The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance novel Chapter 370

Keen spoke in a low voice. “It’s no use telling Mom. When those men tripped me, no one stood up for her either. All they did was laugh at her—and not a single person defended her.”

He hesitated, bitterness tightening his small features. “A mom like that… she just isn’t strong enough to help me with any of this.”

He went on quietly, “And earlier, when Sheldon’s mom found out mine was Marvin’s guardian, she made that mean boy get on his knees and apologize. She wasn’t afraid of my mom at all.”

His voice wavered. “If I’d been the one who broke the rules today, would I have had to kneel and apologize too?”

A heavy silence settled over the room. Haynes and Neville both turned to look at Mrs. Ayers.

Caught in their gaze, Mrs. Ayers went pale as a sheet. Her knees threatened to give out beneath her.

Keen’s voice carried on, clear and unwavering. “And Grandma said I’m the future heir to the O’Brien Group, so I should handle these things myself—instead of always running to the grown-ups for help.”

Neville’s dark eyes glittered with a complex, unreadable light.

Children raised in love are different from those who grow up without it. That much was obvious. The O’Brien family had invested a great deal in Keen’s education, and it showed—no matter where he was, his grades were always at the top of the class.

But for all his intelligence, he was still just five years old. Faced with something like this, even he couldn’t help but feel scared and lost.

It was clear, too, that Keen’s stubbornness—his boldness with Stella—came from the deep well of love he’d received from her. Love was rare for him, and that made it precious.

Things in abundance are often taken for granted. But not for Marvin. He’d learned early that anything he wanted had to be clung to, never let go.

Haynes’s pupils contracted sharply. Instinctively, he shot a glance at Stella, but her expression was unreadable—calm, detached, impossible to decipher.

Neville’s voice rang out again, cool and resolute. “But I’m not like you. I’m fiercely protective of my family. No one gets to bully my son, and no one—absolutely no one—gets to hurt Star.”

His cold eyes landed on Mrs. Ayers.

“Mrs. Ayers, aren’t you the one who’s always demanding kneeling apologies? Your son’s still a child, so I won’t hold it against him. But you’re an adult—and a mother at that. So why don’t you get down on your knees and apologize for him?”

He let the words hang, his tone almost mocking. “Since you seem to like kneeling so much, I’m sure you’ll do it with perfect grace.”