I tried to be a good mother, there were times I’d fail without even meaning to. It wasn’t that I didn’t care or wasn’t paying attention. I really did my best every day. But being a mom was hard, and sometimes I fell short. This was one of those times. I knew I’d failed Vince when I didn’t believe him. I couldn’t shake the guilt, no matter how much I told myself that everyone made mistakes. Vince was my son, and he deserved to feel trusted and heard. I’d brushed off his words as if they didn’t matter, and that weighed heavily on my heart.As we walked into the house, Ezekiel leaned close, looking over to make sure Vince was out of earshot. He lowered his voice to a quiet whisper. “You know,” he began using his gentle tone, “I think you owe him an apology.”I sighed, feeling the weight of his words settle on my shoulders. “I know,” I murmured back. “I just… I feel terrible. I don’t even know how to begin.”Ezekiel gave me a small, encouraging smile. “Jus
GENESIS ARRIVED AT Vivienne’s house just as Vince and Vera were waiting at the front door. They both waved at him as he stepped out of his father’s car. “Hey, Genesis!” Vera greeted cheerfully. “Ready for some science?”“Definitely,” Genesis replied with a grin, adjusting his backpack. “Vince, I’ll need all the help I can get.”Vince gave him a nod, looking pleased to help. “Let’s go inside. We’ve got everything set up at the table.”Vince was no longer mad at Genesis after all that happened last time. All the anger and competition faded the moment Genesis had apologized, not just to him, but also to his parents. That apology meant a lot because it showed Vince that Genesis respected him and was sincere in making things right. He remembered how it used to bug him when people compared the two of them, both being smart and quick learners. But now, Vince felt that the pressure to be the best had eased up. He could finally see Genesis as a friend instead of a rival,Ezekiel’s words ha