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Dante withdrew his gaze. “No, Ms. Everest. I just didn’t expect you to be so attentive toward August.”
Vivienne smiled slightly. “Mr. Sinclair, I think if you offered anyone 140,000 dollars, they’d be attentive.
too.”
Serena chimed in from the side. “Exactly! Mr. Sinclair. You wouldn’t even need to offer me 140,000 dollars. Even 14,000 dollars would be enough, and I’d treat August like royalty”
Dante chuckled softly, his charming eyes glimmering
“Alright, I’ll have someone send all the information about August to you shortly, Ms. Everest.
He glanced at August. “Before I go, I have a few words for August.”
Vivienne took the hint and said, “I’ll wait downstairs for August.”
With that, she left the hospital room with Serena, thoughtfully closing the door behind her.
Once Vivienne was gone, Dante raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure it’s her?”
August, who had looked lethargic before, perked up. “Yes, it’s her. I want her to be my mom.”
Dante stroked his chin. “If it were any other woman, it wouldn’t be a problem. Even if she had a husband and kids, a large sum of money would be enough to settle things. But this woman is Edmund’s wife. Taking her won’t be easy.”
August insisted stubbornly, “I don’t care! I want her to be my mom!”
“Timing is everything.” Dante chuckled. “Six months ago, it would’ve been nearly impossible for you to have her as your mom. But now, the chances are much higher. In the past six months, Edmund’s actions for his first love have become widely known. Funny enough, father and son seem to have the same taste. Even his son is especially fond of his first love.”
“Now, Vivienne has moved out and is living alone.” Dante looked down at August. “This is your chance. I’ve created the conditions for you. Whether or not it works out depends on you.”
There was no trace of childish innocence on August’s face. He nodded firmly. “I’ll do my best to take her. away!”
“Good.” Dante ruffled his hair, smiling faintly. “If you like something, you should fight for it, even if you have to use some unconventional methods. By the way you haven’t told me what exactly you like about her?”
Not–long ago, August transferred to Regal Crest Kindergarten.
Within a few days, he was already making a fuss about king a woman and wanting her to be his mother.
When Dante first heard about it, he assumed some scheming woman was deliberately getting close to August.
But after looking into it, he discovered that the woman was actually Edmund’s wife.
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She seemed to be a full–time housewife, rarely appearing in public. There weren’t even any pictures of her online.
People knew that Edmund was secretly married, but no one knew who his wife was.
Recently, however, Edmund’s affair with another woman had been making headlines, stirring quite a bit of gossip.
Many speculated that Edmund’s hidden wife was Lillian
August said, “I observed her for a few days and noticed that the way she looks at that kid is so gentle. Other moms don’t have that kind of look, and I think that’s what a real mom should be like.”
As night deepened, it was already late when Serena dropped Vivienne off at her apartment.
August had fallen asleep in the back seat.
After parking the car, Serena watched as Vivienne carefully carried August out.
“Vivi, are you really going to take care of this kid? The offer is high, but I don’t think his dad is someone you can deal with easily. If anything happens to this kid he definitely won’t let you off.”
Vivienne’s expression remained calm. “I know.”
“And you’re still going through with it?”
Now that the initial shock of the money had worn off, Serena had thought things through.
If the child stayed safe, everything would be fine. But if anything happened to him, Vivi would be in serious trouble.
Vivienne sighed lightly. “Serena, to be honest, I just want something to do.”
Serena frowned. “Something to do?”
“Yeah, suddenly having nothing to do feels strange.” Vivienne laughed at herself. “I need something to occupy my time, and I also need money.”
She paused for a moment before adding, “Edmund has already frozen my cards. I still have some savings, but Adrian wants to start a studio, and that’s going to take a lot of money.”
“That son of a b*tch actually froze your card too?” Serca couldn’t help but curse. “You’ve given so much to this family all these years, and he hasn’t even bought you a single bouquet. He spent more on fireworks for Lillian than he ever did on you!”
Vivienne said calmly, “I take care of other people’s children and get paid for it. But when I take care of them, I end up with a frozen bank account.”
Serena wasn’t even married yet, but seeing the kind of fe Vivienne had after marriage made her fear the idea of it.
Vivienne had married into a wealthy family, never having to worry about food or money.
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If she had married an ordinary man, she would have had to earn money, do housework, and raise the kids. Worst of all, she would still have had to endure the complaints of both father and son
As she was lost in thought, Vivienne’s voice rang out again. “A woman must be financially independent to truly stand tall and have confidence. Otherwise. even her son
Will look down on her
That was the truth.
Serena nodded. “I’m between jobs right now anyway. If you ever need anything, just call me.”
“Serena, thank you.”
Serena waved it off. “Come on, we’re close. No worries.
After saying goodbye to Serena, Vivienne carried August home.
The next morning. Vivienne took August to school.
As soon as they stepped outside, a sleek black luxury car was already waiting at the entrance, drawing curious looks from onlookers.
Seeing them come downstairs, the driver quickly approached with a respectful expression and introduced. himself.
“Ms. Everest, good morning. I’m Mr. August’s driver, responsible for taking him to and from school. You can just call me Mike.”
Vivienne wasn’t the least bit surprised that a driver had suddenly shown up at her doorstep.
She smiled. “Thank you, Mike.”
Mike opened the car door for them. “Ms. Everest, you’re welcome.”
After about twenty minutes, Vivienne noticed something familiar about the route.
It looked a lot like the area where Theo’s kindergarten was..
Unable to hold back her curiosity, she asked, “Mike, which kindergarten does August go to?”
August had only recently moved to Swinford, and the information Dante had sent her yesterday hadn’t mentioned which school he attended.
Mike smiled. “Regal Crest Kindergarten, just up ahead
Vivienne’s brows twitched slightly. Theo went to that kindergarten too.
Regal Crest Kindergarten was the best in Swinford. The students there were either from extremely wealthy families or powerful aristocratic backgrounds. Money or power alone wasn’t enough to secure a spot in that school.
Vivienne had already guessed that Dante wasn’t an ordinary man, but she hadn’t expected his background to be this formidable.
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At the school gate, she personally sent August oll, remindi happens. Get along with your classmates, and I’ll pick you
August nodded and walked in, turning back three time bi
Vivienne felt a brief sense of déjà vu.
When Theo started kindergarten, he had been just like t
But at some point, Theo had stopped responding sweety and dismissive.
Just then, a surprised voice called out behind her.
“Ms. Everest, are you here to see Theo?”
Vivienne turned around and saw Theo, Lillian, and Edm
En, Mor
Chapter 16 Financially Independent
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At the school gate, she personally sent August off, reminding him instinctively, “Call me if anything happens. Get along with your classmates, and I’ll pick you up after school.
August nodded and walked in, turning back three time before finally disappearing inside.
Vivienne felt a brief sense of déjà vu.
When Theo started kindergarten, he had been just like August, reluctant to leave her.
But at some point. Theo had stopped responding sweetly to her reminders and instead became impatient and dismissive.
Just then, a surprised voice called out behind her.
“Ms. Everest, are you here to see Theo?”
Vivienne turned around and saw Theo, Lillian, and Edmund standing not far away.
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