Chapter 11  

Half an hour later, Sean drove them and arrived at grandpa's place.

Mr. Riddle Sr. and his three sons- and daughters-in-law had already arrived. When they saw them entering, the second daughter-in-law, Karen, could not help but smile triumphantly. “Daniel, Gloria, have you two been very busy lately? You are making us wait.”

“I am sorry, Karen. The traffic was a little bad today.” Gloria squeezed a smile. She would endure it all for Nicole’s sake.

Nicole studied Karen with a frosty face and did not greet her.

When Karen’s eyes met hers, Karen felt a chill run up her spine. Nicole was just a brat. What was she afraid of?

Thinking of this, she scoffed and said, “So this is your child that had gone missing for years? She indeed looks a bit like her brothers. But have you done the DNA test? Don’t mix up again this time.”

Hearing Karen open the old wounds of his parents, Sean frowned and said, “Aunt, what you said is a bit too much.”

Leaving Nicole wandering outside all these years was Gloria’s deepest pain. So what Karen did was tantamount to adding salt to injury.

“Sean.” Daniel shook his head at him, motioning him not to speak.

Gloria put up with Karen’s jabs and let out a gentle smile. “Thank you for the reminder, Karen. But this time the police have compared the DNAs, and Nicole is our family member.”

Gloria was timid, but her hand holding Nicole’s hand was powerful and made Nicole feel warm.

“It had better be. Don’t raise someone else’s child for ten years only to find out that it is a fake again.” Karen continued to taunt, and Gloria’s face looked pale this time.

“Karen, stop digging up the past, would you?” Nicole’s third uncle could not bear to hear it and coldly interrupted Karen.

Karen only then relented after Nicole’s third uncle spoke.

“The meal is almost ready. Please take your seat.” Mr. Riddle Sr. did not want to hear the quarrel and motioned for everyone to sit down.

While the maids were serving food, Nicole’s third aunt looked at Nicole with tender eyes. “Nicole just turned eighteen this year, right? Are you in high school?”

Nicole nodded. “Yeah, eleventh grade.”

“Eleventh grade? Well, if you can transfer to Royal Creek Institute, you will become a schoolmate of Ella, my daughter.” Her third aunt seemed genuine and looked sincere.

“Royal Creek Institute?” Karen frowned when she heard that. “You two are too naïve. Not any Tom, Dick, and Harry can enter Royal Creek Institute. Even if it is just the high school, there is a minimum requirement.”

“How can you talk like this, Karen?” Nicole’s third aunt felt what Karen said was unbecoming.

“I am just telling the truth,” Karen said as he glanced toward Damien, Nicole’s eldest uncle. “Damien and his wife should know it better. Even if Dad and Mr. Ellison are old acquaintances, Mr. Ellison still set a high bar for our children. Nicole grew up in the countryside; the chances for her entering Royal Creek Institute are slim. Don’t waste Damien’s time.”

Nicole’s eyes darkened a little as Karen was so mean that her words were hurtful.

Daniel and Gloria did not expect that Karen blocked what they were going to say before they could even say it. The couple was so sad and could not find a word to respond. They felt indebted to Nicole and wanted to give her the best, but they could not help her at all.

Mr. Riddle Sr. looked at Nicole in silence and felt sorry for his granddaughter.

He turned his head and frowned at his eldest son. “Damien, what do you think about this?”

Damien knew Mr. Riddle Sr. best. Knowing that for the sake of the Riddle family’s reputation, Mr. Riddle Sr. would want him to put Nicole in Royal Creek Institute.

But his wife suddenly said, “Dad, Karen has a point. Nicole came from the countryside where the education standard was average. Even if Mr. Ellison lets her in, her grades are not going to make it. It will only make the Riddle family look bad.”

Damien’s wife did not speak earlier, but she shared the same thinking as Karen.

After all, her daughter was going to be a star in the future. If people found out that her daughter had a country sister at school, she would be very ashamed of it.

Seeing that his wife objected to it, Damien fell into silence.

Mr. Riddle Sr. could not help but glance at Nicole.

He knew that Nicole’s grades might be unsatisfactory, but she was his granddaughter. Besides, she and Jared from the Johnston family had an engagement. How could he let her alone?

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. “Well, since you don’t want to help, leave it to an old man like me. I will ask Mr. Ellison for help.”

“Dad! How could you?” Mr. Riddle Sr.’s second and third sons spoke in unison.

The faces of Nicole’s second and third aunts changed subtly. They did not expect that Mr. Riddle Sr. would want to seek Mr. Ellison’s help personally, which was a treatment that none of the children in the family had ever received.

Damien had no choice. “Dad, leave it to me. I will take care of this matter.”

Daniel and Gloria were pleasantly surprised, not expecting that Damien would agree.

Just that the faces of Nicole’s second and third aunts looked anything but good.

Nicole quietly sighed upon seeing that her family was doing so much for her. She did not need anyone’s help. Seeing through the face of the first and second aunts, she disdained the help of her first uncle even more.

She looked at her watch impatiently, wondering why the old man, Ellison, had not called.

Just when she thought so, Sean’s phone rang.

A smile crept up Nicole’s lips. Ellison was still punctual.

Sean heard his phone ring and quickly got up, thinking that it was a call from his company. “Excuse me, I have got to take the call.”