Sign the Papers Mr. Langford novel Chapter 269

The next morning, Leo refused to let Lawrence drive him to school.

He didn't cry, and he didn't throw a tantrum.

But when Wren zipped up his backpack, he grabbed the hem of her shirt and whispered, "Mom, you take me."

Lawrence stood by the front door, the car keys heavy in his hand.

In that moment, his expression contorted into an ugly, suffocating rigidity.

After Leo spoke, he seemed terrified of his own bravery. He immediately ducked his head, scuffing the toe of his shoe against the floorboards.

"Dad can go to work."

That sentence cut deeper than an outright rejection.

Wren made no attempt to smooth things over for Lawrence.

She simply took Leo's hand. "Let's go."

Lawrence watched them leave. Only when the sound of the engine faded into the distance did he finally pull his gaze away.

Eleanor sat on the living room sofa, her face stormy.

"Look at how she's raising that boy. Leo used to cling to you, and now he won't even let you drive him to school."

Lawrence turned to her. "Whatever you're planning regarding last night, drop it. Do not interfere."

Eleanor scoffed. "What am I interfering with?"

"The open day," he stated. "Wren has already signed up. She is going."

Eleanor's expression instantly soured. "She gets to go just because she says so? She's been working late on this Stellaris project every single night. What if she has a sudden meeting? What happens to the boy then? Willow is more than willing to step in, and it's not like she's a stranger."

Lawrence's voice dropped to a dangerous octave. "I said, we are not using Willow."

Stung by his harsh tone, Eleanor immediately stood up. "Lawrence, has she completely brainwashed you? Wren throws one fit, and you bow to her every demand. Have you forgotten she's actively suing you for divorce?"

Lawrence's grip tightened around his keys until his knuckles went white.

"I haven't forgotten."

How could he forget?

Wren was sleeping in The East Wing Guest Suite. Legal documents with case numbers sat on her desk. Robert Lawson was on her speed dial. Even the way she looked at him now was how someone looked at discarded garbage.

He was brutally reminded of it every single day.

Eleanor refused to back down. "Then why are you letting her walk all over this family?"

Lawrence stared at her, his voice weary but sharp. "Mom, last night Leo asked her when they were moving back to 'Mom's house.'"

The words hit Eleanor like a physical blow, silencing her instantly.

The living room fell deathly quiet.

The furious indignation on Eleanor's face cracked for a fleeting second before hardening again.

When the door clicked shut, she stood in the silent living room for a long time. Finally, she picked up her phone.

She didn't call the school.

She called Willow.

When the call connected, Willow's voice was perfectly sweet. "Good morning, Eleanor."

Eleanor fought to control her temper. "Willow, don't show up to the open day. Lawrence is absolutely forbidding it right now."

There was a brief pause on the other end.

Very brief.

So brief it could have been a bad connection.

Then Willow laughed softly. "That's completely fine, Eleanor. Wren really should be the one to go. It's only natural that Leo wants his mother."

Hearing Willow be so incredibly accommodating only made Eleanor feel sicker about the whole situation.

"You're too understanding for your own good. That's why you're always the one getting pushed aside."

"I'm really fine," Willow said gently. "I just don't want Wren to misunderstand. Her relationship with Lawrence is already so strained, and Leo is highly sensitive right now. I don't want to make things worse."

The more Willow played the martyr, the more Eleanor saw Wren as a tyrannical nightmare.

"She only cares about herself," Eleanor snapped coldly. "God only knows what she's been whispering into that boy's ear about our family."