Tears instantly welled up in Patriciaâs eyes She sat in her wheelchair, latching onto Balfourâs leg and began sobbing helplessly Balfour was surprised by Patriciaâs sudden outburst. He knitted his brows. âWhy are you crying? Is your foot hurting a lot? Donât worry, Iâll take you to the hospitalâ
Balfour had been busy working in another room upstairs and had no idea what had been happening downstairs.
âNo, Balfour, my foot is fine itâs not hurtingâ Patricia said through her tears.
âThen whatâs wrong? Tell me Balfour leaned down, gently rubbing Patriciaâs back, trying to console her.
Patricia just kept crying and said nothing Balfour was at a loss, as Patricia was clearly upset but not explaining why He turned to Patriciaâs friend, Haillie. âHaillie, whatâs up with Patricia?â
Haillie looked shyly at Balfour, then finally spilled the beans, âBalfour, Patricia got bullied itâs all Ellinorâs fault. She went too far!â
Balfourâs brows furrowed even more. âEllinor? What has she done this time?â
Haillie continued, âEllinor tripped Patricia down the stairs on purpose Since Patricia hurt her foot and couldnât perform on stage, I asked Ellinor to fill in for Patricia, but she ended up badmouthing Patricia in front of old Mr. Bagley, who then reprimanded Patricia And then, somehow, Ellinor got old Mr. Bagley to publicly acknowledge her as his granddaughter!
Patricia got the cold shoulder from him, and he even said she shouldnât come to the Bagley residence anymore. Can you blame Patricia for being heartbroken?â
Balfour was taken aback. What? Old Mr. Bagley acknowledged Ellinor as his granddaughter?
Old Mr Bagley was always a strict man, how could he accept someone he just met as his granddaughter?
Ellinor was indeed a cunning girl. In such a short time, she managed to worm her way into being old Mr. Bagleyâs granddaughter!
What was she really up to today?
âWhere is Ellinor now?â
Haillie replied. âSheâs probably still with old Mr. and Mrs. Bagley. Balfour, Ellinor is a schemer. Sheâd do anything to climb the social ladder. You canât let her get away with this, or sheâll use the Bagleyâs influence to bully Patricia even more.â
Balfour squinted towards the door, âQuinton, bring Ellinor here!â
In the study of the Bagley family.
As the man of the hour, old Mr. Bagley was still entertaining guests in the banquet hall.
In the study, Ellinor was playing Go with old Mrs. Bagley, a mind game that helped keep the old ladyâs brain active and was good for her health.
Byran was watching on the sidelines, occasionally offering some advice.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door âWho is it? Byran turned to ask.
Quinton, recognizing Byranâs voice, replied respectfully, âMr. Howard, itâs me.â
Hearing Quintonâs voice, Byran tensed up a bit, âUh, Quinton, whatâs up?â
Was Balfour sending Quinton to fetch him home for homework?
Quinton replied, âIs Ms. Mendoza there? Mr. Howard asked me to get her, he needs to see her.â
Relieved that Balfour wasnât after him, Byran gestured to Ellinor, âBalfourâs looking for youâ
Ellinor put down her Go piece and gracefully stood up, âOld Mrs. Bagley, let Byran play with you for a bit. Iâll step out.â
Old Mrs Bagley looked uneasy and started to rise upon seeing Ellinor about to leave.
Ellinor reassured her, âDonât worry, old Mrs Bagley, I wonât be gone long. Iâll come back to play Go with youâ
Old Mrs. Bagley still looked a bit uneasy but nodded obediently, âChild, come back soon!â
Ellinor smiled, âSure, Iâll be back soon.â
After pacifying old Mrs. Bagley, she turned to leave.
Byran took Ellinorâs place, rearranging the Go pieces on the board, âGrandma, Go is boring letâs play something else!