Choice

**Angel:**

I looked at my son, smiling when I saw the smile on his face as he saw his school.

He looked at me for a second, and I nodded to the principal as she knelt in front of him. He looked at her and then at me. "Do you like the school, Lowrence?"

"Yes!" He said, looking at me. "I like it a lot!"

I had my arms crossed over my chest as I looked around. The school looked elegant, and judging by its reputation, it seemed to be good. Yildez's son, Dante, was at the school. He seemed happy, and I could tell that even his mother, who was the person who recommended it to me, was satisfied with it.

"Alright then, if we can take care of the paperwork," I said, and the principal smiled. She nodded at me and walked to her office. I saw one of the staff approach Lowrence, taking him towards the playground.

"Do you like the school?" She asked, breaking my train of thought. There were a number of things I needed to think about, and I knew there was a lot to take care of today. Knowing I would have to leave Lowrence at school, I couldn’t help but feel tired. The idea of him being at home alone with Haizel wasn’t something I wanted, but I knew I had nowhere else to take him, and I wasn’t going to put him under the pressure of wandering the city with me to an office. Besides, there was the fact that I couldn’t keep him at a friend’s house because I didn’t know most of them well enough. And I wasn’t going to think about leaving him with my mother and my brother. After what happened at the hotel the other day, even answering Ezio's calls was a big no for me.

"I did," I said, smiling at her. "It’s big, and it looks like the kids here are happy. I’m also glad there are higher grades as he grows. You know, the hassle of having to take him to another school, building new friendships and a new environment can be challenging when it comes to a certain criterion and education we want to have."

"Indeed. I see many mothers as concerned as you. Even your ex-husband wanted to have his child here. It was a shame that he didn’t pass the test to attend the school. As you might know, it’s a bit difficult for children to pass advanced tests when they haven’t taken the subjects covered from day one. We assured him and the mother, but Mrs. D'Angelo wasn’t very satisfied." She said, and I nodded in understanding, opting not to say a word. She studied my expression, expecting an insult to come from my side, but I knew better than to do that. Whatever I said, they would hear, and it would count as a first impression between the principal and me.

One thing I learned growing up was that your image would count for everything. I raised my son to reflect the good and not the bad. As a child, he was still learning. But learning at an early stage is always better than postponing it for later. That was how I was raised, and I knew how to raise my children that way.

"Does he start tomorrow?" I asked, opting to dismiss the subject. The principal, whose name was Rebeca, smiled and nodded.

"You are an interesting character, Ms. Angel," she said, and I raised an eyebrow as we both stood up. She picked up my son's file, looked at it before setting it aside. "One thing we judge when it comes to accepting children into our school is the reaction of their parents. I threw in your face a child born when you were married to your husband. It hurts a woman to deal with these things, and you chose not to comment, didn’t dishonor the child, nor throw him into the flames, boasting about how easily your son was accepted."

"I can understand that you won't respond to what I’m saying, but I’ll make a comment, and I want you to keep it in mind," she said, crossing her arms over her chest, looking me dead in the eyes. "Be who you are and don’t let anyone try to change you. Many will try, others will try to break you too. But don’t let them. Cherish the kindness you have, which I don’t see in many women out there; and that’s something I see as purity in you."

"That’s kind of you," I said, and she nodded, leading me to the door.

"It’s nothing but the truth," she said, stepping towards the door. She opened it for me, and we both walked out in silence, and I couldn’t help but feel grateful for not choosing to listen to those who told me to act against what I was doing. If I had done that, many things would have changed, but I would have lost my own morals. That was something I didn’t want to do.

"As for answering your question, considering you paid your son's fees in full; yes, he starts his classes tomorrow," she said, and I smiled as I saw Lowrence playing. "He starts at nine, and his last class ends at four. I believe you got the schedule to know the different days when he would have extra courses. That would make it easier for you at home, especially since most of the homework would be done at school."

"Thank you once again, Ms. Rebeca. I’ll bring him on time, and if there’s any inconvenience, please don’t hesitate to call me," I said, waving to Lowrence who was coming over. "I’ll be more than happy to help."

"I’ll make sure to do that," she said, and I smiled before a familiar scent caught my attention. It was Alpha Locke who I saw in front of the hotel.

His eyes met mine as I turned, and he extended his hand, looking me in the eyes.

"Hello, Angel," he said, and I raised an amused eyebrow while maintaining my smile.

"Locke, funny to see you here..."