Chapter 414 The Most Hated Person is Demetrius!
Sharon's eyes widened in surprise; she hadn't seen it coming that Ayla's kid, Jerold, would get the cold shoulder. But honestly, Sharon didn't feel a bit sorry for him.
Sharon began, her voice steady but laced with irritation, "Ms. Bridges, you jumped the gun and threatened to call the cops without even getting your facts straight. Then, when you found out Jerold lied and set up Demetrius, you didn't even make him apologize. Where do you get off coming here and yelling at me?"
She continued, "I'm not you; I don't have the clout to get the school principal on my side. I don't know why Jerold's being shunned, but kids like to hang out with honest and kind people, not liars. It's just how it is. Instead of grilling me, Ms. Bridges, maybe you should think about whether there's something off with your own parenting."
Ayla's voice was boiling with anger, "Sharon, don't think just because you have Seb backing you, you can..."
Before Ayla could finish, Sharon hung up.
Sharon had zero interest in talking to someone who wouldn't listen and didn't want to waste her time on her.
On the other end, Ayla, already fuming, got even angrier when she heard the busy tone, almost chucking her phone.
She gritted her teeth and was about to call back when Leo's call came in.
"Ayla, where are you now?" Leo asked.
Ayla took a deep breath, barely holding back her anger, but her tone was still pretty ticked off, "I'm at the office, about to head to Jerold's kindergarten. Jerold just called me, saying his classmates are all giving him the cold shoulder, and no one will talk to him."
"I'll go to Jerold. Damon's meeting with Mr. Simmons. I'll send you the address; go there right away. If he snags the Golden Water Resort project, he'll officially join the Bridges Group, and your botched negotiation with Seb will make Grandpa furious." Leo said.
Ayla changed her expression, and she immediately said, "Okay, I'm on my way."
After hanging up, Ayla quickly got the address from Leo and drove over right away.
Leo's office.
After sending the address, Leo smirked, closed the chat app, grabbed his coat, and headed out.
Just as he was about to leave, his secretary entered the office, a neat stack of documents in her hands. "Mr. Wendy, these need your signature today."
Leo's expression was cool, "Leave them on the desk. I have something to take care of outside."
"Okay, Mr. Wendy." The secretary said.
Leo's game company wasn't far from Jerold's kindergarten, and in less than half an hour, his car was parked at the kindergarten entrance.
When the Bridges Group donated to the kindergarten, Leo had visited several times with Garry and Ayla, so the security guard recognized him and quickly opened the gate.
After parking, Leo called Jerold's teacher, Connie, and upon learning that Jerold was in the office, he walked over.
As soon as Leo entered the office, he saw Jerold standing in the corner, head down, looking all lost.
"Jerold." Leo said.
Hearing his voice, Jerold looked up. "Dad!"
Jerold quickly ran to him, hugging his leg, his face full of hurt.
"They're all picking on me. I don't want to be friends with them or be in the same class. Dad, make the principal kick them all out!" Jerold said.
Jerold's little face was full of anger, his fists clenched tight, as he wished those who wouldn't play with him would just disappear.
Leo frowned, squatted down to look Jerold in the eye, "Jerold, did you forget what Dad told you yesterday?"
His voice was calm, his expression serene, but Jerold couldn't help but feel a bit scared. "I didn't forget."
Jerold lowered his head, not daring to meet Leo's eyes.
"If you didn't forget, then tell me, did you apologize to Demetrius when you came to school today?" Leo asked.
"No." Jerold pouted, his little face puffed up. He didn't want to apologize to Demetrius; he hated him the most!
"Jerold, only when you admit your mistakes and apologize will other kids like you. You fell by yourself but lied that Demetrius pushed you, so the other kids are afraid to play with you." Leo said.
Jerold's eyes were full of confusion and bewilderment, "Is that so?"
What Leo said was different from what Ayla had told him. Ayla said the Bridges Group donated a lot of money to the kindergarten, so he could do whatever he wanted and didn't need to care about the other kids. Who should he listen to?
Leo nodded, "Yes. Are you afraid to apologize to Demetrius? Do you want me to go with you?"
Jerold actually wanted to say he didn't want to apologize to Demetrius, but under Leo's gaze, he could only nod, "Okay."
"Then let's have Ms. Price call Demetrius over, and you can apologize in front of me." Leo said.
"Okay." Jerold said.
Connie, who had been trying to get through to Jerold for a long time, felt relieved when Leo solved it in a few words. She quickly said, "I'll go get Demetrius right away."
Soon, Demetrius walked into the office with Connie.
The moment Leo saw Demetrius, his hand at his side clenched unconsciously, his gaze fixed on Demetrius. Noticing how much Demetrius resembled Seb, Leo frowned, a hint of darkness flashing in his eyes.
But Leo was good at hiding his emotions. He quickly smiled and looked down at Jerold, "Jerold, Demetrius is here. Apologize to him."
Jerold looked at Demetrius, reluctantly saying, "Demetrius, I'm sorry."
Demetrius looked at him indifferently, not saying a word.
Jerold hated Demetrius's indifferent attitude the most, and his small face immediately showed anger, "Demetrius, I apologized. What do you want?"
"Just because you apologize, I have to accept it?" Demetrius's small face was tight, his expressionless face almost a miniature version of Seb.
Leo's eyes darkened, but he quickly masked it with a warm smile as he squatted down to meet Demetrius at eye level. "Demetrius, Jerold was indeed wrong before. I also scolded him at home. Can you forgive him?"
Demetrius's gaze shifted from Jerold to Leo, his face still expressionless. He had no fondness for Leo, who appeared kind but was actually sinister, so he remained silent.
Seeing those eyes similar to Sharon's, Leo was momentarily stunned, his gaze becoming even softer.
Demetrius, uncomfortable under Leo's oddly contemplative gaze, frowned and glanced up at Ms. Price. "Ms. Price, I want to go back to class."
Seeing that Demetrius didn't intend to forgive Jerold, Connie wanted to persuade him but hesitated, remembering what the principal had said about Seb's identity. She looked at Leo.
"Mr. Wendy, how about I arrange a meeting with Ms. Roach or Mr. Smith to resolve this privately?" Connie said.
Leo's eyes lit up as he looked at Connie, "Then I'll trouble you, Ms. Price."
"It's no trouble; it's my duty. As for Jerold, Mr. Wendy, please take him home today. I'll also remind the other kids in the class not to ostracize their classmates," Connie said.
"Alright," Leo replied.
"If there's nothing else, Mr. Wendy, I'll take Demetrius back to class," Connie said.
"Okay, and please keep an eye on Jerold for me, Ms. Price," Leo said.
"That's my job," Connie said.
Leo left the office with Jerold and Connie, parting ways at the staircase.
On the way back, Jerold kept his head down, silent and sullen.
It wasn't until the car stopped at the villa entrance that Jerold looked up at Leo, his eyes red, "Dad, if I don't apologize, will the other kids really hate me?"
Although Jerold was used to bossing around the servants in the Bridges family, hitting and scolding them when things didn't go his way, being ostracized by his peers made him feel not just angry but also sad.
Leo turned around and saw Jerold's aggrieved expression, his eyes flickering.
He unbuckled his seatbelt, turned, and gently patted Jerold's head, his voice soft, "Jerold, you can be as willful as you want at home because your mom and I will indulge you. But when you're with other kids, you can't treat them the way you treat us or the servants at home, otherwise, the other kids will dislike you."
"Think about it. If a kid lied to his parents, saying you hit him or stole his things, wouldn't you be angry and not want to play with that kid?" Leo continued.
Jerold nodded, somewhat understanding, "But Demetrius took away several of my friends when he came. I hate him! I don't want to apologize to him!"
Leo sighed, "Have you ever thought about why your friends want to play with him and not with you?"
"No, I don't know," Jerold said.
"If you don't know, observe what he does to make those kids like him, and then do it better than him. That way, those kids will come back to you," Leo said.
Jerold stared at him blankly for a while before speaking, "Dad, I still don't quite understand..."
"It's normal not to understand. Just do as I say. For now, we need to apologize to Demetrius so the other kids know you're someone who admits their mistakes. That way, they'll feel safe around you," Leo said.
Jerold had always listened to Leo the most. Hearing this, he nodded, "Okay."
"Good. You play at home first. After work, I'll take you to Demetrius's house to apologize," Leo said.
After sending Jerold into the villa and handing him over to the servants, Leo drove away.
Thinking about meeting Sharon in the evening, Leo smiled slightly, his mood lifted.
As Leo was nearing the company, he received a call from Ayla.
"Leo, I met with Mr. Simmons before Damon, but he prefers Silvercrest Group as a partner and won't even give me a chance. After Seb humiliated me yesterday, I won't let Silvercrest Group have the Golden Water Resort project!" Her voice was full of gritted teeth, clearly very upset with Seb.
Leo's face remained expressionless, but his voice was incredibly gentle, "Alright, as long as Starlight Corporation hasn't signed with Silvercrest Group, we still have a chance. It would be best to find out Silvercrest Group's offer from Mr. Simmons. As long as the Bridges Group offers a higher price, we can secure the project."
"Okay, that's what I thought too. I'll head back to the company and wait for Mr. Simmons at the golf course this Saturday," Ayla said.
After a few more words, Ayla, busy with work, hung up.
In the evening, just after Sharon and Seb returned to the villa, the doorbell rang.
Leo, carrying a bunch of gifts, had brought Jerold over to apologize.
Since Sharon had already been informed about this in the afternoon, she instructed the servants to let them in.
As the servants led them in, Sharon was playing with building blocks with Demetrius.
"Ms. Roach, Mr. Leo Wendy and Mr. Jerold Wendy are here," the servant said.
Sharon looked up and, upon meeting Leo's gaze, couldn't help but tense up. The memories of his erratic and menacing behavior from five years ago were still fresh. Even after all this time, his presence was enough to unsettle her profoundly.
She looked at the servant and said calmly, "Go get Seb."
"Alright," the servant said.
Leo put down the gifts and looked at Sharon with a gentle gaze, "Sharon, long time no see. I didn't get a chance to greet you at Grandpa's party last time. You won't hold it against me, will you?"
Sharon's expression was indifferent, "Mr. Wendy, we have nothing to do with each other anymore. There's no need for pleasantries."
If they hadn't come to apologize to Demetrius, she wouldn't have let them in.
Noticing Sharon's coldness, Leo didn't mind and continued, "You've changed a lot in these five years."
Sharon frowned, about to speak, when she heard footsteps behind her.
She turned to see Seb walking quickly towards her and Demetrius, a smile tugging at her lips, feeling reassured. "You're here."
Seb walked up to her, glanced down at her bare feet, and frowned, lifting her onto the sofa.
"I told you to wear shoes," Seb said.
Sharon, feeling guilty, avoided his gaze, "The living room has underfloor heating. I didn't feel cold."
"By the time you feel cold, you'll already have a cold," Seb said.
He picked up the plush slippers by the sofa and put them on her feet before looking at Leo, "Mr. Leo Wendy, I heard you're here to apologize today?"
Facing Seb's cold gaze, Leo suddenly relaxed his previously clenched hands, and he smiled. "Yes, we understand what happened with Jerold. Ayla and I both feel very sorry for Jerold's lies, so we brought him to apologize to Demetrius."
After speaking, Leo gently patted Jerold's back and said softly, "Jerold, apologize."
Jerold looked at Demetrius and, following Leo's instructions from the car ride, sincerely apologized to Demetrius.
Leo was somewhat surprised by Jerold's cooperation.
Why was Jerold acting so differently today?
Seb had no intention of holding a grudge against a child and said indifferently, "Mr. Leo Wendy, you've done well in the gaming industry these past few years. You should also focus on your child's education. They say a father's failure to teach is his fault. Mr. Leo Wendy should spend more time with your family."
Leo's lips curved into a smile, but his eyes remained cold, "You're right, Mr. Smith. It's my oversight."
"Then I won't keep you for dinner, Mr. Leo Wendy," Seb said.
"Alright, goodbye, Mr. Smith." Leo then looked at Sharon and said softly, "Sharon, we haven't seen each other in years. Let's have dinner together sometime."
Sharon's expression didn't change, "I don't think that's necessary, Mr. Wendy. Goodbye."
Leo's smile faltered for a moment, but he quickly recovered, "Alright, take care, Sharon."
With that, Leo and Jerold left the villa, leaving Sharon and Seb to their evening.
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