Chapter 7 The Two Sides Meet

"Ivy." Tristan's voice carried displeasure.

"How could you talk to your Aunt Sophie like that? Who taught you this?"

Sophia also breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Tristan.

Finally, someone came to her rescue.

She pretended to wipe the corner of her eye and said, "It's okay, Tristan. Ivy is still young, how would she know any better?"

After a slight pause, Sophia added pointedly, "Ivy is naturally well-behaved and wouldn't say such things, but I've always known that Ms. Whitmore is very unhappy with me..."

Sophia didn't finish her sentence, but the implication was crystal clear.

Tristan's brow furrowed deeply, and the atmosphere around him grew heavier.

Though Ivy felt wronged that her dad scolded her right away, she wasn't deaf to what Sophia was implying.

"Dad... Mom never taught me to say these things... It's because..."

"Ivy, even if Megan is your biological mother, you can't just go along with everything she says. Your Aunt Sophie already said so—do you want to make her sad?"

Tristan crouched down, placing his hands on Ivy's shoulders with a serious tone.

He jumped to conclusions right away, pinning Megan on the shame pole for corrupting the child, without considering any other factors.

Ivy blinked her bright, clear eyes. She didn't understand why Tristan had to emphasize this so much, but she was a bit scared of her dad's cold mood just now.

She didn't want her dad to dislike her.

So Ivy could only nod reluctantly.

Seeing Ivy successfully calmed down, Tristan also breathed a sigh of relief.

Sophia then smoothed things over with a gentle tone: "Maybe some bad people said bad things in front of Ivy. Our Ivy definitely didn't mean it, right?"

Ivy now desperately wanted to take Tristan to the other kids to prove her innocence.

Since Sophia had just handed her the perfect opening, Ivy quickly agreed: "That's right! Those bad people said it first!"

"Good girl."

Sophia crouched down and pulled Ivy into her arms. Somehow, tears had appeared in her eyes.

"You're Tristan's child, the baby I love most. Although I'm not in good health, I really hope you can be safe and sound."

In a corner where others couldn't see, a cold gleam flashed in Sophia's eyes.

Before, Ivy used to cling to her all the time, and she could easily win the girl over with just a few words.

But now Ivy had learned to question the relationship between her and Tristan.

This gave Sophia a sense of crisis.

Ivy was young, yes, but young children were the most unpredictable.

So she had to take these things seriously.

Meanwhile, Tristan stood there, his cold gaze sweeping around. Those who had been watching the drama quickly looked away.

...

On the other side, Julian sat in his formally decorated office, holding a thin piece of paper.

It was decorated with intricate patterns, with golden letters shining at the top, and Julian's name printed on it.

"Inviting me to be a guest at the school? If I remember correctly, Megan's child goes to school there."

Resting his forehead on one hand, Julian's handsome face showed a thoughtful expression.

Just then, Megan knocked on the office door with the documents she had just prepared.

"Mr. Morgan, the documents you requested are ready."

"Come in."

Following Julian's low, husky voice, Megan walked straight into the office.

She gently placed the documents on his desk, and her eyes caught sight of the invitation.

She couldn't help but freeze.

Usually, Tristan was busy with work, so she personally attended Ivy's parent-teacher meetings and conferences.

But since Sophia came back, Ivy never mentioned these things anymore.

Even when Megan proactively asked about school, Ivy would impatiently retort: "The teacher keeps asking why only you come, Mom, but I want Dad and Aunt Sophie to come with me instead!"

The familiar invitation made Megan freeze in place as distant memories resurfaced.

"Megan?"

Seeing Megan lost in thought, a complex emotion flashed through Julian's heart.

Could she still not let go?

"I'm fine, Mr. Morgan. Sorry, I was just thinking about something."

Coming back to her senses, Megan immediately shook her head, admitting her lapse.

Then she stared at the invitation on the desk and asked hesitantly, "This invitation looks familiar."

Julian's slender fingers rested on the invitation, slowly pushing it toward Megan.

Under her puzzled gaze, Julian seemed somewhat helpless as he touched his brow: "That's right, this is an invitation from that school. I studied there when I was young, and now that I'm successful, the school wants me to come back as a guest."

Seeing Julian's troubled expression, Megan couldn't help but ask, "Did you run into some problem? You don't seem very eager to go."

"Nothing major, it's just that the school specifically requested that I bring a female companion. But all my friends are busy, and I'm unexpectedly on my own."

Julian's tone was measured, even carrying a hint of self-mockery, but the depth hidden in his dark eyes went unnoticed by others.

Watching Megan's thoughtful expression, Julian's lips slowly curved into a smile.

He was like a seasoned hunter, hiding in the shadows, waiting for his most beloved prey to fall into the trap.

Sure enough, Megan decided to solve this problem for Julian.

"Ivy goes to this school, so I'm pretty familiar with it. If you don't mind, I could go with you."

"That would be perfect. Thanks for making the trip with me."

Julian naturally picked up the conversation and pulled out another identical invitation from his drawer.

"With you by my side, I'll save a lot of trouble."

Megan looked up and met Julian's smiling eyes.

She felt it was all too coincidental, but couldn't find anything wrong with it.

The two of them naturally entered the campus together.

And just as coincidentally, they ran into the scene where Tristan and Sophia were being watched by others.

"What are you two doing here?"

A cool, low voice came from not far away, carrying a hint of barely concealed anger.

Megan and Julian both looked up at the same time.

They saw Tristan pushing through the crowd and walking straight up to them.

Behind him, Sophia held Ivy's hand.