Transmigrated: I Became My Nemesis's Woman novel Chapter 176

Chapter 176: They died because they refused to back down

The car had barely left the academy grounds when Leo broke the silence.

"Mommy," he asked softly, "don’t you like your mother?"

Ivy turned to look at him in surprise.

Leo had been staring out the window, watching Florine’s shrinking figure until the woman disappeared from view. Now his curious eyes were fixed entirely on Ivy.

For a moment, she didn’t know how to answer.

"Is it that obvious?" she asked with an awkward chuckle, rubbing the back of her neck.

Leo leaned back in his seat, folded his arms, and let out a tiny sigh that was far too dramatic for a child his age.

"I don’t like her either."

"Oh?" Ivy raised an eyebrow.

"She tried to lure me with ice cream."

Ivy blinked.

"And that’s bad because...?"

"Because I don’t even like ice cream."

For a second, Ivy simply stared at him.

Then she almost burst into laughter.

*Is there really a child in this world who doesn’t like ice cream?*

"But you ate the one I brought you the other day," she pointed out.

Leo’s expression immediately softened.

"That’s different."

"How?"

"You bought it for me," he replied matter-of-factly. "And Daddy said it tasted good, so I thought I should try it."

His innocent explanation caught Ivy completely off guard.

She remembered that evening on the cliff with Xander and how they had stopped to buy dessert on the way home. Xander had never mentioned that Leo wasn’t particularly fond of ice cream.

*Maybe everything that happened afterward made him forget,* she thought.

Leo tugged gently on her sleeve.

"Mommy, you still didn’t answer my question."

She looked down at him.

"Why don’t you like your mother?"

Ivy was quiet for a moment before speaking.

"Because she’s not my mother, Leo."

His eyes widened.

"But... she told me she was."

He frowned deeply, trying to make sense of it.

"If she lied about something that important..."

He puffed out his cheeks in disappointment.

"...then she’s definitely a bad woman."

Ivy couldn’t help smiling.

"You shouldn’t call people bad so quickly," she said gently. "But you were very smart today."

Leo tilted his head.

"I was?"

She nodded.

"You didn’t go anywhere with someone you didn’t know. You didn’t accept gifts or promises, and you didn’t let sweet words convince you. I’m really proud of you."

A small smile spread across Leo’s face.

"Daddy always says that if something feels strange, I should trust my instincts."

"And Daddy gave you good advice."

Leo sat a little taller in his seat, clearly pleased with himself.

"I knew something was weird. She smiled a lot, but her eyes didn’t."

Ivy looked at him with surprise.

"That’s quite observant."

"I learned from watching you and Daddy."

Her heart softened.

Reaching over, she gently ruffled his hair.

"You did exactly the right thing today. No matter who someone claims to be, if you’re ever unsure, you stay with people you trust and call me or your father first. Understand?"

Leo nodded firmly.

"I will."

Then, after a brief pause, he looked up at her in surprise as if he remembered something.

"Mommy can you give me your autograph?"

Ivy blinked as Leo reached for his back and pulled out a book and pen.

"Why do you need my autograph?" Ivy asked with a smile as she signed the small notebook Leo had handed her.

Leo accepted it carefully, making sure the ink didn’t smudge.

"It’s for Mia and John," he explained. "You have no idea how much they like you. They keep talking about you at school, and they really want to meet you."

Ivy couldn’t help but laugh.

"Is that so?"

Leo nodded enthusiastically.

"They think you’re amazing."

For a moment, he looked as though he wanted to say something else, but his expression gradually turned hesitant.

"Actually..." he murmured, "I don’t think I can let them meet you."

Ivy looked at him in surprise.

"Why not? Aren’t I supposed to come to your school’s annual function? I was planning to attend with your father."

Leo slowly shook his head.

"No. I don’t want you to come."

His unexpected refusal caught Ivy completely off guard.

She tilted her head. "And why is that?"

Leo lowered his eyes and nervously chewed on his lower lip before answering.

"Mommy... why didn’t you tell me that some bad people tried to hurt you and Daddy?"

Ivy froze.

A deep frown crossed her face.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify