Chapter 336: Lily Wants to Tutor Zackary
Tina’s plan to find a tutor for Zackary quickly reached Annabelle’s ears. She hurried over and offered, “Tina, I heard you want to find a teacher for Zackary to have lessons at home. Let me handle this for you!”
Although it wasn’t her intention, Zackary’s kidnapping at Whispering Pines was somewhat related to the Reed family. Liliosa had caused such trouble, and as her mother, Annabelle couldn’t ignore it.
“No need!” Tina refused directly. If she had any goodwill towards Annabelle before, she certainly didn’t now.
“If Liliosa hadn’t been so foolish, Zackary wouldn’t have been frightened.” Annabelle sighed. “Just thinking about it makes me feel terrible. Let me make amends by finding a teacher for Zackary.”
Annabelle spoke sincerely, but Tina remained unmoved. “Mrs. Reed, my brother’s matters don’t concern the Reed family. I’ll handle it myself.”
Hearing Tina’s formal address made Annabelle stiffen. Tina used to call her grandmother, but not anymore. It seemed Liliosa’s actions had hurt her deeply.
Annabelle sighed again. “Tina, I know you have reservations about me and the Reed family, but I genuinely want to help. Finding a tutor is a small matter; I can definitely find a reliable teacher for Zackary.”
She paused before continuing, “I’ve noticed you’ve been coming home late recently; you must be very busy. Plus, I’ve heard your adoptive parents are starting a company and likely need your help too. Leave these small tasks to me.”
She referred to Callum Maguire and Snow Judd as Tina’s adoptive parents, unaware they were impostors frequently coming and going.
Tina considered her words. She was indeed busy lately, and finding a suitable teacher required careful selection and interviews. Despite other issues with the Reed family, they could probably manage this task well.
After a moment of silence, Tina nodded. “Alright, thank you.”
“Don’t worry,” Annabelle said with a smile, patting Tina’s hand. “I’ll find the perfect teacher for Zackary to ensure he doesn’t fall behind in his studies!”
As they spoke, a servant knocked on the door.
“What is it?” Annabelle asked.
The servant replied quickly, “Miss Reed, Miss Ward is here to see you.”
Miss Ward? Tina frowned slightly. Lily was really persistent! Was she trying to cause trouble?
Annabelle could tell Tina didn’t like Lily but couldn’t refuse a guest from an allied family. She gestured for the servant to let Lily in.
Soon, Lily entered the room and saw Annabelle and Tina sitting there. She smiled warmly, “Grandma, Miss Reed.”
Lily’s visit was mainly to gather information about Tina. After their encounter near the research institute, she couldn’t understand why Tina was there and envied her for being chauffeured by Jared.
Tina glanced at her indifferently without speaking.
Annabelle smiled and asked, “What brings you here today?”
“Nothing much,” Lily replied gracefully as she sat down, maintaining her composure in front of Annabelle. “I felt bad about some misunderstandings between Miss Reed and me and wanted to invite her to dinner as an apology.”
Tina didn’t even look up as she coldly responded, “No.”
“I know we’ve had many misunderstandings,” Lily continued apologetically when she saw Tina’s cold expression. “But it’s better to resolve them sooner rather than later.”
“The Ward and Reed families are prominent in the capital; we see each other often. Why make things unpleasant?”
Her words made it seem like Tina was being unreasonable.
Tina looked at Lily with a slight sneer. “Have dinner with you? You wish.”
With that, she stood up and left, leaving Lily stunned.
Lily clenched her fists in frustration. She hadn’t expected Tina to be so arrogant even in front of Annabelle.
She had invited Tina politely only to be flatly rejected as if she were some pest.
“Many things have happened recently; perhaps Tina is just in a bad mood,” Annabelle said to ease the tension when she saw Lily’s displeased expression. “Don’t take it personally; Tina means no harm.”
“Grandma, I’m not offended,” Lily forced a smile.
Why did Jared and Annabelle treat Tina like a treasure? The more she thought about it, the more resentful she became.
“By the way, Gin,” Annabelle turned to the servant beside her. “Find some excellent tutors on the market with good qualifications and clear backgrounds. I want the best for Zackary; don’t delay!”
The servant nodded and left immediately.
Lily asked curiously, “Grandma, why are you suddenly looking for a tutor?”
Annabelle didn’t think it was a secret that they were looking for a teacher for Zackary. “Tina wants to find a teacher for her brother to have lessons at home.”
Tina’s brother? Lily had heard of him living at Whispering Pines recently.
This was an opportunity! If she could become Zackary’s tutor, she would have legitimate reasons to visit Whispering Pines frequently and interact more with Annabelle and Muff.
She didn’t care much about her relationship with the Reed family but knew how important connections were among the older generation.
If she could win over Muff and Annabelle’s favor, her mother could marry into the Reed family smoothly. And with that connection, marrying Jared would be much easier.Text © owned by NôvelDrama.Org.
Thinking this through, Lily said, “Grandma, I actually have some free time recently and can help tutor him.”
“You?” Annabelle was surprised.
Lily came from a family of medical professionals and worked at the research institute; how could she have time to tutor children?
Lily explained with a smile, “Grandma, I want to use this chance to ease the misunderstandings between Miss Reed and me. You wouldn’t want us always at odds when we meet in social circles; it would affect our families’ relations.”
Annabelle understood part of Lily’s intentions-she wanted her mother to marry Jasper-but had to admit that Lily was indeed an excellent teacher with top-notch credentials nationwide.
After some thought, Annabelle agreed. “Alright then; since you’re willing, I’ll leave it to you. Zackary is part of the Reed family too; I hope he can learn well and not disappoint Tina.”
Lily smiled broadly. “Leave it to me; you can rest assured.”