novelraw Chapter 139: Victor Vance
Chapter 139: Victor Vance
Naomi Kenway felt the woman before her looked a little familiar, but she couldn’t quite place her. She hesitated before tentatively asking, "Have I seen you somewhere before?"
"No, but..." The woman smiled, a hint of pleasant surprise in her eyes. "I’ve seen the variety show you were on. The way you... took such good care of the children, I’m really so grateful to you."
Naomi was a little confused by the "thank you."
"I’m going to go change my clothes first." After saying that, she went to the changing room. A moment later, she came out wearing a durable, stain-resistant work uniform.
The person in charge of teaching them was a highly experienced master baker. He was calm, patient, and not at all arrogant, meticulously guiding them through every detail.
Only Naomi and the other woman were in the baking room. The woman spoke in a soft, gentle voice, so Naomi couldn’t help but chat with her a bit more.
"Is it exhausting to be on the show? It must be tough doing all those tasks back and forth in this heat, right?" The woman’s eyes were full of sympathy.
"Which show are you talking about?"
"The recent childcare one."
"Oh, that one..." Naomi realized that most of the topics the woman brought up revolved around the childcare show. It seemed she was less interested in Naomi herself and more interested in *Super Mom*.
"We travel to a different place for every episode and get to see so many interesting local features. I think it’s very meaningful to be able to take the kids to so many places. It can be tiring, but it’s very fulfilling."
The woman nodded thoughtfully. "Are the children... well-behaved? They didn’t cause you too much trouble, did they?"
"The kids are all very cute and obedient." Naomi paused for a moment. "You seem very interested in this childcare show."
The woman had just placed the cookies in the oven. She took off her gloves and smiled faintly. "Yes, I really like your show."
As dusk fell, Naomi glanced at the time. It was almost time to pick up Ian from school, so she immediately set aside what she was doing.
To her surprise, the other woman also came out, having changed her clothes. Only then did Naomi notice that the qipao she was wearing seemed to be custom-made. The pattern on it was intricate and stylishly designed.
"Your qipao is beautiful, and of course, you are too," Naomi complimented.
The woman smiled. "You too. I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Victor Vance, a designer. I designed this qipao myself."
Naomi gave her a thumbs-up. "So you’re a designer! No wonder your aesthetic is so on point."
Victor Vance covered her mouth. "You’re too kind. This time of day... are you also going to pick up your child?"
Naomi nodded. "Let’s go. We can head out together."
Naomi then noticed that Victor Vance was carrying the pastries they had just made. The box was exquisitely packaged and even had cartoon stickers on it, a clear sign of how much she cared for her child.
*
Victor Vance got out of her car holding a parasol and the pastry box. She paced nervously in front of the kindergarten, sweat beading on her forehead. She quickly wiped it away with a handkerchief and straightened her clothes.
This feeling of anxiety and nervousness was even more intense than when she had accepted awards.
The school bell rang, and her heart leaped into her throat. Her eyes scanned frantically through the students pouring out of the building.
She quickly found her target: the Lynch family’s driver. After observing for so many days, Victor Vance had noticed that it was almost always this driver who came to pick up the child.
Suddenly, the driver walked out, holding a young boy’s hand. The boy’s head was bowed, revealing a sliver of his fair neck. He seemed to be in low spirits.
Victor Vance’s eyes instantly welled with tears. She hurried over, her voice trembling as she called out, "Nathan!"
Nathan Lynch froze. He rubbed his eyes as if in disbelief, his eyes rimmed with red as he turned to watch the familiar figure approach.
"Mom..."
’Am I hallucinating, or is this a dream? Otherwise, how could the person I’ve been thinking about day and night suddenly appear?’
Nathan Lynch stood there in a daze, momentarily forgetting how to move.
Seeing Victor Vance approach, the driver frowned and blocked her way. "I’m sorry, but Mr. Lynch has given orders. He doesn’t want you near Nathan."
His voice held a faint trace of disgust. After all, the scandal involving Victor Vance back then had been a huge sensation.
"I won’t take up too much of your time. Just two minutes, please? Two minutes? I haven’t seen Nathan in so long. Nathaniel even changed his school for him. I really miss him..." Victor Vance’s voice was filled with pleading.
The driver hesitated. No matter what Victor Vance had done, she was still Nathan’s biological mother. Her feelings for Nathan, at least, were genuine.
He thought about the previous times he had run into Victor Vance. She had already been seen lingering here many times. To call out to Nathan today, she must have summoned a great deal of courage. The driver felt a pang of sympathy.
"Alright, two—"
A furious shout suddenly cut him off. "What are you all doing?!"
Renee Jennings ran over. She first pulled Nathan behind her, then glared warily at Victor Vance. "...Victor Vance, how dare you show your face here?"
Then, she ordered the driver behind her, "Get Nathan in the car first."
The driver complied, taking Nathan’s hand to lead him away. Nathan Lynch didn’t cooperate, so the driver picked him up and forcibly put him in the car.
Victor Vance’s eyes were fixed on her son, desperate. She was about to chase after them when Renee Jennings grabbed her arm. Renee’s grip was strong, and Victor Vance had to pry her hand off. "Ms. Jennings... I just want to see Nathan. I won’t interfere with your lives. I hope you can understand a mother’s feelings."
There was a sob hidden in Victor Vance’s voice.
But Renee Jennings felt no empathy. Her expression was ice-cold. "A person like you is fit to be called a mother? It took so much work for me to help Nathan move past the trauma and adjust to his new life. What are you doing sticking your nose in it now?"
’Thank goodness I got here in time, or Victor Vance would have gotten her way. Nathan is already disobedient as it is. Who knows what kind of trouble he’d stir up after seeing her.’
"I haven’t seen him in almost half a year. I really miss him..."
Renee Jennings cut her off. "You have no right to say that. Haven’t you noticed that Nathan doesn’t want to be close to you at all? Because of what you did, he gets mocked by the other kids in his class all the time."
Victor Vance said anxiously, "I don’t know why things ended up this way, but I can guarantee that I absolutely did nothing to betray our marriage or wrong Nathaniel!!"
Renee Jennings snorted. "Of course you’d say that. After all, few criminals willingly admit to their crimes! I hope you can learn your place and stop disturbing our family’s life. I don’t think even you can deny that because of your affair, Nathaniel was ridiculed, and Nathan was ostracized and looked down on by his classmates..."
Her gaze suddenly sharpened.