The principal's eyes lit up instantly, and he nervously wrung his hands.
He was quite a bit shorter than Jasper Shaw, and standing next to him, he felt a little lacking in presence.
But the principal's face was about to crack from smiling. "Please, go ahead."
Jasper Shaw glanced in the direction Chloe Sinclair had gone and said calmly, "I expect the school to manage its teachers properly. I don't want to hear about something like this happening a second time."
"Yes, of course."
The principal agreed at once, nodding without a second thought.
Even if Jasper Shaw hadn't said anything, he would have handled the matter.
Today's incident wasn't major, but having been in the education sector for so many years, he was more or less aware of the petty schemes some teachers came up with.
The principal's words weren't just for show, so Jasper Shaw didn't press the issue. Without finishing his tour of the campus, he left with his assistant.
—
「At the school gate.」
Ethan Sinclair had been waiting in the car for a long time when he finally saw his little sister running toward him with a pink backpack.
"Slow down, don't fall."
Ethan Sinclair frowned, worried she might trip and fall.
"I'm fine."
"Why are you out so late today?"
Chloe Sinclair thought about what happened and answered truthfully, "Did I make you wait long, big brother? My homeroom teacher made me clean the office today, so I'm late. I'm sorry."
Of course, Ethan Sinclair didn't mind. He was just worried his little sister was being bullied at school.
Seeing no sign of distress on Chloe Sinclair's face, he finally looked away.
"Landon came home today."
Chloe Sinclair paused in the middle of fastening her seatbelt, not processing what he said for a moment.
Ethan Sinclair hesitated, then finally said, "Landon's research institute is on break. He'll be home for the next month."
Chloe Sinclair nodded. She understood why her big brother was giving her this heads-up.
Landon Sinclair was a physics genius. At sixteen, he had been granted early admission to Aethel University, and now, at only twenty-five, he was already a household name as a physicist.
Back then, her grades were poor, and Landon Sinclair had specifically put his work on hold and come home to tutor her so she could get into a good university.
At first, she was incredibly grateful. But later, Nina Sinclair insinuated that the Sinclair Family thought she was too stupid, and that was the real reason Landon Sinclair had come home to tutor her.
In her past life, she had been insecure and sensitive. After hearing that, she was naturally upset and threw a huge tantrum at home.
But her second brother knew she had misunderstood him, yet he still did his utmost to help her with her studies.
Chloe Sinclair suddenly realized it had been a long time since she had seen Landon Sinclair. "Then let's hurry back," she said eagerly.
"Okay."
The silver-gray Phaeton sped along the road like a thunder leopard, and this time, the trip back to the villa took only twenty minutes.
As soon as she got out of the car, Chloe Sinclair walked quickly toward the entryway.
She happened to run into Mrs. Logan, who was on her way out to buy groceries.
Her eyes darkened. "Going out for groceries?"
Mrs. Logan hadn't expected Chloe Sinclair to greet her so properly and nodded hastily.
Chloe Sinclair's gaze shifted downward, and she suddenly noticed the red bills clutched tightly in Mrs. Logan's hand. A few memories flashed through her mind.
Mrs. Logan's heart pounded. She thought her secret had been discovered and quickly said, "Miss, I'm heading out to buy groceries now. If I go too late, everything will be gone."
With that, she scurried past Chloe Sinclair and Ethan Sinclair as if her feet had grown wings.
Ethan Sinclair was a little puzzled. He watched Mrs. Logan's retreating back, his brow furrowed.
Just then, Chloe Sinclair said, seemingly with some regret, "I should have asked Mrs. Logan to buy some crabs. They're much cheaper in the afternoon."
As expected, a glimmer flashed in Ethan Sinclair's dark, steady eyes.
"The crabs from Clearwater are delicious. I'll have my assistant send some over tomorrow."
After saying that, he ruffled Chloe Sinclair's long hair, his mood instantly brightening.
"Little sis."
Suddenly, a gentle voice called out from the staircase landing.
Chloe Sinclair's heart trembled. She looked up, staring straight ahead without blinking as her eyes instantly turned red.
"Second brother."
Without even bothering to put on slippers, Chloe Sinclair ran over in her white socks.
Landon Sinclair felt a warmth against his chest and looked down to see the young girl hugging him and crying.
The usually unflappable Landon Sinclair was suddenly flustered. He quickly wiped the tears from her face, his heart aching. "Why are you crying?"
Chloe Sinclair shook her head, her dark eyes fixed on Landon Sinclair, as if afraid she would miss something.
In her past life, after the incident, Landon Sinclair had been returning to the Sinclair Family from his research institute when he got into a car accident. When the police cleaned up the scene, they couldn't even find a complete body.
In her past life, Landon Sinclair had been very good to her. Although he wasn't home often, he frequently video-called.
He had someone send her little novelties and gadgets almost every day.
But in her past life, she hadn't accepted a single one of them.
"Second brother." Chloe Sinclair wiped her tears and called out again in a soft voice, "Big brother said you'll be home for a while. Can you tutor me? You're so smart, I'm sure I'll be able to understand."
Landon Sinclair had been wondering how to bring up the subject of tutoring with his little sister, but to his surprise, she requested it herself.
Without a moment's hesitation, he agreed.
「Nine o'clock, at the Sinclair villa.」
Nina Sinclair returned from her evening self-study session, her face lighting up with joy when she saw Landon Sinclair.
"Second brother, what are you doing back?"
Landon Sinclair, unaware of the current tension between the two sisters, didn't hide anything. "The research institute is on break," he said.
He was the boss of the research institute; he gave himself the time off.
Just then, Mr. Sinclair also came home from work. He had known since morning that his second son was returning, so his expression didn't change when he saw him.
After dinner, instead of going up to their own rooms, the family sat together in the living room to watch TV.
The show they were watching happened to be a drama starring her third brother.
What followed was a barrage of savage critiques from Mr. Sinclair.
"What's gotten into the third one? He's actually kissing a girl on screen?"
"Why is his expression so over-the-top? It's embarrassing!"
...
When the forty-five-minute episode finally ended, the absent third Sinclair son had escaped further roasting.
Nina Sinclair took this opportunity to present her test paper to Mr. Sinclair.
"Dad, the teacher needs you to sign this."
Mr. Sinclair looked down, and seeing the celebratory score, his mood improved considerably. "Not bad. Keep up the good work."
Not receiving the praise she had hoped for, Nina Sinclair's face fell.
Then, as if unintentionally, she said, "Chloe, didn't the teacher say all our papers need a parent's signature? Quick, give yours to Dad to sign."
Chloe Sinclair froze.
Although she didn't really care about this particular grade, she still had her pride.
Especially in front of so many people.
Nina Sinclair, however, thought she was scared and began to coax her earnestly, "Even though you didn't do well this time, your score is at least a few points higher than the last pop quiz. Dad definitely won't scold you for doing poorly."
After she said this, the three men present all frowned.