161
At the sink. Paisley didn’t take Nate’s business card. She rarely accepted cands from strangers..
“We don’t know each other, she replied politely but distantly,
Worried about leaving Serena alone for too long, l’aisley quickly washed her hands, skipping the towel, and I
hurried off
Nate seemed like he wanted to say something, but his phone rang, so he stepped away to take the rall
There was quite a distance between the restroom and the pavilion. Paisley had planned to take Serena with her, but she was having so much fun playing with the others that she had refused to go.
So, Paisley had entrusted the other parents to keep an eye on her.
Without her supervision, she had no idea what kind of mischief Serena might be up to. But before she could even get halfway back, the sharp sound of glass shattering made her heart drops
Her pace quickened instinctively. When she arrived at the pavilion, all the parents were on their feet, crowding around the platform.
If she remembered correctly, that was where Vivian had placed her wine. Now, it was completely empty. The parents were murmuring in either regret or anger, all looking in the same direction.
As Paisley stepped closer, she saw the broken Cloud Crest Reserve on the ground, with more than half of the expensive wine still pooled among the glass shards. Serena stood to the side, quietly shedding tears.
“Rena!” Paisley pushed through the crowd, scooping her daughter up and away from the broken glass. “Tell me what happened”
Serena wiped her tears but only shook her head, refusing to speak. Paisley knew her daughter well–Serena wasn’t one to cry easily unless something truly upsetting had happened.
The last time she cried this much was at the stables, when she thought Paisley was being bullied. She had sobbed and called those people bad
But this time, she wasn’t wailing, juy silently shedding tears. There was grievance in her eyes, but also something Paisley couldn’t quite decipher. Whatever it was, it made Paisley’s heart ache
“What else could’ve happened? Ms. Sutton, your daughter caused a huge mess! Isabella sneered, her face full of schadenfreude.
broke such an expensive bottle of wine–there’s no way you can afford to compensate for this she thought. Paisley frowned and looked straight at Isabella. “Mrs. Thompson, please explain clearly. What exactly did my daughter do? “Tun’t it obvious?” Isabella pointed at the shattered Cloud Crest Reserve on the floor. “Your daughter did it! Vivian was with us, and your troublemaking daughter broke it. Now, tell us–how are you going to compensate for this?”
generous c
enough to share it
Her words resonated with the other parents. They all felt it was a shame—such a line bottle of wine, wasted by a child. They hadn’t even had enough to taste. Each person only got a tiny sip
Pandey wasn’t going to jump to conclusions based on one person’s story. She turned to Serena, her voice gentle. “Rena, tell me did you break this?“ “Mi, Sutton, what are you implying!” Vivian’s face fell as she snapped, “Are you sy uidults are fabely accusing a child?
Her heart ached at the loss of the wine. But she wasn’t about to let Paisley off so easily. This was her chance to make Paisley pay wine, but for daring to go after my Janland
—not just for the
needs to be clarified first. If my daughter is responsible, I will take
But Paisley requined composed, meeting Vivian’s gaze head–on. “The situation nee full responsitalny”
Vivian laughed, “Responsible! How can you afford for
Pandey was confused. “It’s just a bottle of wine”
net Do you have any idea how expensive this boule ist You make it sound so nicer Isabella mocked.
Kevin couldn’t stand it anymore and tugged at his wife. “Stop talking, it’s none of your business”
“What do you meant Are you going to defend her?” Isabella immediately got upset, sully accusing her husband,
Feeling embarrassed, Kevin pikckly explained, “We didn’t notice what happened over there, a call say for sure. Even if Serena knocked it over, she didn’t do it on purpose?
11.01 AM c c
Chapter 161
Isabella’s face turned pate with anger. “What are you saying? If it wasn’t on purpose, she doesn’t need to take responsibility! Or do you w for her?”
“What are you talking about? I don’t have money to pay! Kevin quickly stepped back.
“Good to know. Don’t help with everything. Everyone knows you’re such a nice guy, but if they didn’t know better, they’d think you’ve been seduced!” Isabella gave Paisley a pointed look, making her intentions clear.
“What do you mean? You’d better explain yourself,” Paisley said, getting angry.
“What do I meant
You know very well. Isabella said, her tone implying she was finished speaking.
To pay
Her words made the other parents in the vicinity look at Paisley with strange eyes.
“Is she a mistress?” someone said.
“Obviously; otherwise, how could she be so beautiful yet unmarried with a kid?” another agreed
“There are plenty of good–looking single mothers. Just because Ms. Sution is one doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with her. Someone came to Paisley’s defense.
“But isn’t
that exactly what Isabella said? She must know something to say that, another argued.
*Alright, Ms. Sutton, what do you think should be done about this?” Vivian coldly stared at Paisley.
Paisley ignored Vivian’s questioning and continued to ask Serena, “Rena, tell mommy, did you break it?
Still teary–eyed, Serena looked confused. “Mom, I’m sorry, I think I broke it.”
In truth, she didn’t know for sure if it was her fault. She only knew that she was crying at the time, her eyes blurry, and then she touched something next to her, and the bottle fell and broke.
Since everyone said it was her fault, it might really be. Paisley always said kids shouldn’t lie and should admit their mistakes.
Seeing Serena confess, Paisley accepted in calmly, not making any excuses for her.
“Alright, since my daughter broke it, I’ll compensate for the wine. She turned to Vivian, “Do you want me to pay money, or do you want a new bottle of wine”
Vivian scoffed, as if she had heard the funniest thing. “Fine, then pay
y the money!”
