Jayden’s eyes turned red as Theodore held him back, but he finally lowered his fist.
Even so, the fierce look on his face never faded. Eliana could tell he didn’t want to rush over and fight–it was just that Theodore was there, stopping him from doing so..
But this issue would have to be resolved sooner or later; otherwise, it would have a negative impact on Jayden’s mental state. So she said to Eileen, “Could I go over and talk to those kids?”
Eileen realized Eliana was not to pick a fight and nodded.
Eliana walked over, squatted down in front of the little boys, and greeted them with a smile. “Hello there, I’m Jayden’s family.”
One of the boys stepped forward, looking defiant. “Are you here to beat us up for Jayden?”
“Not at all,” Eliana said, her smile unchanged. “I heard you’re the student Jayden extorted protection money from. I just wanted to come over and apologize.”
Her gentle tone confused the lead boy, and then, he quickly regained his composure. “Hmph. We’re not stupid. You rich people never commit to your promises. You act like you’re apologizing now, but you’ll think about how to get back at us later.”
Eliana couldn’t help laughing. “You must have had too many TV dramas.” Then, she wondered, ‘Did their parents teach them that?‘
The lead boy’s face turned red from her laughter. He thought, ‘What is this bad woman laughing about?‘
Parents who’d been watching nearby noticed the scene and hurried over to shield their kids while asking nervously, “Mrs. Russell, is there something you need with our children?”
“Oh, not really.” Eliana thought it was a good time, so she stood up and said, “We passed by earlier, and Eileen mentioned Jayden once extorted protection money from your kids. I j
I just wanted to check in on them.”
The parents forced smiles. “Yes, but that’s all in the past. No need to worry about it, Mrs. Russell.”
Eliana’s tone turned meaningful. “Yes, it’s in the past for you. But for Jayden, it isn’t.”
The parents tensed up. “What do you mean?”
“After Jayden extorted their money, someone tricked him into a bathroom and locked him in until his asthma flared up,” Eliana said.
“We still haven’t found out which kid did it. We’ve asked Jayden, but he won’t say. Though I think we all have a pretty good idea who it was,” she added.
As she spoke, she glanced at those boys with a cold, intimidating face, which made them step back in fright, their eyes darting away from hers.
Their parents tried to downplay it. “We’ve heard a bit about that as parents. But surely it’s just kids being kids–like Jayden extorting money. All just pranks.”
“Kids‘ pranks?” Eliana narrowed her eyes.
“If no one had found Jayden trapped in that bathroom and gotten him to a doctor in time, that asthma attack could’ve killed him,” she said.
She continued, “Let’s be blunt–Jayden extorted money out of greed. But the kids who locked him in that bathroom were like murderers. Which do you think is worse?”
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10:09 Tue Aug
Chapter 273
“Well–” the parents stammered. After all, they knew their kids did something wrong to Jayden, but they were too scared to admit it–afraid
of retaliation.
Eliana looked at them, then asked, “Jayden, after we scolded him, even made a public apology in front of his teacher and classmates. But what about the kids who hurt him? Have they ever thought about taking responsibility for what they did?”
One of the little boys talked back to her. “We didn’t know Jayden had asthma. If we’d known, we never would’ve locked him in there that long.”
This sudden confession made the parents‘ faces deathly pale. They wanted nothing more than to grab their kids and run away.
The boy who involuntarily confessed got a scolding from his dad. “How many times did I tell you? Never, never talk about this! Are you stupid?”
As the man raised his hand, Eliana reached out to stop him. “Your son is brave for admitting his mistake. Besides, we didn’t look into it back then, and there’s not much point in doing so now.”
Hearing that, the man awkwardly lowered his hand. The other parents let out a breath of relief.
But Eliana said sharply, “Jayden didn’t report that to the teacher because his pride wouldn’t let him. But he’s part of the Russell family. If your kids‘ gossip causes him any psychological harm, the Russell family pursues it relentlessly.”
The parents immediately promised, “Mrs. Russell, you have our word. We’ll discipline. They’ll never say any bad thing about Jayden.”
Eliana nodded. “That’s perfect.” Then she looked down at the boys with a smile. “If Jayden stops extorting your money, would you be willing
to be friends with him?”
The little boy who’d just been saved from his dad’s anger by Eliana said up first, “Jayden’s bad at school and never listens to the teachers. If we’re friends with him, he’ll just be a bad influence.”
Eliana, amused by his sweet tone, reached out to ruffle his hair. “What if Jayden gets better grades and stops picking on you?”
The boy shrank back a little from the touch, then mumbled shyly, “Then… may we could think about it.”
The parents couldn’t help rolling their eyes. If Jayden wanted to be friends with their kids, it’d be a miracle–they should be begging, not just give a thought about it.
But kids were pure. Concepts like currying favor meant nothing to them right now. If they’d wanted to suck up to Jayden, they never would’ve locked him in that bathroom.
That’s why Eliana hoped Jayden could make some real friends at school in the days ahead. When he grew up, people might only approach him for the name of the Russell family.
“Shall we swear at it?” Eliana held out her pinky, looking like she meant to make a promise. The boys glanced at each other, then said in
unison, “Okay.”
After they left with their parents, Eliana turned to head back to Theodore and the others. But before she could take a step, Jayden suddenly broke free of Theodore’s grip and charged at her.
He rushed into her arms like a missile, the force making her stumble back two steps before she managed to catch him.
Theodore was about to yank the little pest, who loved taking advantage of his wife, back. But then he noticed Jayden’s shoulders trembling. So he held back his impulse, waiting patiently nearby.
After a while, Eliana heard Jayden sniffling, his voice thick with resentment. “Why’d you go making friends for me? I don’t need friends at all.”
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