Chapter 117
Ms. Penny and the parents nearby all froze. Double the purchase price?! What kind of power move was that?!
"Mrs. Sharp..."
Ashley didn't look at her. Her gaze shifted to Juliana, her expression complicated. "Juliana, my grandsons aren't the kind of kids who can be kicked out of just any school. If they like it here, they'll stay. As for those so-called 'new standards'—from now on, I'll be setting them."
The moment she finished speaking, Ms. Penny's entire demeanor changed. Her face broke into a fawning smile.
"Mrs. Sharp, you're absolutely right! We were completely blind—we misunderstood the administration's intentions!"
A total 180 from her earlier attitude.
Juliana watched Ms. Penny's shameless flip-flopping, feeling conflicted. She knew Ashley hadn't done this out of kindness—it was about protecting the Sharp family's reputation and flexing her power. But regardless of the motive, she had solved the immediate problem for the kids.
She looked at Ashley. "Mrs. Sharp, thank you."
Ashley studied Juliana, something assessing in her gaze. She'd expected Juliana to be overwhelmed with gratitude, but instead she was perfectly composed. This woman had more self-control than she'd given her credit for.
"It's all for the children," Ashley said meaningfully. "After all, they're Sharp family blood. Sharp children shouldn't have to suffer this kind of humiliation."
Before Juliana could fully process Ashley's performance, she heard quiet whispers from the back seat.
"Is Grandma here to pick us up?" Damian leaned close to Matthew, his voice barely audible.
Matthew frowned and shook his head, equally quiet. "We just got kicked out and suddenly she shows up? That was awfully fast."
The two boys exchanged a knowing look. Too convenient. Like it had all been scripted.
Their voices were low, but every word floated straight to Ashley's ears. The corner of her well-maintained eye twitched.
Little brats! Juliana must've taught them to be this suspicious. So young and already so calculating!
Anger flared hot in her chest.
But she forced it down, pasting an even warmer smile on her face instead.
"Juliana," Ashley's voice softened deliberately. "I'm so sorry today's incident frightened you and the children."
Juliana looked at her warily. When things seemed too good to be true, they usually were.
"Either way, thank you."
"Thank me? We're family." Ashley took a step forward and sighed. "In the past... I was wrong. When you get old, your mind gets foggy. You get stuck on things. I've thought about it a lot since then. Lucas was right—the children need a stable home."
She spoke with such apparent sincerity that a few lingering parents nearby looked genuinely moved.
Juliana stared at her in disbelief, momentarily speechless. Ashley apologizing? That was more shocking than the sun rising in the west.
Seeing Juliana's silence, Ashley's eyes actually reddened slightly. "I know I've done a lot to hurt you. I'm sure you resent me. I'm not asking you to forgive me right away. I just hope... you'll give me a chance. A chance to make it up to you and the children. Let me... learn to be a good grandmother. Please?"
Not just Juliana—even Damian and Matthew in the car were stunned.
Juliana's heart lurched violently.
She could ignore how Ashley treated her, but she couldn't ignore what the kids needed. A grandmother was a role she could never fill. If Ashley was being genuine...
Even if it was only one percent genuine, for the children's sake, she'd try.
"If you're serious," Juliana finally said, "then of course I'm willing."
Ashley looked visibly relieved, her face breaking into a grateful smile. "Good, good! Then it's settled! You should head home now—the children must be tired."
She waved them off, watching Juliana's car slowly pull away, the smile never leaving her face.
Only after the car disappeared around the corner did her smile vanish completely, replaced by cold, sinister calculation.
……
Inside the car, the atmosphere was heavy with silence.
Juliana drove, replaying what had just happened, her emotions all over the place.
"Mommy," Matthew's voice broke the quiet. "Do you believe her?"
Juliana glanced at her son through the rearview mirror. His small face held a seriousness far beyond his years.
"Mommy doesn't know," Juliana said softly. It was the truth.
"She's definitely faking it," Matthew said with certainty. "People don't change that fast."
Damian nodded vigorously beside him. "Yeah. She used to be really mean."
Juliana's heart softened. She reached back and ruffled both their heads. "Mommy knows. Mommy's not stupid."
She pulled over to the side of the road, turned around, and looked at them seriously. "But Matty, Dami—you should have a grandmother who loves you. That's something Mommy can't give you."
Her voice carried a sadness the children couldn't quite understand.
"If she's willing to put on an act that lets you feel even a little bit of a grandmother's love, then Mommy will play along. As long as she doesn't hurt you, Mommy doesn't care what happens to her."
She owed these two boys so much.
If enduring a little humiliation could give them even a trace of warmth from their grandmother—even if it was fake—she'd accept it.
Matthew looked at his mother, something aching in his bright eyes. He didn't say anything more, just reached out and squeezed Juliana's hand tightly.
Damian leaned forward too, resting his head gently against Juliana's shoulder.
Juliana asked softly, "Don't you want a grandmother who loves you?"
Damian and Matthew looked at each other. Hesitation flickered across their small faces.
That longing was buried deep inside—Ashley had never truly fulfilled it.
They couldn't give a definite answer. Their silence said everything.
Juliana felt a sharp ache in her chest.
She took both their small hands in hers, finding comfort in their warmth. "Family love is precious. Mommy lost hers once. I don't want you to lose yours too."