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Eloise’s first day of preschool was treated with more ceremony than a college freshman orientation, at least where Caroline and Alistair were concerned.
Early that morning, Caroline dressed her in a pretty,
comfortable long–sleeved floral dress, carefully braided her hair, and pinned it with sparkling crystal clips. Together with Alistair, they escorted her to preschool.
They deliberately arrived early, and were greeted by both the principal and Eloise’s teacher, who personally came out to welcome her.
When Alistair saw the teacher, he secretly breathed a sigh of
relief. She wasn’t from Daniel’s class.
Thank goodness.
Daniel was thoroughly spoiled and completely out of control. Alistair was summoned to school at least twice a week–either to hear complaints about Daniel’s unmanageable behavior, or to grovel and apologize to the parents of children he’d bullied.
Day after day, he kept bending over backwards for the other parents, never standing up for himself.
He had no authority to discipline Daniel, while Rebecca, who never had to face the cold stares and anger from other parents,
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couldn’t be bothered to take Daniel’s misbehavior seriously.
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If that little monster had actually been Alistair’s biological son, he would have spanked him ten times a day until he learned to behave.
If Eloise had ended up in the same class as Daniel, Alistair would definitely have suggested that Caroline request a transfer to another class.
Eloise was a sweet little princess who wouldn’t hurt a fly. If Daniel ever bullied her, Alistair would never let him hear the end of it!
After forgetting to pick up Daniel on the first day, Richard seemed determined to make amends. He’d become noticeably more attentive to Daniel, even volunteering to take him to preschool despite his rush to get to the office.
To be fair, relying on Rebecca to get Daniel to school would probably result in him being late every day.
She’d grown accustomed to her carefree lifestyle without responsibilities, with no concept of time and sleeping in until whenever she naturally woke up.
Daniel suddenly turned his head, staring in a particular direction. “Daddy! I think I see Daddy over there.”
Richard followed his gaze to where a man was ducking into a Maybach. His profile looked somewhat like Alistair’s.
Chapter 12 The Strategic Retreat
But how could it possibly be Alistair? He’s nothing but a pathetic, miserable loser!
Daniel kept insisting, “I saw Daddy! That was Daddy!”
Richard’s expression darkened. “Danny, how many times do your mother and I have to tell you? I am your father!”
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“You look absolutely drained today,” Cordelia said, eyeing her daughter with concern.
Her face quickly shifted from worry to anger. “What is Alistair thinking, letting you get into this state? It’s completely
unacceptable! Call him right now and tell him to come over. I need to have a serious word with that man!”
After barely sleeping for two days straight, Rebecca was running on fumes.
She stared down at her plate, thinking the food wasn’t quite as perfect as Alistair’s cooking, which always seemed to hit just right.
Still, the family cook had been around forever. Rebecca had eaten her meals for years before moving out. The familiar flavors were practically imprinted in her DNA, so she couldn’t really complain.
Ever since Rebecca had given Alistair’s contact information to Vivienne, she had been seething. The thought of him acting all
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meek and obedient to her face while secretly planning his exit strategy made her blood boil.
She was certain that if Alistair were standing in front of her right now, she’d make him regret it.
Cordelia wouldn’t stop harping on about Alistair. “If you hadn’t been so desperate to be with him back then–insisting on keeping that child in your belly, determined to bring Danny into the world–your father and I would never have accepted him!”
Rebecca’s relationship with Alistair had shocked everyone when it first happened.
They weren’t just from different social circles. Aside from his looks, Alistair brought absolutely nothing to the table as Rebecca’s husband.
Most people assumed Rebecca was just young and naive, that she’d been taken advantage of, but her love–struck brain wouldn’t listen to reason and she was determined to be with
him.
“Over the years, I’ve come to see him as a decent, hardworking young man,” Cordelia continued. “Even with his modest circumstances, your father and I reluctantly accepted him. But what’s going on with him now? Does he think that since the child is older and you’re not going anywhere, he can start slacking off?”
Cordelia’s endless chatter was getting on Rebecca’s nerves.
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Mainly because just thinking about Alistair irritated her. She wanted nothing more than to tear him to pieces to ease the rage in her heart.
“Mom, can we please stop talking about him?” Rebecca finally spoke up.
Cordelia, not understanding the true sentiment behind Rebecca’s words, misinterpreted them as a defense of Alistair and shook her head disapprovingly.
Afraid that Cordelia’s continued nagging would make her lose control of the anger bubbling up inside her, Rebecca decided to call Anne to go shopping.
“Vivienne says she’s busy? I bet she’s just cozying up with some cute guy.”
Anne’s comment was less analysis and more gossip. She never missed a chance to criticize or belittle Vivienne and Alistair.
Though Anne and Vivienne maintained a facade of harmony, it was purely superficial. Anne couldn’t stand Vivienne’s air of superiority, while Vivienne despised Anne’s pettiness and tendency to stir up trouble.
Since their families were business partners, they were forced to stay in touch to maintain family connections. Otherwise, they wouldn’t even acknowledge each other if they crossed paths in their daily lives.
“I really don’t understand.” Anne continued, “Doesn’t she
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usually act all high and mighty? So why is she so fond of picking up other people’s leftovers?”
Rebecca couldn’t help thinking that Alistair wasn’t exactly “leftovers“, strictly speaking.
He’d been by her side since he was eighteen, with no chance to be with other women. On paper, he was divorced, but in reality, he was still an innocent virgin.
Suddenly she felt annoyed.
Why should Vivienne get so lucky?!
“Rebecca,” Anne warned thoughtfully, “if you ask me, you getting upset is exactly what Alistair wants.”
“What do you mean?” Rebecca asked, confused.
“Alistair is deliberately hanging around Vivienne just to get your
attention!”
“But… Vivienne is young and beautiful too, and from a good family…”
“Don’t be silly! Think about it. Even if Vivienne is desperate for him, she’s just having fun. She might fool around with him, but would she ever seriously marry him?”
“What if Vivienne’s head over heels and won’t settle for anyone but Alistair?”
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Rebecca didn’t even realize the slight panic in her voice as she suggested this possibility.
Anne was too caught up in her own theory to notice anything unusual. “Even if Vivienne truly wanted to marry him, she’d never get past his parents! It’s different with you. You two were legally married. No matter how much your parents disapproved back then, they’ve had to accept it by now.
“The only way for him to maintain his status and move up in society is to get back with you. It’s so obvious. How could he not understand that?”
Rebecca thought Anne’s analysis made perfect sense.
She hadn’t even realized that before Richard’s return, he had consumed her thoughts completely.
Now that he was back, ironically, her mind was filled with thoughts of Alistair, the very man she looked down on and had personally driven away.
She smirked to herself.
After all, if she hadn’t been desperate for someone to fill a role in her life, a man with Alistair’s modest background would never have had the chance to meet someone of her social standing.
Alistair took the hint and walked away cleanly when she kicked him out, knowing that begging wouldn’t get him anywhere.
That look of relief on his face when they finalized their divorce
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was surely just a ploy, a strategic retreat.
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He blocked me because he’s pissed I left him for Richard. As if he could even compare to Richard! What a joke.
This reasoning made Rebecca feel somewhat better, but that nagging, undefined knot remained in her chest, making her restless and unable to focus on anything with her usual energy.
