Sylvia gave a troubled look. They walked out of the restaurant together and strolled along a path leading back to the academy. Sylvia spoke her mind, “Thomas, please let me pay the bill next time.” Although she was divorced from Odell, she still considered Thomas her younger brother. Furthermore, he had rescued her not once but twice in her times of greatest need. She simply did not know how she could ever repay the favor she owed him, and she certainly could not have Thomas paying for her food. “Yeah.” He grunted. Sylvia breathed a sigh of relief. After a while, they reached the academy office, beside which was his office. After saying their goodbyes, the two of them went back to their respective offices. ...... Since Sylvia did not teach academic courses, her classes had a looser structure. She had prepared everything in advance, and the students had very good dynamics with her as well. The two classes she taught turned out to be very relaxing and produ
After two days of staying at home, she went to the academy again on Thursday. Just like Monday, she prepared for her lessons as soon as she got to the office. She focused on her work until her phone chimed. It was a message from Thomas. In the message, he asked, “Want to have lunch?” Sylvia checked the time. It was already noon, so she answered, “Sure.” After putting on her coat, she walked out of the office and saw Thomas leaning against a wall, waiting for her. He was wearing a long gray coat and tucked his hands in his pockets. His height combined with his refined looks drew the attention of several female teachers who passed and fawned over him. Unfortunately for them, he did not seem to take interest in any of them at all. He hardly looked at them and wore the same blank look as he always did. “Hey, Thomas,” Sylvia greeted him. Thomas looked at her and walked toward her. She asked, "What do you want for lunch?" He merely answered, "Anything works f
Leah seemed to have obtained a satisfactory answer, so she remarked, “I see.” After some small talk, she took her things and left. Sylvia got a little more rest after that. There was only a single partition wall separating her office from the next office. At the same time, there was a lanky figure of a man leaning against the wall. The partition walls were made of wood and were not exactly known for having good sound insulation. He could overhear the conversation in the neighboring office just by leaning against the wall. A brother? Did she still think of him as nothing more than a brother even till now? ...... Fast forward to Friday, around evening, Sylvia arrived at the kindergarten on time to pick up the kids. She led each of them in one hand. Since tomorrow was the weekend, Isabel was skipping along and seemed very happy. Liam was the exact opposite of her. She trailed behind Sylvia without a word. There was no telling what was on his mind, and he seem
Odell hugged Isabel who was sleeping soundly. Liam sat quietly beside him, just like he did on the way here. The car followed the path down the lane. Out of the blue, Liam suddenly broke his silence. "Dad, did you and Mommy get divorced?” Though his voice was that of a child’s, he spoke with an air of composure uncommon in children. Odell frowned and shot a look at him. "Who told you that?" "No one told me." Liam lowered his head and continued, “Two of our classmates have divorced parents as well. They don't live together, just like you and Mommy. They take turns bringing their kids out as well.” Odell wore a grimace and fell silent. The atmosphere inside the car suddenly became unbearably uncomfortable. After what seemed like forever, he finally answered, “Your mother and I got divorced, but that doesn’t change the fact that we’re still your parents." "Why?" Liam frowned and looked at him. Odell replied, "Well, there are many reasons." It all came down
The weekend passed in the blink of an eye. On Monday morning, Sylvia took Isabel and Liam to kindergarten, and after dropping them off, she went to the academy. The weather was getting cold, and there was already a sheet of ice floating atop the surface of the lake near the school. Sylvia walked in the direction of the office. The surface of the steps on the stairs was glittering because someone had spilled water on the stairs. After taking two steps up the stairs, Sylvia slipped and felt her body toppling backward. She was thrown off guard instantly and nearly shrieked when suddenly, she felt an arm reaching from behind and wrapping itself around her waist. She was already thrown off balance as she fell backward into a broad and muscular chest. "Are you alright?" She heard the voice of a man filled with concern. She composed herself and quickly stood up and thanked her savior with a smile, "I'm fine. Thanks, Thomas.” Thomas cautioned, “Be careful. The floor
Sylvia smiled back. "Goodbye." Shortly after that, they arrived at the gate. Sylvia turned and returned upstairs upon making sure that they had entered Odell’s car. She changed her clothes, put on a coat and a scarf, then she went to her car and proceeded to drive to the venue where the seminar was hosted. ...... Meanwhile, in the other car that was already speeding down the lane, the driver was focused on driving. In the backseat were Liam, Isabel, and Odell. Liam was sitting quietly by himself while Isabel was propped on Odell’s lap. She was staring intently at the snow outside when she abruptly turned around and stared at Odell. Odell noticed her staring at him and asked, "What's wrong?" Isabel asked with a tight grimace, “Are you bullying my Mommy again?" Odell frowned and answered, "Not that I know of.” He had not seen her for almost a month by now, so he could not do anything to her even if he wanted to. Isabel narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Why is
With that, they entered the phase of free-form discussions. Many teachers rose from their seats and split off into groups of three to five. Several teachers went straight for Sylvia. Needless to say, Thomas remained the most popular one by a wide margin. Many young female teachers gathered around him immediately after the host laid out the itinerary. One of the teachers asked him inquisitively, “Mr. Carter, I heard that you teach piano. What do you usually teach?” Thomas answered blankly, "Piano." There was an awkward silence. Sylvia was sitting close by and heard Thomas’s curt answer, so she glanced over. The surrounding teachers seemed rather at a loss for words, but they refused to give up and asked him again, “Do you only teach them piano in class? Are there any other things you teach them?” To this, Thomas grunted an odd response, “Hm.” The teachers were completely speechless. Sylvia darted another look at Thomas. He was seated very gracefully and
He was seated in a very princely manner with his hands resting on the table. A cold gleam of ice shone in his eyes, but he was not looking at her. Perhaps she had misheard? Sylvia pursed her lips and wondered if she should ask if he was talking to her just now. Her opportunity was lost when several teachers approached her and asked her enthusiastically, “Ms. Sylvia, would you mind sharing some of your insights in painting with us?” Sylvia dismissed the idea of asking Thomas and smiled back at them. "Okay." She took the time to talk with them. Soon, she was entranced by the conversation to a point where she no longer noticed the way the man looked at her only a short distance from her. … Before even realizing it, Sylvia had chatted with them until it was noon. They only wrapped things up after Christopher informed them that it was time for them to get something to eat. Thomas was still sitting near her. Sylvia walked with him and several teachers towards