No Remarriage for us Stay Away by Livia Storm

Chapter 472 Did Uncle Zachary Win Auntie Lenora Over

During the kindergarten break, the children were merrily playing in the yard, the lively atmosphere palpable.

Delilah approached, glancing around until her eyes landed on Harrietta. With a warm smile, she called out,

"Hattie, your mother is here to see you. Cwithto my office." Harrietta's eyes sparkled at the mention.

Aunt Lenora is here? Has Uncle Zachary finally won her over? She doesn't hateanymore? Did she cto

have a heart-to-heart with me? "All right!" she responded cheerfully, sliding down the slide. Her short legs

carried her quickly toward the principal, and she obediently followed her inside.

Upon reaching the office, Delilah smiled down at Harrietta. "Your mom is inside. I'll wait out here and leave you

two to talk."

"Thank you, Mdm. Delilah!" Harrietta tilted her head up and spoke politely.

"You're welcome, Hattie. You're such a good girl." Delilah gazed into the girl's large, round eyes, unable to resist

patting her head. A pang of emotion flickered through her.

She had recently learned that Harrietta was not the biological daughter of Zachary and his wife. Instead, she was

the illegitimate child born of an earlier relationship.

The leader's niece, Harrietta's biological mother, had visited the kindergarten to inquire about her, leading to

today's meeting.

Delilah had been startled by the revelation. Only after confirming the woman's identity with Zachary did she

allow the visit.

Harrietta entered the office eagerly, but the moment her eyes fell on Isla, her smile faltered. She stopped

abruptly, disappointment washing over her face. Pouting, she asked, "Why are you here?"

"Hattie, Mommy's here to see you!" Isla greeted her with forced enthusiasm, though irritation flickered briefly in

her eyes at Harrietta's shift in expression.

If it weren't for Zachary, she wouldn't have bothered to go through the trouble of pleasing this child.

She softened her tone and gave a patient grin. "I know I've failed as a mother by being absent for the past five

years, but | promise to make it up to you moving forward."

Harrietta pursed her lips and replied earnestly, "You don't need to make promises. Aunt Lenora isn't my mom,

but she treatsincredibly well. You're my mom, and I'll only like you if you treatbetter than she does.

Besides, I'll need tto see if you can match what Aunt Lenora has done for me."

In the past, the sight of her mother would have filled Harrietta with joy, finally making her feel she had parents,

but things had changed.

She now had a new family and a different mother figure. Though Lenora wasn't her biological mother, her care

and kindness had created an unshakable bond. By comparison, her birth mother felt distant and insignificant.

Isla observed Harrietta's articulate speech and reasoning, noting that she didn't behave like an ordinary five-

year-old. The realization made her reconsider; tricking Harrietta might not be as easy as she had assumed.

Hearing Harrietta compare her to Lenora again made a flicker of discontent flash in Isla's eyes. She insinuated,

"Hattie, | know it's hard for you to acceptright away, but | promise you, my love for you is genuine. Unlike

others who treat you kindly with ulterior motives, | have none. You're still young and might not recognize their

hidden agendas, but remember, there's no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Only your parents truly

cherish you. You'll understand this when you're older."

Isla felt confident that she wouldn't be inferior to Lenora, given she was Harrietta's biological mother.

Harrietta gazed at Isla intently, her clear eyes filled with a trace of skepticism. Aunt Lenora definitely isn't

someone with ulterior motives. The one with such intentions is Uncle Zachary! Previously, he even exploited her

fondness forto win her back and madeact as a spy by her side. And now, this strange woman is

obviously trying to useto win over Uncle Zachary!

If Zachary weren't her father, she wouldn't have acknowledged her at all.

Meeting Harrietta's gaze, Isla unexpectedly felt a pang of guilt. Why is she staring atlike that? A normal child

wouldn't do this... would they?

Isla averted her gaze and changed the subject. "I bought you ssnacks. | wasn't sure what you liked, so |

picked up a few different things. Take a look."

Harrietta opened the plastic bag and peeked inside. It was filled with an assortment of loose snacks: potato

chips, Oreo cookies, waffles, and other tempting treats.

Biting her index finger, she glanced at Isla, feeling a little shy. "I like these snacks very much. Thank you, Ms.

Isla."

"That's good. I'll buy you more in the future," Isla said, a hint of a smile playing on her lips. | knew it. Winning

over a child is a piece of cake as long as you know their Achilles' heel.

At first, she had worried Harrietta would reject her gestures and remain distant. But now, she felt confident. One

day, Harrietta would surely start calling her "Mom."

Harrietta nodded, and as the bell signaled the start of class, she said, "It's tfor class. | should get going.

Goodbye, Ms. Isla."

"Okay, goodbye." Harrietta returned to the classroom, carrying the large bag of snacks.

During the next break, she spread sof the snacks on the table. "Molly, you love chips, don't you? Here,

these are for you." "Thanks! Where did you get such a big bag of snacks?"

"A weird lady gave them to me. It'd be a waste not to eat them. Jenny, here. Take these Oreo biscuits. They're

your favorite." Harrietta hid a sly smirk. Did that weird lady really think I'm just a child who could be won over by

such trivial treats? How naive!

"Hattie, you cat the best tI'm sooo hungry!"

Within a couple of days, Isla returned to the kindergarten.

The school provided hearty lunches, and typically, after the students finished eating, a teacher would supervise

their afternoon nap. Isla arrived just two minutes before school let out at noon, intending to take Harrietta out for

lunch.

The young children in the classroom

were easily distracted. A figure standing outside the window was

and

enough to draw their attent

heads kept turning to look

Harrietta glanced toward the window, and her gaze met Isla's.

Isla beamed at her.

Harrietta's face fell, her irritation clear as she quickly turned away.

When the bell signaling the end of class rang two minutes later, the room buzzed with activity.

Isla appeared at the classroom door, waving eagerly. "Hattie, Mommy's here to take you out for lunch."

Harrietta stood reluctantly and walked over, stopping beside Isla. "I don't want to go!"

A flicker of tension crossed Isla's face before she forced a corner of her lips to lift slightly. "Hattie, didn't you say

you wantto treat you better? You should givea

chance to prove it."

to

"Your constant visits to school only causetrouble. Aunt Lenora would never cto school to bother me."

Once again, Lenora's ncame

up. Isla rolled her eyes internally. All right, | promise | won't do this again. But just this once, cto lunch with

me, okay?"

In the end, Harrietta still accompanied Isla to the restaurant for lunch.

Without hesitation, she ordered a variety of delicious dishes all at once.

"Hattie, are you sure you can finish all this food you've ordered?" Isla wasn't being stingy; she was just curious.

Harrietta, her wide, round eyes gleaming, replied, "I can always take it hif | can't finish it, right?"

She was certain the odd lady wouldn't compete with her, a mere child, for the leftovers. Harrietta planned to

bring the extra food back for Molly and the others.

"All right then." Isla continued asking, "Hattie, what do you like to eat the most? I'll take you to have more of it in

the future."

Harrietta didn't feel like responding, so she casually listed a few dishes.

Isla pressed further. "By the way, do you know what your father likes to eat?"