Chapter 614
Parents shouldn’t be too strict-Latham, for one, had no intention of becoming fodder for the next round of gossip among their circle.
“It was because of puppy love, you know, with Josh’s kid,” Octavia huffed, rolling her eyes.
She remembered it all too vividly; right before the exams, she’d had afternoon tea with Josh’s wife. The topic had come up then. Josh’s wife had shared her own daughter’s story as a cautionary tale, urging the other parents not to overreact if their kids started dating early-guide them gently instead of meddling. Otherwise, she’d said, their children could end up just like her daughter: forced to break up, heartbroken, losing all motivation.
It was one thing to get disappointing results on university entrance exams, but the real damage, she warned, was to a child’s spirit.
But, back then, Josh had really thought little of the boy his daughter was attached to. The kid was a troublemaker, a nobody. His dad was in prison, his mother had remarried, and he was left living with his elderly grandmother. How could someone like that ever be worthy of the Charles family’s only daughter?
If only the boy had been ambitious and hardworking, maybe Josh would’ve considered it. Unfortunately, he was anything but. He was a slacker-barely scraping by in school, hanging out with the wrong crowd. Did anyone honestly expect a boy like that to support his daughter someday? He’d probably have to rely on the Charles family just to get by.
Josh was convinced that his straight-A, well-behaved little girl had gone off the rails because of that kid. There was no way he’d let them see each other. As luck would have it, the boy got himself in trouble. Josh seized the chance and sent someone to scare him off-made the threat clear: leave his daughter, or end up behind bars.
The boy might have been useless in most ways, but he was devoted to his grandmother. Faced with the threat, he didn’t hesitate. He broke up with the Charles girl immediately.
Josh figured his daughter would get over it soon enough. He hadn’t counted on how impossibly stubborn she was.
“Whatever’s going on, we can’t push her right now,” Latham warned. He wasn’t about to become a cautionary tale for the rest of their social circle.
Octavia just snorted. “Alright, I get it.”
“She’s my own daughter. You really think I want to make her suffer on purpose?”
After the call ended, Octavia couldn’t help herself. She went to Cindy’s room and knocked at the door again.
“Cindy, are you sure you don’t want to check your results?”
“If there’s been a grading mistake, we can always request a review, she added,
remembering tonet
hertone as much as she
could
Cindy lay buried beneath the covers, crying. After a while, she finally opened the
door, her face streaked with tears.
“No, Mom. I don’t want to check anymore.”
“I’m sorry I disappointed you.” Her eyes were puffy, swollen from crying.
“So what do you want to do next?” Octavia asked, recalling Latham’s advice not to push too hard. “Do you want to repeat the year, or
you prefer to attend a less selective school?”
Octavia meant well, but to Cindy, it sounded more like condemnation than concern. No matter which option she chose, humiliation seemed inevitable she didn t have an answer.
Claire had scored top in the city, and here she was, contemplating repeating a grade. If people found out, what would they say?
With red, swollen eyes, Cindy looked at her mother. “I haven’t figured it out yet. Can you give me a little more time, Mom?”
She’d been so happy during their vacation—now, she felt lower than ever.
Octavia looked at her defeated daughter and sighed, rubbing her temples. “Alright. Take some time to think about it.”
“Cindy, grades aren’t everything. Try not to worry so much.”
“Like Lance said—if things don’t work out here, we can always look into schools abroad.”
“But York is getting older now. If you study overseas, there’s no guarantee your relationship with him will last with the distance.”
“So whatever you decide, talk it through with him first.”
“No matter what, we’re always here for you, Cindy. Don’t dwell on it too much.”