The new restaurant was Kentran.When they arrived, Alain asked Horace to take Eden upstairs while he stayed behind to speak with Caelus about something. Afterward, Caelus left.Eden wasn't particularly hungry, so she stopped eating after a few bites. She asked the waiter for a few bottles of beer and expertly opened one with her teeth, like a seasoned pro.She enjoyed drinking beer; it helped soothe her irritation. Other types of alcohol like wine and imports weren't her thing.Horace was amazed at her skill. "You're only 19, yet you're drinking like that?"Eden glanced at him with a hint of attitude. "Got a problem with that?""Uh, no, none," Horace stammered nervously, feeling insecure under her disdainful gaze. He would be glad if she would stop looking at him like he was an idiot.Eden ignored him and focused on her phone, sipping her beer.Watching her down bottle after bottle, Horace couldn't help but ask curiously, "Is the beer that good?"Accustomed to expensive red wi
She didn't reply and immediately pocketed her phone.As they got out of the car, Alain naturally took Eden's hand, and she didn't resist. It was unclear whether she had grown accustomed to it or found comfort in his warmth.Caelus pressed the doorbell, and Mrs. Johnson opened the door. She was momentarily taken aback, seeing so many people outside, including Jasmine and Eden. "Jasmine, why have you returned?"Spotting Horace behind Jasmine, Mrs. Johnson added hastily, "And Mr. Brooks as well."Having never seen Alain before, she didn't acknowledge him. As for Eden, Catherine had been coming home every day recently to discuss how to persuade Eden to return.Eden paid no heed to Mrs. Johnson's indifference."Where are my parents, Mrs. Johnson?" Jasmine asked with a serious expression. "Are they home? Is Madam Catherine and Mr. Edison home as well?"Before Mrs. Johnson could speak, Melinda appeared. "Who is it, Mrs. Johnson?"Upon seeing who was at the door, she was instantly shoc
Melinda shot Eden a piercing glare.She had never expressed a desire to disown Eden; it was Eden who had declared she wanted nothing to do with the Hunt family.Yet, Alain not only took her statement seriously but had now brought Jasmine and Eden back home.No matter how furious she felt, pleasing Alain was now her priority.Melinda was acutely aware that if Alain decided to break off the engagement, her future days in the Hunt family would be fraught with difficulty."I didn’t say I want to break the engagement," Alain stated emotionlessly as he gazed at Catherine.The elderly woman was taken aback, sighing heavily. "Looks like I’ve had a misunderstanding.""You did misunderstand," Alain affirmed as he rose to his feet, casting a long shadow in the room's light.With an icy demeanor, he declared, "The consequence of severing ties with Eden is this: I will withdraw all my investment with the Hunt family."What?Catherine gasped, nearly falling back into her seat.Withdraw hi
Horace pulled her aside and taunted her with a smile. "How shameless can you be? You scolded her like she was worthless in front of her grandmother this afternoon, and now you're begging her for your own benefit? How did you manage to develop such thick skin?"Horace was growing increasingly irritated with Melinda. He couldn't fathom anyone else behaving like her as a mother.Melinda avoided Horace's gaze, keeping her eyes down and saying nothing.Alain glanced at her, then opened the car door and got in.Both Horace and Caelus disregarded Melinda as well.As the car departed, Catherine rushed out. She raised her walking stick and swung it down on Melinda. "You wretch! Why did our family accept you as a daughter-in-law?""It wasn't me…" Melinda winced as the blows landed on her back, but she didn't dare to retaliate, enduring the pain. "I never said I wanted to get rid of Eden. It was Eden who wanted to sever ties with us. You have to believe me."Jasmine watched from the side,
On their way back to Skygarden, the more Horace dwelled on Melinda's behavior, the more enraged he became. Unable to contain himself, he turned to Eden and asked bluntly, "Is she really your biological mother?"Eden tilted her head slightly and gave him a mischievous smile. "She really is.""Why do I get the feeling you were picked up from somewhere else?" Horace mused, narrowing his eyes. Then a thought struck him, and he ventured, "Maybe you should go for a maternity test?"He couldn't shake the feeling that Melinda and Eden weren't genuinely mother and daughter. No mother, he thought, would treat their own child in such a callous manner."Sheesh, tell me about it," Eden chuckled, her laughter light but tinged with melancholy.Even Horace couldn't help but feel sorry for her.The truth was, Eden had indeed undergone a maternity test. On the day Melinda found her, Eden had discreetly obtained Melinda's DNA for analysis. The result was disappointing—Melinda was indeed her biologi
Very quickly, there was a knock on the office door.Three men and a woman entered.The woman walked over to the desk and addressed Samuel with an air of pride. "Is there something important that requires my attention, Mr. Samuel? I'm overseeing an intensive class, so I need to monitor the students during their morning reading session."The woman was Miriam Walker, the homeroom teacher of Class 3-1, who had been handling senior intensive classes for the past five years and took great pride in her role at the school.The other three men greeted Samuel respectfully.Samuel gestured toward the girl sitting across from him and introduced, "Let me introduce you. This is our new transfer student, Eden Griffith. Who can take her under their wing?""Transfer student?" Miriam regarded Eden with suspicion. "We've been in session for over a month now, and midterms are approaching. You're saying she's transferring in at this point?"The other three teachers were curious but didn't voice any
Class 3-18 and Class 3-17 ranked lowest academically among the year group.Not only were students in these classes struggling academically, but they were also notoriously difficult to manage, with frequent conflicts erupting.Most teachers were reluctant to take on these classes.Firstly, managing them was a challenge in itself.Secondly, Riverside Senior High had built a reputation as an elite school, attracting more children from wealthy and influential families in recent years. This increased competition for limited spots, often squeezing out students from less affluent backgrounds unless they excelled academically.The intensive classes mainly comprised students from ordinary families, with only a few from affluent backgrounds. Teachers preferred these classes due to higher postsecondary enrollment rates and less trouble.The worst classes were on the verge of having no homeroom teachers at all.Following Grant, Eden entered Class 3-18 with her head slightly lowered.The cl
"Sure, Mr. Sillivan." No one had ever disagreed with him, and it seemed the students in the class held Grant in high regard.Grant gestured toward an empty seat and said to Eden, "You can sit next to Joy."Eden followed his gaze to a young girl with twin braids, whose appearance could be described as cute.Nodding, Eden walked over.Her seat was by the window, which she liked.She placed her books on the table and hung her uniform on the chair. She then sat back, pulled out her phone and started to fiddle with it, completely unconcerned.Seeing this, Grant wanted to say something, but Eden's icy demeanor stopped him.Despite her slender build and ordinary background, Eden seemed less intimidating than the affluent children. Yet, Grant felt interacting with her might prove more challenging.Eden was striking; she had drawn attention the moment she entered.Some boys were impressed by her nonchalant phone use in front of Grant. "She's so cool."However, not all girls were impre