Alain and Eden spent about an hour at the Ward Estate before returning to Skygarden.As they entered, Jasmine rushed over, gripping Eden's hands with concern. "I heard you only scored twenty in your tests. Is that true?"Eden arched an eyebrow mischievously at Jasmine. "Yeap."Alain turned to her, surprised.He knew Eden had started at Riverside Senior High with zero in all subjects, but he wasn’t aware she was doing that poorly.Given her medical skills, if she could grasp medical journals, she must have some knowledge stored away.But twenty marks in total? Alain rubbed his forehead, feeling worried.With such grades, graduating would be challenging for her."What are we going to do? The National Assessment is coming up in about a semester and a half. How do you plan to get into university with these grades?" Jasmine glanced at Alain from the corner of her eye, secretly amused by how serious he looked.Eden strolled to the sofa and lounged lazily. "I probably won't get in."
"Hello, you must be the father of the girl sitting next to Eden?" Sinead said gracefully, her manner and speech poised.Her gaze remained focused as she addressed the man before her.He turned to her and offered a sincere smile. "Hello. You must be Eden's mother? Joy mentioned that Eden takes good care of her. Please allow me to thank her on Joy's behalf."Sinead returned the smile warmly. "Eden is a kind girl, so there's no need for thanks."Glancing briefly at the test papers on Eden's desk after their brief conversation, Sinead was taken aback.Apart from one correct answer in math, every other test paper was filled with zeros.None of the answers were correct, resulting in a total score of twenty?Sinead rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on.With a bit of time left before the parent-teacher conference began, Sinead noticed Eden's desk was somewhat disorganized and decided to tidy up.As she began to sort through her things, a pile of items spilled out, causing
Sinead had just finished organizing Eden's desk when a woman approached."Excuse me, are you in the wrong seat? This is my daughter's seat," Melinda said graciously, smiling brightly at Sinead.Unaware of Sinead's identity as Mrs. Ward, Melinda was puzzled when Sinead lifted her gaze and leaned back in the chair, speaking calmly, "I'm in the right seat."Despite meeting Melinda for the first time, Sinead knew about her from her investigation into the Hunt family.Sinead held no fondness for Melinda—an individual who could abandon a newborn and exploit her at every opportunity. Such people were among those Sinead detested most.Melinda was taken aback. "This is Eden Griffith's seat, and she's my daughter. May I ask who you are?"Melinda was aware of the affluent families attending Riverside Senior High and refrained from causing a scene.Maintaining her elegant demeanor in public was crucial for her image."I'm Eden's mother-in-law, Sinead," Sinead replied icily, her gaze pierci
That was why many students were waiting outside Class 3-18.Eden glanced at Ewan and replied, "She's not.""Huh?" Ewan was taken aback. "She's not your mom? Then who is she?""She's my future mother-in-law," Eden said confidently.Alain smiled instantly. If Eden was willing to acknowledge Sinead as her mother-in-law, did that mean she was accepting him as well? He knew his mother was quite reliable.Ewan stared in shock for a while before finally giving Eden a big thumbs-up. "You're the GOAT!"She might be the first person in history to invite her future mother-in-law to a parent-teacher conference.As expected of his chief.Her actions were…So cool!The conference began promptly at half-past seven.Grant provided a brief explanation of the test results and offered comments on the students' performances, then encouraged the parents. After discussing the upcoming National Assessment briefly, the conference concluded.Unlike other teachers, Grant preferred not to waste time
After the conference, Sinead returned to the Ward Estate.Before leaving, she pulled Alain aside and spoke to him. "Mr. Sullivan mentioned that with support from the parents and teachers, Eden can achieve good results. I've arranged for mock exam papers for the National Assessment to be delivered to Skygarden. I'm leaving this task to you."With that, Sinead patted Alain's shoulder. "I'm creating opportunities for you. Work hard and don't let my daughter-in-law slip away."Alain rubbed his head, momentarily speechless.But he didn't voice any objections.Overseeing Eden's studies? Not a bad idea.He wondered, though, if Eden would be cooperative.Once Sinead had left, Alain and Eden were ready to head home.Horace and Caelus were also there, but they stayed outside the building, reminiscing about their high school days.Alain called Horace.Soon, they were all gathered and headed back together.During the ride, Alain glanced at Eden, resting his arm on the car window, a smil
Caelus complied with Eden's command and stopped the car.Eden walked over to the driver's seat and opened the door. "Move to the back!"Caelus glanced at Alain for confirmation. When Alain remained silent, Caelus moved to the back seat.Eden started the car.The vehicle felt like it had rockets under the hood as it accelerated forward.Everyone inside the car was caught off guard, gripping the handholds tightly.Horace pressed himself against the car window, his face turning pale. "Eden, slow down... slower! You're going to get us killed!"Ignoring Horace's plea, Eden continued driving with determination.Alain quickly regained his composure. Through the window, he observed Eden's calm expression.He didn't know who Talia was.All he knew was that apart from her grandmother and Jerred, he had never seen Eden lose control for someone before.The car sped all the way to the Stanford River. Before Eden could bring her car to a stop, she saw someone jump from the riverbank.The
After a few minutes, Alain managed to pull Eden back up onto shore.Eden appeared unharmed but was focused on finding Joy and Talia. She encountered Alain shortly afterward, allowing him to assist her as she struggled with her weakening strength.Once they reached the shore, Joy and Talia had also been rescued.Aside from being waterlogged, they seemed mostly fine.Eden approached Talia with a stern expression and uttered a single word, "Explain."Her lips were pale, and water droplets were still clinging to her hair.Talia sensed her mistake and kept her head lowered in silence.Eden continued to glare at her, unmoved.After a tense silence, Talia finally raised her head, speaking softly. "I'm so sorry, Eden. I...""Just couldn't bear to live anymore?"Eden seized Talia by the collar, lifting her off the ground with a cold stare. "What happened that made you want to end your life?"When Talia was still in Sirona, she used to write letters to Eden, portraying a content life.
"Joy…" Talia tried to stop Joy with a nervous expression, but Eden had already snatched the phone away.She quickly looked down again.Eden scanned the contents on Joy's phone, her expression turning even colder.Before Talia tried to end her life, she had posted the following message: "I hate this world. I hate all of you who are so indifferent. I can endure your bullying and your beatings, but I can't take it when you strip me naked and take pictures. I hate all of you. I'm going to kill myself. I'll become a ghost and haunt all of you!"Eden slammed the phone on the table and demanded with a stony expression, "What's going on here?"Joy remained silent for a moment before speaking up, "Talia has been bullied for a long time. They framed her for theft, spread rumors about her, and even forced her to eat expired food. Today was the worst. They forcibly stripped her, took photos, and threatened to upload them online. The pictures are probably already online."Joy didn't understan