Novel1Chapter 349
Marvin's eyes, deep and dark as obsidian, rested quietly on Keen.
"No matter if we cin first or last, no matter how Stella does, I'll never be embarrassed by her," he said, his
tone steady and sincere.
Keen shot him a glare, crossing his arms stubbornly. "Hmph! Wait until you're the one making a fool of yourself
let's see if you still talk like that! And don't you dare cry if we lose, you troublemaker!"
It hadn't always been like this. Keen hadn't always felt so ashamed of his own mother.
But everything changed the day Rachel cback into their lives.
Ever since then, it seemed like Mom was always the one getting laughed at. The worst was on his birthday, when
she got into an argument with one of Mr. Wilkinson's friends. Everyone at the party stared and whispered,
watching her
make a scene.
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He'd overheard grown-ups-uncles and aunts-murmuring that his mother wasn't classy enough, that she was an
embarrassment. Seven said it was no wonder Dad was always taking Rachel to important events instead.
At the time, Keen was still at his old preschool, and everyone there knew Stella was his mom.
The birthday fiasco was all anyone could talk about the next day. The story spread like wildfire, and soon every
kid in his class was snickering behind his back, calling his mom a joke and mocking him as the "country
bumpkin's son."
Friends who used to play with him now kept their distance. He felt completely alone, shunned by nearly
everyone.
Thankfully, soon after, he transferred to a new school.
Here, no one knew who his mother was.
He excelled at everything, quickly winning over the teachers and making new friends. He even got Rachel to join
him at parent-child events, soaking up the envious looks from his classmates.
Keen loved this new life.
But lately, his mom barely spoke to him. The emptiness gnawed at him, leaving him feeling lost and miserable.
If only Mom could be as amazing as Rachel, he thought.
Rachel smiled gently. "Keen, if there's nothing else, let's go back and rehearse, okay?"
Keen nodded. "Okay."
Haynes gave Stella a long, searching look, then turned to leave as well.
"Wait," a low, commanding voice broke the tension. Neville's words seemed to vibrate through the room. "Mr.
O'Brien, Ms. Pearce-you just accused Star of something she didn't do. Don't you think you owe her an apology?"
Rachel turned, her expression cool. "Ms. Cameron may be Keen's mother, but she took him without telling
anyone... I'd say she's the one who owes us an explanation."
Marvin stepped in, unfazed. "Keen just told everyone himself-he cwith us on his own. Ms. Pearce, you're the
one who insisted Keen never lies. Have you already forgotten your own words?"
Rachel's retort caught in her throat.
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Neville watched them both with a faint, knowing smile. "So, what is it? Mr. O'Brien, Ms. Pearce-do you never
admit to being wrong, or is it just that you can't bring yourselves to apologize to Star?"
"Is this the example you want to set for Keen?"
His words hung in the air. Haynes and Rachel's faces darkened, the weight of the moment pressing down on
them.
Keen stood by their side, watching with wide, hopeful eyes.
If they refused to admit their mistake, how could they expect Keen to trust them in the future?
After a few seconds of heavy silence, Haynes finally spoke, his voice rough. "I'm sorry."
With Haynes apologizing, Rachel had no reason to hold back. She managed a contrite smile. "Ms. Cameron, I'm
sorry. | misunderstood."
Seeing this, Keen looked away.
He didn't think there was anything wrong with Dad and Rachel apologizing to Mom. He'd been taught since he
was little-if you make a mistake, you say sorry.
And this time, Dad and Rachel really had misunderstood. Apologizing was the right thing to do.
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