Since Clark had brought up what had happened, Sheryl couldn't ignore it. But, to avoid worrying her children, she decided to lie to them. Shifting her gaze from her son to her daughter, she smiled brightly and said playfully, "When did you guys start to have secrets? Shirley, Grandma didn't curse me last night. She was just upset and needed to be comforted. So I asked you to go to bed first, and then I talked to her to make her feel better before going to sleep."
She might have fooled her daughter with the white lie, but Clark didn't buy her story. Instead, he suspected that Sheryl might have gotten into a big fight with Melissa.
"Mom, it wasn't the first time that Grandma had been mean to you. We all know it. How about..." After a pause, he bit his lower lip and continued earnestly, "Mom, how about we move out of here? I hate to see you being bullied." He raised his voice when he spoke.
Sheryl was taken aback by his bold proposal. She already knew that her son was sensible and intelligent for his age, but this went above and beyond her expectations.
'Move out!' Sheryl urged herself.
The fact was, this thought had dawned on her many times. To get rid of Melissa, she considered moving out of this house with her children and husband more than once. That way, she could live a peaceful and undisturbed life with her family.
However, she found it hard to bring up the idea in front of Charles. Her husband couldn't bear the thought of leaving Melissa alone.
Even though Melissa was unfriendly to her, she was still Charles' birth mother. Sheryl understood that Charles might feel guilty if he had to leave his old mother behind to live with his wife and children.
Hence, Sheryl had given up that idea for the sake of Charles. She thought that everything would be okay as long as she ignored Melissa's provocation.
But she didn't expect Melissa would go so far as to take it out on her daughter. Shirley had only broken her vase, but Melissa threw a tantrum and yelled at her.
At the thought of this, Sheryl drew in a deep breath, trying to shake away the anger. Fondling Clark's head, she reasoned tenderly, "Honey, Grandma is Dad's mother, so he has to be kind to her. We can't put your father in an awkward situation. Besides, she adores you so much. I hope you can help me get Grandma to like me. Can you help me with this?"
Shirley wasn't following the conversation, but Clark understood what she was saying.
Clark nodded his head quickly and promised sincerely, "I'll help you Mom, and I'll never ever suggest we leave again."
Sheryl smiled approvingly and nodded back at him. However, an inkling of bitterness ran through her.
After the three had breakfast, Sheryl got the car keys from their chauffeur, planning to send Clark and Shirley to Eton Kindergarten. As they walked to the front door, they heard Melissa yawn out loud as she made her way down the stairs.
"Good morning, Mom!" Sheryl greeted with a strained smile.
"Good morning, Grandma!" Clark followed loudly with a bright smile.
"Morning, Clark, my good boy. You're up so early," Melissa greeted back cordially, a brief smile flickering across her face.
Shirley gave Melissa a quick glance and pursed her lips. She was still mad at her grandma who had snapped at her. 'She's a bad person, ' the little girl thought to herself.
"Greet Grandma, Shirley," Sheryl told her daughter in a low voice.
With a pout, Shirley called out with much reluctance, "Hello, Grandma!"
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