Chapter 175 He Wants to Change His Mother
Emily climbed down from Sophia's arms, walked over to William, and tugged at his sleeve.
William looked down at the angry Emily, who pointed at Juan and said indignantly, "He said he wants to switch moms."
Lucas had no idea what had started the fight in the first place.
James and Michael both refused to speak up.
It was only from Emily that everyone learned the truth - Juan had said he wanted to switch moms with Michael, and Michael had refused.
The two young boys exchanged a few words, argued with each other, and then started fighting.
Just thinking about this made Emily angry. Children have a very strong sense of possession, and no one wants to share their mom.
Back when Michael first saw how good Sophia was to Emily, he was jealous, too.
Even James, at that time, felt more envious of Emily, wishing that Sophia would like him as much as she liked Emily.
The reason they were able to accept Emily so quickly later was that Emily was just too cute, too sweet, and too lovable.
But what was Juan?
Why should he get to compete with them for Sophia!
Sophia couldn't stop her in time.
Emily had already run up to Juan, hands on her hips, declaring her claim, "Mommy is mine and my brothers'!"
Juan lowered his head sadly, his right hand gripping the sleeve at his left wrist, his whole body filled with unstoppable sorrow and sadness.
Juan thought to himself, 'Can I really not switch moms?'
But he really liked James and the others' mom so much. Their mom was so amazing and would protect them. She wouldn't hit or scold them, unlike his Ember, who only knew how to hit and scold him in various ways.
When Sophia went to pull Emily back, she noticed Juan's obviously too-thin body.
Although Juan was quite tall, he was very thin overall. Her sharp instincts as a doctor made her feel something was wrong with Juan.
He suddenly looked up and said to Sophia, "I'm sorry."
After Juan spoke, he lowered his head again. He just really wanted a mom who would be good to him.
As soon as Ember saw William arrive, her attitude immediately changed. She had already figured out what compensation she would demand from him.
Hearing Juan's apology, she immediately changed her expression and scolded, "Juan, why are you apologizing to her? You're the victim, don't you understand?"
Before Sophia had figured out the full situation, she didn't say anything to Juan. She picked up Emily and went back to sit on a chair nearby, while William was also asking James and Michael about what happened.
She looked down and held Emily's hand, noticing her slightly long nails. They were indeed a bit long.
Emily knew she had done wrong and obediently lowered her head.
She pulled her hand back and admitted, "I was wrong."
"Emily, what he did wasn't right, but you can't just scratch him either."
Just thinking about Emily rushing up to hit a child much bigger than her made Sophia's heart race with fear.
If Juan had pushed her hard, at this thought, Sophia's arms tightened around Emily.
Emily clearly sensed Sophia's emotions. She reached up to cup Sophia's cheeks and kissed her on the cheek.
"I won't fight anymore."
"Don't be sad, Mommy."
William knew that although Michael loved to play, he definitely wasn't the type to get into fights randomly. Even if Juan had said something about switching moms, he wouldn't have been impulsive enough to start fighting.
Sure enough, there was another reason.
"Dad, Juan said that Mom will divorce you because of me... because I said in the video that I liked Alice."
Michael, who had been holding back his tears, suddenly burst into tears - controlled, suppressed crying. He didn't even dare let Sophia hear.
Michael buried himself in William's arms, his small face pressed against his shoulder, sobbing silently, "Dad, did Mom divorce you and not want James and me because I said that?"
Hearing Michael's words, William's heart twisted into a knot.
He gently patted Michael's slightly trembling back and said firmly, "No, it's not because of you."
"Mom and Dad divorced because Dad did something wrong. It has nothing to do with you."
Seeing James nearby, he added, "You're both Mom and Dad's good children. No matter what happens, Mom and Dad will always love you. Don't be sad anymore, okay?"
Lucas had never seen William so gently comforting James and Michael. His previous rigid impression of him shifted slightly.
So he wasn't always so cold. When facing James and Michael, he actually showed quite a bit of fatherly love.
Thinking of this, Lucas looked at Sophia, who was talking with Emily. Their division of labor was quite clear - one comforting the sons, one soothing the daughter. They didn't seem like a divorced couple at all.
And he always felt that Sophia, who had returned from Rain Village this time, seemed to have changed somehow, but he couldn't say exactly how.
Juan, whose arm was being pinched hard by Ember, was like a doll without pain receptors. His gaze kept falling on Emily, Michael, and James, very envious that they had such good parents.
Not only did they have such a gentle and strong mom, but they also had a dad willing to crouch down and listen to them. And he had nothing.
If only... they were his mom and dad too.
After hearing Sophia's words, Emily knew she hadn't done the right thing. She climbed down from Sophia's arms again and pulled out her favorite pink candy from her little candy bag to give to Juan.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have scratched you."
"Here, have some candy. It's really sweet."
Juan stared blankly at Emily's tender palm, where the pink candy wrapper looked exquisite and delicious.
Just as he was about to reach for the candy, he felt his back being pinched hard by Ember. The pain made his whole face scrunch up.
Ember's face was twisted with rage, scaring Emily so much she nearly dropped the candy in her hand.
She leaned close to Juan's ear and warned him, "Don't ruin my plans, or else... I won't want you anymore!"
Juan looked at the three candies that had fallen on the ground, his eyes full of regret.
Emily was frightened by Ember's expression and quickly retreated into Sophia's arms, shrinking her neck and saying she was scared.
Sophia had also seen everything Ember did to Juan. After all, she was Juan's mother, and as an outsider, it wasn't appropriate for her to do anything.
But child abuse was a serious crime.
She couldn't act, but that didn't mean the police couldn't.
Ember was negotiating terms with William.
She opened with a demand for three hundred million dollars in compensation, saying something about how Juan was her only son and she would feel heartbroken for ages even if he got a little bump or bruise.
James and Michael were now in the same kindergarten as Juan, and the three were even classmates who saw each other every day.
If today's matter wasn't handled properly, it wouldn't be good for any of the children in the future.
Three hundred million dollars was just a small amount compared to William's assets, but giving it would be admitting that Michael and Emily were in the wrong this time.
On the way here, William had already obtained the playground's surveillance footage, which proved that Juan had thrown the first punch.
Ember was happily waiting for William to pay up when she heard Juan say, "I don't need it."
Suddenly, Ember slapped Juan across the face. Juan's ears rang.
"Who gave you permission to interrupt when adults are talking!"
Juan's face turned pale. Being slapped by his own mother in front of his classmates was a huge blow to him at such a young age.
But Michael wiped away his tears and spoke up for Juan.
"You're lying! You hit Juan all the time. The bruises on his arms are from you hitting him. You're not his mother at all!"