Please Take Me Home, Daddy - Chapter 394: Chapter 394

Laura nodded slightly before her gaze turned to Winnie. "Mom, who is she?"
Winnie's tone was indifferent. "Her name is Celia Graham. She's the daughter of Simon who is Zayn's uncle as well."
The Graham family was an influential clan, with many siblings and cousins in their generation. Zayn's grandfather had a brother, Vince, who had three kids: two boys and a little girl. The second son, Simon, who was Celia's birth father, had gone missing as a child.
As a boy, Simon had been kidnapped and sold. Despite Vince spending a fortune searching for him to no avail, his wife fell ill from heartache and never recovered. Simon, on the other hand, was taken to a remote, impoverished village and raised as someone's son. Because they were poor and held traditional beliefs, he was forced to marry young and assume the responsibilities of a family head.
Simon was bright and witty, but without the means for education, he dropped out after elementary school and worked manual jobs, supporting not only his in-laws and adoptive parents but also his own family. Long-term labor took a toll on his health, with no money for treatment, leading to a chronic illness. When they finally found him, he had mere days left to live. Though not old, he appeared as aged as his father, his skin darkened, eyes full of years, and body emaciated. In a matter of days, he passed away from this cruel world. Unable to bear the loss of her son, her mother followed soon after.
Vince, devastated by the loss of his loved ones and the conditions in which his son had lived, couldn't bring himself to acknowledge Celia's existence. It wasn't for no reason—he saw it as adding insult to injury when Carla, Simon's widow, demanded money upon learning that Simon's biological family was wealthy.
Carla, uneducated and outspoken, hadn't shed a tear at the funeral, rudely labeling Simon a failure; she said he was born with a silver spoon yet lacked fortune, barely earning a dime and dying young. Vince was nearly driven to his own grave with rage.
Now he was bringing his granddaughter back home, it seemed, because Carla had made a scene at the company. Embarrassed by the public scandal, Vince planned to send his granddaughter abroad. However, Carla squabbled and insisted that Celia should live in the Graham residence. Vince agreed temporarily, hoping to shield the company from gossip.
Winnie thoughtfully considered Celia and spoke gently, "Celia, I understand if you think we're making a big deal out of nothing, but you have to realize that boys and girls are different. No boy, regardless of age, should be flipping up a girl's skirt. That's wrong. It's not my daughter's fault for wearing a skirt, right?"
Laura raised her hand, "Mom, I get it. The ladies at the orphanage told me that even if a girl goes out naked, it doesn't give anyone the right to bully her."
Winnie smiled. She thought, 'Laura is just so bright.'
Celia, though, snorted in disdain, "So we're back to the same old double standards, huh? Wearing little skirts at a young age and then blaming others for looking. Should've thought about it before choosing the outfit. Isn't it too much trouble?"
Winnie and Laura were perplexed, "What do you mean?"
Celia shrugged, "Did I say something wrong?"
Laura's face turned stern, glaring daggers, "So, you think Clifford did nothing wrong?"
Celia rolled her eyes, "I never said Clifford was right. I just think if you don't want your skirt lifted, then maybe you shouldn't wear one in the first place. I'm just looking out for you, that's all."
"Nonsense!" Laura snapped as she hauled Celia's carrying pole off the ground and started dragging it away. "Get your all-natural backpack and get out! You're such bad luck. But I'm not gonna waste my energy getting mad at you!" Her petite figure huffed and puffed, struggling to move the pole which only budged... the length of the one-floor tile.
The girls couldn't just stand by and watch. Rolling up their sleeves, they chimed in, "Come on, step aside, Laura, we'll help you carry the pole. Oh, and take a picture of us! Gotta capture our moment of justice for some extra credits."
Laura was quick on the uptake, "Alright! Let's line up and carry this pole. Group effort for extra credits."
The girls cheered, "Okay!"
Celia snapped back to reality, snatching her carrying pole and hoisting it on her shoulder, glaring at them fiercely, "I don't like others touching my stuff! Do you have manners?"
Laura's eyes widened, "What a surprise! Someone with no manners is accusing others of the same."
With one last fierce glare, Celia stormed off. As she turned the corner, the hallway erupted, "Wow! We actually chased her away!"
"Hahahaha, and it's all thanks to Laura!"
Laura grinned, touching the back of her head, "Nah, it was because you all stood with me that we pulled it off."
Their hearts melted at Laura's cuteness, pinching her cheeks, "Aw, aren't you adorable! You've got a way with words!"
"Yeah, and always knowing what to say."
"Let's not be mad. We'll have Clifford apologize to you once he realizes his mistake, okay?"
Laura's eyes lit up and replied, "Okay."
Two hours later, Clifford stood before her with lifeless eyes, holding a math test paper, murmuring, "I'm sorry, Laura. I was wrong. I'd like to cordially invite you to an event tonight as my way of making amends. I hope you can forgive me. I won't do that ever again."
Laura raised an eyebrow towards his paper, "What did you score?"
Clifford's eyes suddenly reddened, "Zero..." His mom was so worried that the Yales would give him a hard time. But when she saw the big zero, she kicked him a few times.
Everett snatched the paper, shocked, "Clifford, how could you mess up these easy questions? You could've done it with your eyes closed."
Jasper sighed sympathetically, "Cut him some slack, Everett. If it were a boys-being-jerks contest, Clifford would take first place easily. This isn't his strong suit."
Zayn just snorted.
Clifford was on the verge of tears, "Stop making fun of me, please, I got it. I was wrong. I won't do it again!"
Laura watched him for a moment, then relented, "Alright, if you say so, then I'll forgive you. What do you have at home that's fun?"
Clifford perked up at this, "We've got go-karts! They're a blast! We can drive them together. Celia will likely be there tonight, but it's all just a side note for her—don't mind her."
Laura nodded in agreement, "Cool, I've never driven a go-kart before!"
Winnie, standing nearby, felt her mood lift seeing Laura so happy. But the mention of Celia made her eyebrows knit together as she turned her attention to Clifford's mom, "Why didn't you guys just give Celia some living expenses instead of making her stay here?"
Clifford's mom scoffed, "Her appetite is too big. She's after Mr. Vince Graham's inheritance. Mr. Vince Graham had initially given her 2 million dollars, but that wasn't enough. She wants to wait till Mr. Vince Graham kicks the bucket to get ninety percent, claiming it's owed to her by Mr. Vince Graham, like he owed her dad or something. When money is involved, she turns into a lunatic. If her dad was alive, he'd have given her her due, but she played a part in driving him to his death. They deserve nothing."
Her poise nearly broke with frustration, "Carla's been talking about throwing a banquet, just like the ones on TV, and then she wants Sebastian to be her daughter's personal mentor, like one of those guaranteed-placement deals. What a colossal nerve! As if Sebastian would give them the time of day."
After taking a moment to gather herself, she looked at Winnie earnestly. "Winnie, a word of advice—Celia is quite a piece of work; no manners, no grace, totally indifferent towards others. Mr. Fuller is your daughter's tutor, and if Celia finds out, she'll be green with envy and might even. Who knows, she might even cook up some scheme to boil your daughter in jealousy. Just be wary, because Simon disappeared around her age."
The chill in Winnie's eyes sparked upon hearing this, a cold determination settling in. "If Carla dares to stir up trouble for me, I'll make sure she never shows her face around us again. I absolutely won't allow anyone to harm a single hair on my sister's daughter," she declared with an icy resolve.