Chapter 182
Evander gazed at her the slim silhouette of her back. For the first time, anxiety shed before those
unfathomably deep eyes.
He expected Angeline to me and scold him instead of opening up like this. It was as if she had
numbed herself to her fate.
The only thing more dangerous than a fight in a rtionship was a cold shoulder, which was proof of
her increasing disregard for him.
Evander felt empty in the stomach at that thought. He reached out and grabbed Angeline’s arm.
“Why did we have to break up?” he asked, gritting his teeth in dismay.
“Was I not clear enough?”
“I want the real reason.” Evander gazed down at her, his voice husky. “Why did you react that way
when you saw the Heart of the Ocean I gifted you? What are you hiding from me?”
He only realized the shift in Angeline’s emotional state after he calmed down. Though he was unclear
of the reason, he surmised upon further thought that it must have been due to the ne.
“Is that important?”
Angeline’s heart skipped a beat at Evander’s words. She turned around to face him while feigning a
calm she did not feel.
“Everybody has their secrets, Mr. Golding. That must be why you won’t tell me who Floretta’s real
mother is.”
Initially prodding Evander to see if she could discover something, she did not expect such a hostile
reaction from him.
“You are bing bold, Angeline!”
“Forget I ever asked.”
Angeline scoffed and again struggled to free herself of Evander before turning around to leave abruptly.
However, the doubt in her heart gnawed at her.
Why did Evander react so strongly to the mention of Floretta’s birth mother? What is he hiding from
me? Could he, instead of the traffickers, have stolen the newborn baby? If that’s the case, Evander
must have been nning this charade and knew that I would only hate him all the more for knowing the
truth from all those years ago.
Suddenly, Angeline’s arms grew weak. Not daring to ruminate further, she opted instead to investigate
the matter thoroughly at her own pace.
All the children had gone out to y when the bell in the kindergarten rang a long time ago, but Floretta
remained in her seat with a colored pen in her hand, busy filling in the colors in her sketchbook.
With the parent-teacher conference looming close, the teachers called for every child to produce an
artwork to be presented to their parents.
As it was rare for Angeline and Evander to appear together in the parent-teacher conference, Floretta
honored the asion by applying herself fully to her work.
Suddenly, the ssroom door swung open to admit a group of boys who came barging in. They gazed
in Floretta’s direction and leered.
One of the boys, chubbier than the rest, arrived before Floretta with his chest puffed up and grabbed
her sketchbook.
Startled by his gesture, her face flushed red with anger.
“How dare you touch my things, Mark? Give my drawing back to me!”
The boy’s meaty hands shoved Floretta away and perused the sketchbook with sardonic glee.
“I thought you were hiding fancy artwork in here. Instead, all you have is a drawing of your family! Aunt
Olivine said that you’re a motherless child, though.”
“You’re lying!”
Floretta stomped her feet angrily. Her features contorted with rage.
“Ms. Sherrock is the one who insists on being my mother and must have said those things in a fit of
embarrassed anger because my father ignores her.”
“Watch who you’re calling Ms. Sherrock. That’s my Aunt Olivine,” Mark growled as he pushed her again
and jabbed a menacing finger. “Your mother threw you away as soon as you were born. Besides, Aunt
Olivine said she’ll put you in the orphanage when she marries your father.”
N?velDrama.Org is the owner.
Unable to withstand the oppression of his bulk, Floretta fell onto the ground. She was so frightened at
the mention of the orphanage that her scarlet eyes blossomed with tears.
She gulped. “No, Daddy will never do that,” she eximed indignantly while rubbing her eyes. “I have a
mother. She’s Angeline Sorelle, the movie star!”
“Angeline Sorelle from ‘The Journey’? Look at how good at lying Floretta is! She’s practically in denial!”
Mark turned around and, along with his friends, began to point andugh at Floretta.
“What are youughing about? My mother is Angeline Sorelle.”
Floretta tried to convince them, but despite her earnestness, none of them believed her.
Instead, theyughed all the harder at those words.
“Angeline Sorelle is a movie star! How could she be your mother?”
“Exactly. My mother has been binge-watching ‘The Journey,’ and she loves Angeline in it. She’s the
hottest star right now.”
With her hands on her hips, Floretta’s fury gave way to a sudden burst ofughter as she responded
coldly, “Doesn’t matter. She ising to the parent-teacher conference, anyway. I’ll show all of you!”
Without another word, she snatched the sketchbook back from Mark and ran out of the ssroom.
bbergasted, the bullies gazed at Floretta’s departing back. One of them said, “Could that stupid girl
be telling the truth? I heard her father is rich and powerful.”
“Impossible. Watch how embarrassed she’ll be when Angeline doesn’t show up to the parent-teacher
conference!” Mark snorted in disdain and folded his arms.
As children were not endowed with the ability to tell right from wrong, they were easily impressed by
celebrities.
Especially given Angeline’s recent fame online, fans of her show were not only found on the streets but
also in the kindergarten.
That was how they were confident that Floretta could not have secured Angeline’s attendance.
Thest bell marked the end of the school day. Her head hanging, Floretta exited the ssroom in low
spirits.
“Floretta?”
Suddenly, she heard the familiar voice of a woman.
All of a sudden, her eyes lit up as if she had received a jolt of energy.
“What are you doing here, Angel?”
“I’ve missed you very much, which is why I’m picking you up today and taking you to KFC. How does
that sound?”
Angeline gave the little girl’s hand a squeeze. Though she wore sunsses, the upward curl of her lips
inly conveyed her delight.
Despite her exhaustion from Evander’s torture on set, she could not rest upon returning home, so she
opted to visit Floretta instead.
Recalling the possibility of Floretta being her missing child, Angeline became emotional and wanted
nothing more than to give the girl all her love.
Suddenly, Floretta gasped as if her wound was brushed.