Chapter 14 Conference

• Eleanor felt as though a dagger had stabbed her through her heart when she saw her daughter crying inconsolably. She was pursing her lips and feeling extremely upset. A lot of people have talked bad about me behind my back. They call me an evil woman because I drink and smoke. However, I thought as long as Eva was happy, I couldn't be bothered by what was said about me. Be that as it may, I never thought that my smoking habit would end up affecting Eva's life.
• Eleanor reached out to hug Evangeline. “Eva, I'll stop smoking. I promise you. Let's go and attend the parent-teacher conference.”
• Eleanor picked up the bench and carried Evangeline to the field.
• When they sat down behind the crowd, they greeted a few parents amicably.
• Yet, the parents merely glanced at Eleanor and intentionally distanced themselves from her and Evangeline.
• “Yesterday, another parent told me that the woman is a smoker and a drinker. Besides, her job is to seduce men. She's a vixen, so don't ever talk to her.”
• “That's what I heard as well! Her daughter had just gotten the worst results in school. I suppose the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, does it?”
• “Did you hear that? From now on, stay away from Evangeline. She has a bad mother.”
• “Honey, you've even brought Evangeline to our house in the past. Don't ever play with her anymore, okay?”
• Quite a few of the parents present were telling their kids to stay away from Evangeline.
• Although they were talking softly, Eleanor heard them loud and clear.
• At that moment, she wanted badly to lash out at them. For Eva's sake, I must suppress my anger.
• With that in mind, she brought Evangeline to sit further away from the others.
• At that point, Eleanor and Evangeline were totally alienated.
• They seemed lonely, and they looked out of place as they were seated behind everyone else.
• Right then, Evangeline buried herself in Eleanor's arms, and she was about to cry again. “Mommy...”
• “Be a good girl, Eva. Don't cry.” Eleanor's eyes reddened as she patted Evangeline's head gently and said, “This will all go away in the future. Don't listen to their nonsense, okay?”
• “Okay,” Evangeline murmured with her head buried in Eleanor's embrace.
• Soon, the parent-teacher conference started.
• At first, the principal went on the stage to give a speech and mention a lot of ways parents could improve their kids' performance at school.
• He then praised the parents and the kids who performed well before criticizing those who did badly.
• Obviously, Eleanor and Evangeline were mentioned. After all, Evangeline had the worst results in school.
• Eleanor and her daughter were embarrassed because they were criticized publicly.
• Hearing that, a lot of the parents in the crowd looked down on them even more.
• Especially the ones who had talked bad about them prior to that. After hearing the principal's criticisms, they immediately moved further away from Eleanor.
• It was as if they were embarrassed to be seen sitting near Eleanor and Evangeline.
• However, Ramona was kind enough to approach Eleanor and say, “Evangeline's mom, don't take it to heart, okay? Evangeline's performance in class hasn't been bad at all. It's just that she had been careless in the exams. After this, I'll tutor her, and she'll do better.”
• In response, Eleanor pulled Evangeline into her embrace and uttered, “Thank you.”
• The principal then continued, “There's an important segment in today's parent-teacher conference. Before this, an influential person had donated ten million to our school so that we can build a library and a new school field. It's our honor to have this person come up on the stage and say a few words. Please welcome him, everyone!”
• At once, the crowd below the stage applauded.
• At the very next moment, a man in a black suit with a black trench coat walked up the stage. The man looked dashing, and a dominating aura emanated from his body. The crowd went silent the moment they saw him.
• His presence overwhelmed the crowd, and it was as if they had just seen the most important person on earth.
• Immediately afterward, Juliet, who was wearing a floral dress, followed Emmanuel onto the stage.
• When she showed up, another loud round of applause was heard.
• The deafening applause was tingling Juliet's senses.
• She felt as though she was dreaming when she became the focus of the crowd.
• Juliet then lowered her gaze and saw Eleanor and Evangeline sitting at the back of the crowd. After flashing a smile at Eleanor, she waved her hand slightly to greet them.
• Eleanor, on the other hand, was utterly stunned when she saw the couple on the stage. She definitely didn't expect to see her best friend being together with the man who ruined her life.
• For some reason, Eleanor couldn't help but feel sour about it, so she pulled Evangeline into her embrace and averted her gaze away from the stage. Are you showing off, Emmanuel? You're a successful man who can afford to casually donate ten million. Besides, you've even attracted everyone's attention by bringing your girlfriend along to attend such an event. On the contrary, I'm a woman everyone despises. Because of me, even my daughter is getting alienated by everyone in her school.
• Indescribable emotions began to fill Eleanor's heart.
• She couldn't wait for the parent-teacher conference to end so that she could quickly wrap up the deal worth eighty million. Once that's done, I can finally get away from Emmanuel and live a peaceful life with Eva.
• “Daddy! That's Daddy!”
• The moment the applause died down, a cute voice suddenly rang out on the field.