The Alpha Aunt They Framed Chapter 03

The Alpha Aunt They Framed Chapter 03

MAREN’S POV

After school started, it didn’t take long for me to face the very first mistake I made in my first life,

the one that turned me into the biggest fool.

Whether it was my first life or this one, I still couldn’t understand it.

How could parents refuse even to pay their own child’s tuition? Were they really expecting

someone else to raise their kid?

In my first life, I paid Brielle’s tuition through my phone without a second thought. I had no idea Elara’s tuition hadn’t been paid at all.

I didn’t find out until her year advisor called me to the school.

Her irresponsible parents, Colin and Yvonne, had put my contact information down as Elara’s

guardian.

When I arrived at the school, I saw Elara standing in the office with her head lowered.

Her parents clearly caused the problem, yet she looked as if she had done something terribly

wrong.

My heart broke for her. I immediately paid her tuition and told her to go back to class and focus on

her studies.

“Aunt Maren, why did Brielle’s year advisor call you here?”

Looking at Elara’s pitiful expression, what was I supposed to say?

Should I say, “Because I obviously paid my daughter’s tuition already, who knew your parents wouldn’t even bother taking care of yours?”

Worried that she would end up resenting her parents, I forced down my anger toward Colin and Yvonne and patiently explained.

“This was Aunt Maren’s fault. I paid Brielle’s tuition a long time ago. Your parents only transferred

your tuition money to me yesterday, and with everything going on before the new school year

started, I must have forgotten.”

Later, the journal she published online included this passage:

{My parents had already sent Aunt Maren both my tuition and living expenses. But she refused to pay my tuition until my teacher called her in front of the entire class. Only then did she reluctantly pay the tuition that should have been taken care of before school started. It might have seemed like a small incident, but it became a scar I could never forget throughout my senior year.]

After ignoring her year advisor’s call for the second time, another missed call notification appeared on my phone.

With no choice left, I finally answered.

“Hello, is this Elara’s guardian?”

“Yes. What happened?”

“There’s something we need to discuss. Could you come to the school?”

“OK.”

Although I still couldn’t avoid making a trip to the school this time, I wasn’t nearly as flustered as I

had been before.

First, I took the time to get myself properly dressed. Then I stopped by a bakery and bought a box of

Levain cookies and an iced vanilla latte, both of which are Brielle’s favorite.

School was stressful. A little treat she loved could always help lift her mood.

In my first life, however, raising two children meant that whenever I bought something, I had to buy two of everything.

With tutoring expenses, rent, and all the other costs piling up, my husband and I were under a lot of

financial

pressure. So I rarely bought the kids treats that weren’t necessities.

But this time, I wasn’t going to treat Elara and Brielle equally anymore.

There was no need to deny my own daughter a small indulgence just to save money.