Several groups before Sharon and Matty had done poorly. Some had forgotten their lines completely and ended up freezing on stage, eventually having to abandon the performance altogether.But even then, the lowest anyone had ever received was 60 points—a baseline encouragement score.A zero? That had never happened.The room instantly erupted. People murmured, heads craned, conversations overlapping."What's going on? Why zero?""Did they mess up something serious? Anyone here speak Spanish?""That can't be it. Even if they slipped up, they finished the whole thing. It should be at least an eighty.""Honestly, I thought Matty's group did better than Theo's.""I speak Spanish. There were no mistakes. Not a single one."On stage, Matty stared at the score, his little fists clenched. His nerves frayed, panic creeping in. He wondered if maybe… he had messed up. Maybe it was his fault. Maybe he'd dragged Sharon down.Sharon glanced down at him. Her palm gently brushed his back as a
Uriah glanced at Sharon. "You're that confident, huh? I heard Kelly's pretty well-educated."Wendy winked playfully at him. "Just wait. Sharon's gonna blow Kelly's socks off so fast she won't even see it coming."A grin slowly spread across Uriah's face. "Oh, good. I can't wait to see that."Watching the two of them whisper conspiratorially, clearly daydreaming about Kelly's incoming humiliation, Sharon let out a helpless chuckle.For someone his age, Uriah had the spirit of an overgrown kid—a rascal disguised in an elder's skin.A little while later, the teacher came over to notify Sharon and Matty that it was their turn to prepare.Surprisingly, this time, they didn't run into Nate, Carter, or anyone else looking to stir up trouble.The whole process went smoothly, almost unnervingly so.It felt like the eerie calm before a storm.Even Matty noticed. His little eyes darted left and right, scanning the backstage area nervously."Sharon... why didn't Nate and Kelly come to me
The foreign language competition this time was nothing short of a vibrant showcase. Every child had chosen something different. Some picked mainstream languages, while others went for more obscure, niche ones.Aside from the usual English and French, German, Mandarin, and Spanish were still among the most popular choices.Compared to music competitions, which heavily relied on talent and instinct, language contests were an entirely different game. If a child had enough time to prepare and memorize diligently, good results were entirely possible.If music was a competition of talent, then language was a competition of effort.Sharon had to admit that this elite kindergarten knew exactly what it was doing. No wonder the wealthy flocked to send their children here.Still, effort could only go so far. The contestants were, after all, just kids. Despite their preparations, the skill levels were wildly uneven. Some got nervous the moment they stepped onstage, their memorized words eva
Sharon's expression didn't shift. Her tone was cool and indifferent. "No, thanks. I find it disgusting to use something that's already been used by someone else."Carter's gaze darkened instantly. "Sharon!"But she didn't spare him another glance. She turned on her heel and walked away.Behind her, his voice followed. "The Cosgrove family will be bankrupt soon."Cosgrove family?Bob's family.Sharon's steps paused for the briefest moment—but only a moment—before she kept walking.…While Carter was busy with the drawing, Nate had already pulled Kelly aside. A nasty grin crept across his face."Kelly, I've got everything set. Just wait. During the competition... Sharon's gonna be humiliated big time."Kelly's eyelid twitched. "Set? What did you do?"She hadn't told Nate to do anything. In fact, by now, she'd figured something out—every single time Nate went up against Sharon, he never won.Not once.Every scheme backfired. Not only did he fail to cause trouble, but half the
Sharon's expression stayed cold, her eyes calm and steady. "We're divorced now. You don't need to explain anything."Carter stared at her. "I just wanted you to know... it's not like what you think with Kelly. The media exaggerated everything."Back then, this was the sort of thing he wouldn't have bothered explaining. But now, looking at Sharon's unflinching expression, his voice softened without him realizing."I'm sorry. I really didn't realize Nate and his friends would cause this much trouble... to you, and to Theo."Sharon let out a mocking laugh. "You really think... all of this happened just because of one incident? The way Nate disrespects me right under your nose... that's not some new problem. It's been happening for years. But you always stand there repeating the same empty words like 'enough' or 'let's end it here.'"But tell me, Carter... besides mouthing those useless lines, what exactly have you ever done?"And now... now that Theo's being bullied for the same r
"He still has the nerve to strut around like that," Wendy scoffed.Sharon replied calmly, "As long as Carter keeps backing him, Nate will always act like he's untouchable."Wendy let out a dry laugh. "Yeah, but honestly? I think Carter's patience is wearing thin. When Nate's little gang of scumbags got into trouble, Carter didn't lift a finger to help. In fact, he went out of his way to distance himself from them."She grinned, satisfied. "Serves them right. God, I've hated those disgusting creeps for years."Wendy had been at Theo's birthday banquet too. She hadn't seen the exact moment when those jerks tripped Sharon, but she had witnessed them harassing the young waitresses—leering, cracking vulgar jokes. They were absolutely vile.Thank God Sharon hadn't swallowed the humiliation. Quietly gathering evidence behind the scenes, she made sure to pay them back, every last bit. If not, the whole thing would've stayed lodged in her throat like a fishbone.But Sharon didn't waste an