Chapter 338: Chapter 338

The request was no big deal at all. It had only taken them all by surprise because it was coming from Ingrid. Even Gabriel raised his head to look at his sister. However, Gabriel was already sold on this idea. Anything that meant that he could spend more time with his new mother was eagerly accepted by him. He raised his eyes to Shelby’s, not bothering to mask his enthusiasm for that possibility.

Shelby rubbed his hair fondly without breaking her eye contact with Ingrid. She wanted to make sure that the request was just a desire and not from the possible fact that Ingrid was having issues at school.

Samantha was the one who was most eager about this. For some reason, even unknown to her, Samantha wanted to show off her mother.

Ingrid lowered her head as her words got stuck in her throat. That was when Shelby knew that she had messed up. She had promised herself to be there for them, and for Ingrid to muster the courage to ask this was already a big deal.

"Of course, I would love to!" Shelby whispered and saw a smile grace Ingrid’s lips almost instantaneously. The same was true for Samantha and Gabriel, but Shelby did not notice this.

Ian continued swirling his wine in the glass and did not interrupt them.

So that was how Shelby found her itinerary made up for the following day.

She spent the better part of the rest of that day with the children. Shelby took her time teaching them her craft, and they were as enthusiastic as she was.

Obviously, Ian was dissatisfied, but he finally got himself busy by bringing his laptop into Shelby’s lounge and art area. He sat on the sofa, busy with work, but his eyes were trained on them the whole time.

The little family had an early breakfast and was ready to set off just as Alex, Geneva, and the rest of the family came to have their breakfast.

Ian nodded at his parents and stood up, ushering his wife and kids out. Ian knew his parents well enough to know that they wanted to talk to him, but he did not want to do so at that moment.

With a curt nod and not giving them time even to say a word, he was off.

Once outside, Ian held his car door open for Shelby, and she hesitated,

"You don’t have to come with us, Ian. I’ll just go and drop them off for -"

Ian said and then gently guided her into the car.

"Is Mama not coming with us?" Gabriel asked softly as his enthusiasm died down instantly. For once, he had been as obedient as ever that morning and did everything he was told because he was happy that his mother was accompanying them. However, Gabriel knew that the one person who could change that plan with no effort was his father. And his fears came to pass!

"Get into the car, Gabriel."

Samantha nudged him into Albert’s car. Samantha sat in the front and the two kids sat in the back. Ingrid was not worried at all because she trusted her mother’s words.

"Have you forgotten? Do you not trust Mum again?" Ingrid asked him softly as Ian’s car took off. That jolted little Gabriel back, and he settled securely, but his eyes remained trained on the back of the disappearing car.

The two cars followed each other and soon pulled into the long stream of cars heading into the large driveway and up the entrance to the Islanders Academy.

Ian’s sleek car stopped first, and then he stepped out and opened it for Shelby.

The moment Shelby’s feet touched the pavement, the bustling schoolyard fell eerily silent. Conversations hushed to whispers, eyes widened in awe, and even the breeze seemed to hold its breath.

The second car pulled up through the school gates shortly after, and Gabriel could hardly contain his excitement.

Without waiting for Albert to open the car door for them as he usually did, Gabriel leapt out of the car, his face beaming with pride and went to stand by Shelby.

The headmaster had long seen Ian’s car and was already running towards them by then. The few parents and students around could not stop looking at the perfect couple.

"I have heard that Mr Thornston’s new wife was beautiful, but this-"

"This is not fair! Why is the world like that? How can one person be so beautiful that it makes me uncomfortable?"

Shelby’s every step was gracious and effortless. Her actions and even inactions were so graceful and smooth that none of the observers could tear their eyes off her.

She was a vision of beauty and elegance, every detail of her appearance exuding an air of influence and sophistication with a tone of underlying power.

Gabriel, as well as his dad and even didn’t even notice nor care for the sudden stillness. They didn’t see the way everyone stared at Shelby as if they were in the presence of a queen.

’A true Queen!’ Murray whispered to himself from the unseen shadows.

Oblivious to this ripple, Gabriel waved his arms to get his friends’ attention, his voice ringing out with pride.

"Hey, guys! Come! Look! This is my Mama!" His voice travelled far as all eyes were already trained on their family. Gabriel turned back to her, smiling up at her like she was the best thing in the whole world, completely unaware of the mix of envy and admiration that painted his friends’ faces.

To Gabriel, she was just Mama—the one who had replaced his original mun, the one who kissed his forehead and hugged him to comfort. But to everyone else, she was something larger than life, a figure they couldn’t quite touch.

As she gave him a gentle smile, patting his head, he had no idea that it wasn’t just her beauty or her stylish clothes that made them go quiet; it was the aura of power she carried with her, the kind that made people stop and take notice.

It was different this time, and Shelby had developed some indifference to it.

Gabriel’s voice jolted the headmaster, and he shook his head, tearing off his eyes from Shelby.

At the same time, Shelby reached out her hand and called out to her girls.

"Come over; why are you still standing over there?"

Shelby could see Gabriel’s animated gestures from the corner of her eyes and smiled.

Some of the saner men around turned and re-entered their cars immediately, jealously brewing in the rest.

"Mr Thornston, welcome, you didn’t give us any heads-up today -"

"Why do I have to tell you before I drop off my kids at school?"

"Erm?" The headmaster swallowed dryly and then smiled awkwardly.

"I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. I-"

Ian waved the older man off and placed his hands on the small of Shelby’s back. His words carried weight enough for all eyes to briefly move from Shelby to the kids.

The headmaster was a little confused and stared long and hard at Samantha. The girl looked familiar, but he was unsure of who it was.

"Hahaha..... you flutter us, headmaster...."

Shelby said, deducing the man’s [position from the little tag on his chest.

"Did you forget our eldest? Did she change that much?"

"Eldest?" The man stared at Samantha and then at Shelby. However, a forbidding dark presence made him turn swiftly away. He did not want to risk Ian’s wrath that early in the morning.

"You must be Mrs. Thronston. Nice to meet you. You mean, this is...."

"I didn’t realize that Samantha was that different just by taking off the makeup and changing the type of clothes she wears."

"Samantha? The Samantha...."

Samantha bowed, "Hello headmaster,"

Then she turned to her parents, "Mum, Dad, I’ll be going to class now. Thanks for accompanying us this morning."

Shelby smiled and opened her arms to hug Samantha briefly. "Call me if anything feels off or even if you need a listening ear."

Samantha beamed, nodded and then trotted off.

The students and parents stared in envy. Most of the parents around had warned their children to stay away from Samatha because she was not related to the Thornstons by blood. They had openly shunned her, but that had placed them in an awkward situation then. Most itched to tell their children to make friends with her, but at least some were not that shameless to go down that path.

Gabriel was still in an animated conversation with a few older kids and trying to tell them all about his mum.

Ingrid stood quietly on the side, taking in everything.

"That was really Samantha?" The headmaster looked on in disbelief.

"She looks more beautiful without all that makeup, right?" Shelby beamed with pride as Samantha disappeared into the revolving doors of the building.

In the hallways, envious eyes followed Samantha, but not a single person could muster the courage to approach her. It was widely known that Raye’s family’s predicament could have resulted from Samantha, but no one had any concrete proof. They were still wary of her though, even though it had been a little more than a week since she Samantha had been in school.

That feeling was all new to Samantha. She was used to be the unseen girl. The one they picked on when they wanted to but, on this day, she had turned to the Queen bee and the one that all looked up with reverence.

The fact that Ian and Shelby’s accompanied her even pushed her up the social ladder at school.

Just then, a hand slipped into Samantha’s.

"Hey! Samantha! Wanna grab lunch together later?"

Samantha stopped and turned to her with a glare, "Let go! Natasha!" The menacing tone was new to all who had seen Samatha around. Samantha stood there, exuding a cool elegance that felt both intriguing and inviting, almost as if she had an invisible glow surrounding her.

Gone was the girl who once masked herself with heavy makeup; in her place was someone truly captivating—striking in a way that drew people in. She appeared effortlessly lovely, her natural beauty shining brightly, and there was something about her presence that made others pause in admiration.

Even Natasha, usually so confident at the top of the social scene, found herself taking a step back, her hands slipping away from Samantha’s. Surprise danced across Natasha’s face, her eyes widening as she registered this remarkable transformation.

The girl she once overlooked had blossomed into someone who effortlessly commanded attention. She wasn’t just different; she was delightful, and for the first time, Natasha, the social queen, seemed momentarily off balance, touched by the unexpected change.

Thank you so much to all for your votes and comments! I hope we can keep it up ^_^

Support the author by reading only on NovelHub :) ~Uploaded only on NovelHub by Loctovia ~