Chapter 1731:
Brenna was headed out as well. She had work lined up in Csa, the capital, where her biggest gship store was set to open. With everything riding on her presence, she nned to be there for several days.
Three days ticked by before Ethan finally returned. Brenna, though, was still out of town. The house felt empty without her. He lingered in the car, watching the empty driveway, missing herpany.
“Are you nning to live in your car, or are youing inside? I made all your favorite dishes,” Elsa said, knocking on the car window.
Ethan felt a headache blooming. Thest thing he wanted was for Elsa to start meddling in his affairs again. “What brings you back, Mom?”
Elsa’s mood was bright. “It’s summer vacation. My students have all gone home, so I came back, of course.”
She had just returned today and wanted to celebrate her son and daughter-inw’s marriage, but found that Brenna wasn’t home.
She saw this as the perfect opportunity for some quality time with her son.
“You and Brenna have done a lot for Brindleton,” Elsa continued, her eyes shining with pride. “Everyone’s lives there are changing—good jobs right in their hometown, more girls from the mountain viges going to school. People are truly grateful. So many of my students sent gifts to you: homemade pickles, wild honey, all sorts of local treats. Take whatever you like and pass the rest along. I’ve tried them myself, and they’re delicious.”
Ethan didn’t have much interest in the stack of gifts. He stepped inside the house, nced at the pile on the floor, and kept walking without a word.
Elsa didn’t push the topic. She changed course, her tone gentler. “Did you take care of the internships like I asked? It’s so tough for kids from those rural areas to get work experience. City kids have it easy, but these girls from Brindleton told me nobody wanted them.”
“Everything’s handled. The Mitchell Group reserves internship spots every year,” Ethan said without looking up. “Just have them sign up, and HR will take care of the interviews.” His tone was purely businesslike.
ｍ????ｅ ｕ??ｄ??ｔｅｓ ??ｎ ???ｌ????ｖ??ｌ??.??????
Elsa shook her head, unsatisfied. “That’s not what I meant at all. I wanted you to make sure those girls get in.”
Ethan’s face didn’t change. “Mom, that’s not how it works. We have rules for a reason. If someone doesn’t meet the requirements, I can’t just let them join mypany.”
Elsa’s stubborn streak red. “Don’t give me that! You promised Ainslie you’d help. Those girls can’tpete with kids from the city; they’re outmatched from the start. You didn’t provide enough positions to begin with, and only a few were selected through the school’s contract with yourpany. I don’t care how, but you must take them all, unconditionally.”
“Mom, this isn’t doing charity. I already told HR to bend the rules as much as possible. Plenty of those students got in because of that. But there’s a line. I can stretch qualifications for college kids, but a lot of the students from Brindleton don’t even have basic skills. They’d be limited to simple office tasks—maybe pouring coffee and cleaning the space. Some struggle to read a memo. I haven’t broken my word. I can help them find other jobs, just not at the Mitchell Group.”
Elsa pressed her lips together, frustrated by his response. “Alright, have it your way. But answer me this. Why did Kenny tell me you and Brenna handed Shari a house? Who gave you permission for that? Go get it back—now!”
Ethan’s eyebrows ticked up. So, Kenny had run straight to Elsa with the news. Didn’t he know she would get upset about it?
“We didn’t give Shari a house, Mom. We’re just letting her and Dad use it for a while,” Ethan replied, realizing there was no point in hiding it. “Why did Kenny tell you that?”
“If he hadn’t spoken up, how long would you have kept this secret from me? Why do you always do the opposite of what I say? Siding with an outsider instead of your own mother.”
.
.
.<hr>
Message from Noa: Happy weekend dear readers. God loves you, and Noa wishes you all the best. (?O?=)? ?
.