Shadows Between Us (Stella and Sebastian) novel Chapter 425

Chapter 425

Cookie’s eyes sparkled in an instant.

Her long, fluttery lashes blinked, and her chubby cheeks lit up. “Mommy!”

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Her voice was so soft and babyish. Cassie’s heart softened. She wished Cookie were her daughter.

The other kids were looking up, totally mesmerized by what was happening.

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Cassie, bathed in sunlight, with long curls, was wearing the latest DenimKraft red dress. She looked so radiant and lively, like a princess straight out of a storybook.

“She’s so pretty!”

“She’s glowing!”

The kids couldn’t help but gasp in awe.

But when everyone’s attention was on Cookie, Lucy, who was always used to being the center of attention, suddenly burst into tears. She spun around and dashed to her mom, wailing, “Mommy!”

Her cry was like nails on a chalkboard.

Even Lachlan nearly dropped his phone in shock.

Lisa stepped forward. She was so shocked that she almost stumbled over her own feet. “Are you really Cookie’s mom?”

Cassie, who’d just blurted it out, was speechless.

“Mommy!” Cookie called out, her eyes twinkling. With a loud smack, she pecked a kiss on Cassie’s cheek, looking so cute.

Cassie finally managed to say, “Yes, I am.”

Lisa let out a sigh of relief, shot a glance at Lucy and Payton nearby. She leaned in and filled Cassie in on the basics. “Payton, Lucy’s mother, is a celebrity, and her cousin is the future lady of the Reed house,” she warned.

Cassie raised an eyebrow. “The future lady of the Reed house?”

Lisa cleared her throat. “The current Reed matriarch, Galatea, is still alive, but..” She looked like she wanted to say something but held back.

Cassie pressed, “But what?”

Lisa dropped her voice even lower. “The old lady is in good shape, but her mind isn’t what it used to be. She’s got dementia. Her cousin is calling the shots these days.”

Cassie didn’t give a damn about Payton or the Reed family. What mattered was that nobody got to bully

11:18 Thu, Feb 12 d.

Chapter 425

Cookie.

Just as Cassie was lost in thought, a tiny hand poked her cheek.

Cassie turned her head. “What brings you here, Mommy?” Cookie asked, her eyes sparkling.

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Cassie pulled out her phone and showed her the messages. Cookie: [Mommy, come to my school right away.]

[Mommy, someone’s bullying Cookie!]

[Hurry up, Mommy!]

Her phone was flooded with messages from Cookie.

Cookie instantly put on her most pitiful face. “I’m so miserable!”

She posed cutely, hands tucked under her chin.

Then she snuck a quick peek at Cassie.

Cassie thought, ‘What a little drama queen!’

Meanwhile, after hearing Lucy’s sob story, Payton marched over in her stilettos, acting all superior. “So you’re Cookie’s mom?”

Payton looked Cassie up and down. She had never seen her in the Jaffina socialite circle before.

As she spoke, she pulled a bankcard out of her Hermès bag and slapped it down in front of Cassie. “Here’s 300 thousand dollars. Go tell the director to have your kid step aside from the center spot.”

Her chubby daughter snorted.

Cassie raised an eyebrow and laughed.

She was already drop-dead gorgeous. When she grinned, she was so captivating that nobody could look away. Cassie took the card from Payton gracefully. “300 thousand dollars?” she asked, with a hint of playful sarcasm,

Payton gave a cold, mocking laugh.

‘As expected, money can buy everything, she thought.

The next second, Cassie broke the card in half without blinking and flicked the two pieces right back at Payton’s face. “Get lost.”

Payton and Lucy were stunned.

Cookie’s face lit up with admiration. She sneakily pulled out her phone, snapped a few pics, and sent them to her daddy.

After all that, Cookie let out a sigh. ‘If Daddy doesn’t try harder, I won’t have a Mommy!’

11:18 Thu, Feb 12 d…

Chapter 425

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“How dare you! Do you even know who I am?” Payton blew up, looking like she couldn’t believe someone would actually stand up to her.

Meanwhile, the parents from the school committee were pulling their kids closer, pointing and gossiping about what was happening.

“I don’t give a damn!” Cassie narrowed her eyes. When she heard that classic villain catchphrase, she couldn’t help but roll her eyes.

Payton snapped, “How dare you! No wonder people say single moms raise kids with no manners. Looks like the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree!”

“Say that again,” Cassie said with a faint smile, not a trace of warmth in her eyes.

She stepped right up to Payton, standing face-to-face.

“Believe it or not, I can team up with the other parents and have your daughter kicked out of kindergarten,” Payton sneered. She was determined to secure that center spot for her daughter.

Cookie came from a single-parent family. So what if she bullied her?

Tensions were at a breaking point.

Lisa was caught between them, not knowing what to do.

“Is that so?” Suddenly, a laid-back female voice rang out from nearby.

Everyone turned to see who it was.

A girl strode over, against the sunlight, her cool, aloof aura sending a chill through the crowd. Beside her was a man with a cold, strikingly handsome face.

No one noticed that Lachlan, who’d been frantically calling for help moments before, dropped his phone the instant he saw the man’s face. M-Mr. Gray?

Stella stood in front of Payton with a lazy smile. “I don’t believe it.”

Payton was so stunned that she couldn’t even get a word out.

The parents who’d been watching the drama hugged their kids tightly, and even the noisy little ones went completely quiet as soon as Stella and Sebastian showed up. Not a single sound in the room.

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