Aztrid
Kenji's reaction was one of visible shock as he walked in and saw us all gathered in one place—his mother, myself, and Savina. His eyes rested on the young girl standing beside Savina, and he seemed momentarily startled by the unexpected scene. The surprise was evident on his face as he paused, taking in the situation and assessing the circumstances before him.
"Mom, you need to leave now," Kenji insisted, his voice both firm and gentle, signaling the importance of the situation.
Mrs. Easton looked taken aback. "What? Why? I need to talk to you, Kenji," she replied, her voice laced with confusion. Kenji ignored his mom's question and instead walked straight to me.
Leaning in close, he whispered, "I'll deal with Mom first." then gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. I remained impassive, my mind preoccupied with the unfolding situation.
I noticed that his voice carried a note of determination, but there was also a hint of regret in his words, revealing his conflicted feelings about the situation. He paused, his expression filled with remorse.
"I'm sorry for this," he added softly, his words heavy with responsibility and sincere concern.
Kenji walked back to his mother. "Let's go, Mom," he said gently. "We'll discuss everything soon, just not right now." Mrs. Easton appeared puzzled by his words, but she didn't question him. Instead, she willingly followed Kenji, trusting that he had a good reason for his urgency.
Now that Kenji's mom had left, I turned my attention to Savina. Beside her stood a little girl who seemed uninvolved in the current situation, her innocent presence contrasting with the tension in the air.
"You didn't seem surprised earlier," Savina said, referring to me. I raised my eyebrows in response, unsure of what she was implying.
"And I suppose you have a mind that can easily figure all of this out," she added with a mocking tone, her words laced with a hint of sarcasm.
I just stared at her, my gaze steady and unflinching. "Before I respond to what you're implying, why don't you take your daughter out of this room? I'm trying to be patient with you," I said, my tone calm yet firm.
My eyes shifted to the side, drawing her attention to her daughter, who was quietly playing nearby and seemed unaware of the tension between us.
"She seems intelligent; she doesn't need to hear or see everything," I said. "If you allow her to stay here, she might hear some language that isn't suitable for her age."
"As if I would let her hear everything," Savina responded, clearly irritated. She stood up and took her daughter to another room, protecting her from the conversation that was about to unfold.
I'm doing my best to stay calm, but I want to confront Kenji immediately about his dishonesty. My gaze shifted to the other room, where he and his mother were still engaged in what seemed to be a tense negotiation. The longer they talked, the more my frustration grew, knowing that I would have to deal with the fallout of Kenji's lies.
I walked into the other room where Kenji and his mother were talking. As I opened the door, both of them stopped and turned to look at me simultaneously.
"Mrs. Easton, I'm not asking you to leave, but could you please just listen to your son?" I asked. Mrs. Easton crossed her arms, glaring at me. "Who are you to speak to me like that?" she challenged.
"Mom—" Kenji tried to interject, but I raised my hand to stop him. "Let me handle this," I said firmly.
I was doing my best to be polite, but the conversation was dragging on, and I knew we needed to resolve the situation quickly. "This is a family matter, and for now, we need you to step out. Once we're finished, I'll bring Kenji back to you," I said, trying to keep my tone calm and composed.
