Holding Byranâs assignment in her hands, she glanced at the problem he had just finished, âHmm, not bad! Keep up the good work, and give it to me when youâre done.â
Byran scowled and grumbled as he said, âEllinor, I showed you this to prove I could do it, not for you to check my entire homework. Know your place!â
Ellinor looked at him while crossing her arms leisurely. A smirk played at the corners of her lips as she said, âIâm very much aware of my place, you know. Now, hand over the assignment.â
âReally?â Byran rolled his eyes disdainfully, âAnd who do you think you are?â
âMr. Howardâ She began, âI might not have had any right to interfere with your work earlier, but things have changed. Iâm officially your teacher now. Itâs my job to help you check and correct every assignment and every question. Thatâs what Iâm here for!â
âWhat? A teacher? Who agreed to this?â
Ellinor replied, âYour mother, Mrs. Howard. She just called me out to officially hire me as your tutor.
Your studies are now my responsibilityâ
Byran frowned as disbelief etched across his face, âEllinor, what are you up to? Why didnât you explain to my mom that youâre not my teacher? Now youâre agreeing to be my tutor? Whatâs your game?â
Ellinor answered, âNo game, really. Your mom offered a hefty pay, and I took it.â
Byran gawked at her, âQuit kidding! Youâre with Theo now; arenât you rolling in dough? Ellinor, you must be up to something fishy! Are you planning to use this tutor gig to cause issues for my sister, Patricia?â
Ellinor laughed, âWhy would I want to harm Patricia? Sheâs no threat to me.â
Byran was dumbfounded. He saw a cold indifference in Ellinor, like she didnât even consider his sister worth mentioning.
Ellinor was right. Patricia posed no threat to her because Theo only felt gratitude towards Patricia, not love.
Byran was seething for Patricia, but he couldnât deny the harsh reality.
After seeing Byranâs displeased expression, Ellinor figured he was different from his mother and Patricia.
He was genuinely naive, one might even say a bit dim.
However, she had overheard Byran defending Balfour in front of their mother, and she was impressed that he managed to maintain his integrity despite his motherâs and sisterâs influence. He was essentially a good person.
Ellinor agreed to tutor Byran mainly to get to know Mrs. Howard better.
She couldâve easily slacked off with Byranâs tutoring, but something about her half-brother, whom she had no emotional connection with, stirred complex feelings within her.
So, she decided to take his tutoring seriously, at least to ensure he got into college and thought more independently, so he didnât get corrupted by his mother and sister.
âMs. Mendoza, so youâre here.â The Howard familyâs butler, Fredâs voice suddenly echoed.