The Ex-Wife They Begged To Keep - Chapter 27: Chapter 27

Those colleagues merely nodded politely before turning back to their work, completely ignoring Eliza's enthusiasm.
Feeling the cold shoulder, Eliza felt awkward.
Just then, a woman named Nancy walked over, her face full of exaggerated enthusiasm. "Eliza, hi, I'm Nancy Vergara. It's so nice to meet you."
Caught off guard by Nancy's friendliness, Eliza smiled, "Hello, it's nice to meet you too."
Nancy exclaimed, "Eliza, you're absolutely stunning. Anyone can tell you come from a distinguished family."
Eliza listened to the flattery and subtly lifted her chin, though she kept her expression composed. The pride in her eyes betrayed her pleasure.
Feigning modesty, she waved a hand and replied "Oh, I'm so flattered. I'm just an ordinary person. There's nothing special about me."
Nancy kept her compliments flowing, her tone filled with admiration and awe.
Eliza basked in the praise, her lips curving higher with satisfaction.
On the way to kindergarten, Oliver sat with one leg crossed over the other. He threw a sideways glance at Leon, who sat upright with his hands folded on his lap.
Oliver snorted, "Leon, are you really that clueless, or are you just pretending? Your mom dumped you, didn't she?"
"I don't care about that bad woman," Leon muttered.
Oliver chuckled and said, "Bad woman? You're right. She is really bad."
Leon's eyes began to redden. His fingers clenched tightly around his seatbelt as he retorted, "DO NOT call my mom a bad woman."
"You said it first. Why can't I say it too?" Oliver retorted.
Leon stammered, "You..."
When they arrived at the kindergarten, Leon walked to a corner by himself and started playing alone.
Before long, a boy named Carl Craven came over and snatched the toy from Leon's hands.
"Give it back. That's mine," Leon protested.
"Not anymore," Carl said smugly. He then tossed the toy onto the floor and stomped on it hard.
Leon couldn't hold it in anymore. He lunged forward, and the two boys began to wrestle.
Hearing the noise, a teacher rushed over and quickly pulled them apart. She asked sternly, "What happened? Why are you fighting?"
"He snatched my toy and broke it," Leon said angrily.
"Liar! He hit me first," Carl shouted.
The teacher let out a sigh. She gave both boys a brief scolding, then picked up the phone to contact their parents.
When Victor got the call from the teacher, he immediately set aside his work and prepared to leave.
Just as he got up, Eliza walked through the door. Seeing his expression, she asked, "Vic, what's going on?"
Victor's displeasure was barely hidden. He replied, "The kindergarten called. Leon got into a fight. I need to go right now. That kid really knows how to keep me worried."
Victor strode quickly toward the garage, and Eliza followed closely behind.
His grip on the steering wheel was tight. His jaw was set, and a tense line formed across his forehead as he drove in silence.
At the kindergarten entrance, the teacher was already waiting anxiously. Spotting Victor and Eliza walking over together, she hurried up to them and began explaining what had happened while leading them toward the classroom.
Victor didn't say a word. His jaw was clenched, and a vein pulsed faintly at his temple.
He pushed open the classroom door and saw Leon sitting alone on a chair, his head down, his small hands clasping together. His sleeves were stained with dirt.
"Leon," Victor said in a low voice, "come here. Tell me why you were fighting."
Leon looked up, ran to Victor, and hugged his leg tightly. He opened his mouth to speak.
But Eliza's voice cut in first. "Leon. No matter what, you can't fight, understand? If something like this happens again, you need to tell your teacher."
She crouched down and gently brushed Leon's face with her hand before turning to Victor with a sigh. "Vic, Leon is still young. He doesn't know any better. Serena might be too soft on him. He really needs better guidance moving forward."
Leon shook his head vigorously at Eliza's words and protested, "It wasn't my fault. Carl took my toy first. He stomped on it. He bullied me first."
"Leon." Victor's voice came down like a whip, low and sharp. His brow was furrowed, rage barely restrained. He crouched down, meeting Leon's eyes with a stern gaze.
"Vic, he's just a child. He probably doesn't understand you," Eliza said gently, brushing a hand over Leon's soft hair.
Her voice was tender, but her expression remained unreadable. "But habits are built early. You're too soft with him. He really needs to learn some lessons."
Leon's shoulders trembled as he stammered, "I-I didn't..."
Without another word, Victor took Leon's hand and led him out of the classroom.
Leon glanced up at Victor, trying to read his father's mood. His lips pressed tightly together, and he dared not cry aloud.
When they arrived home, Victor took Leon straight to the living room and said, "Leon, I'll ask you one more time. Is getting into a fight a mistake?"
Leon bit his lip and shook his head stubbornly.
Victor said, "Well, I won't force you to admit your mistake. But tonight, you're not allowed to have dinner. When you're ready to face your mistake, you can sit at the table again."
Leon stood there alone. Tears welled in his eyes and slid silently down his cheeks.
Serena arrived at the door of the break room as whispers drifted to her ears.
A woman said, "Did you hear that? Serena slept her way to the top. How shameless she is."
Another voice replied, "No way. She looks so sweet and innocent."
Another woman chimed in, "I heard she had powerful connections. Totally pulled strings to get in."
Someone else added, "No wonder she landed such a high position upon joining the company. It all makes sense now."
She drew her foot back and stood still, one hand resting on the doorframe, quietly listening to their conversation. Her breathing slowed, and her lips pressed into a thin line.
Just then, Max walked by and saw her. He patted her gently on the shoulder and said, "Seri, don't bother with petty gossip. We will hold a small party tonight. Why don't you join us and have some fun?"
Later that evening, they came to a bar. The lounge was lit with neon and pulsing with noise. Music pounded in every direction, making conversation nearly impossible.
Serena sat quietly in the corner, her figure half lost in shadow.
Erika swayed over toward Serena, her smile showing feigned warmth. "Serena, I was out of line that day. I shouldn't have said those things. Don't take it personally, alright?"
Serena looked at Erika, calm and poised. "Just forget it. I didn't take it to heart."
The smile on Erika's face froze for a split second, but she quickly recovered, lifting a glass toward Serena. "Cheers. Take the toast as an apology."
Serena glanced down at the glass and reached out to take it. A faint smile tugged at her lips as she replied, "It's all in the past."
With that, she downed the drink in one go. She didn't want to escalate the situation, didn't want to be the center of attention, and didn't want to cause trouble for Max.
Another colleague came up and said, "Seri, I propose a toast. This project's success was all thanks to you."
"Yeah. Come on, Seri, cheers," someone else added.
Erika stood a short distance away, her fingers wrapped around her own glass. She narrowed her eyes slightly as she saw that Serena still held herself together perfectly.
She moved closer and said, "You guys are so enthusiastic tonight. Seri, don't drink too much."
It sounded like concern, but her words were laced with implication.
Sure enough, the crowd cheered louder. A few people swapped out their cocktails for stronger whiskey and raised their glasses high.
One drink after another, they kept pouring for Serena. As the night wore on, the voices around her blurred, her vision swam, and her thoughts began to dissolve into fog.