“How could your classmates describe you like that! That wasn’t very nice of them!” Nicole exclaimed furiously.
Maya started to cry even harder.
“Mommy, do you think my classmates are right? Do you think I look like a tortoise?”
Nicole sensed that she misspoke and clapped a hand over her mouth. “No. Not at all. You’re an adorable princess. You don’t look like a tortoise at all.”
Maya started to wail again. Nicole hastily handed the phone to Evan.
Evan immediately started to comfort Maya. “No matter if you’re fat or skinny, it doesn’t change the fact that you’re beautiful in your own way. Don’t live by the words of others. It’s not your fault that you didn’t wear your uniform. I’ll add Grandma into the group chat now. We’ll pay better attention in the future, okay?”
Maya choked back a sob. “Daddy, I followed the nutritionist’s diet plan and lost a lot of weight. It didn’t use to bother me when they made fun of me. But now it makes me so sad.” Maya continued to sob.
“You’re a big girl now, which is why you’re starting to care about your looks. You’ll become slimmer in the future and your beauty will grow.”
Will I really?
I have more questions but I know that being slim equals being beautiful.
I can already see myself as skinny and pretty as Nina. She wiped the tears away from her eyes. “I’ll continue trying my best to lose weight, Daddy. I won’t give them a reason to laugh at me again.”
“I believe you, Maya.”
“I want to talk to Mommy, Daddy.”
Evan handed the phone back to Nicole. Maya reminded her to take care of herself. Nicole did not understand why Maya was telling her such things.
“I’m fine, Maya. If you miss me, why don’t I go see you?”
“Come see us tomorrow, Mommy. Grandma is bringing us to the mall to buy new clothes later.”
“Okay, I’ll visit you tomorrow.”
After she hung up, Nicole griped to herself. If I had noted the announcements in the group chat, Maya wouldn’t have been laughed at. She wouldn’t have been so hurt.
Evan comforted her and took her hand in his. “What do you feel like having for dinner? I’ll cook.”
Nicole mentally flipped through the menu of her favorite food. She decided that she wanted to have steamed fish. She could almost smell the enticing aroma and licked her lips in anticipation.
“Let’s have fish, Evan. I want to go to Amazon Hotel.”
Nicole resembled a kitten to Evan.
He tapped her nose. “Okay, go change.”
She did so and the pair headed to Amazon Hotel.
When they entered the lobby, she noticed the strange looks of the surrounding people. The looks increased as they made their way to the suite, accompanied by hushed whispers.
They were staring at her like an animal in the zoo.
“Are they looking at me, Evan?”
News of Nicole’s alleged child-snatching was the current hot topic. Although it had been removed from official sites, many people had already seen the video. Evan knew that the people around were talking about Nicole because of what happened in the mall.
He hurried to come up with a plan to squash her doubts. “They’re not looking at you, but at me. It’s natural for me to receive such attention since I’m the president of Seet Group,” he proclaimed.
Nicole did not fully accept his explanation.
IF they’re looking at him as he said, they should be shooting looks of envy and admiration.
But their eyes are filled with scorn. They’re clearly talking about me in their secret discussions.
There must be something I don’t know.
When they entered the suite, Evan started ordering food. Nicole excused herself to the washroom.
She heard two women whispering as she stepped into the washroom.
