Mr. Ayers froze for a moment, but quicklyposed himself and offered a hasty apology to Ste.


    "Ms. Cameron, I''m truly sorry. This was entirely our fault! We shouldn''t have bullied your son, and we had no right toy a hand on young Marvin.”


    It was clear to him now: today, Neville and his son didn''t seem all that upset about what happened to Sheldon. What really angered them was the way Ste had been humiliated.


    But wasn''t this Ste the wife of Haynes? Why would Neville and his son go out of their way to stand up for her?


    Despite his confusion, Mr. Ayers was smart enough to keep his questions to himself.


    He then turned and saw his wife standing off to the side, frozen with shock. His anger red, and he pped her across the face.


    "What are you waiting for? Get on your knees and apologize to Ms. Cameron- now!"


    If this foolish woman had managed their son properly, if she hadn''t tried to show off in front of Ste, how would they have ended up offending Haynes and Neville?


    Mrs. Ayers, though seething inside, understood all too well: if she didn''t swallow her pride now, their familypany would be finished. The thought of losing herfortable life was more terrifying than anything else.


    Whatever arrogance she disyed before, it had vanished without a trace. Now, every bit as humble as she once was haughty, Mrs. Ayers knelt down.


    "Ms... Ms. Cameron, I truly apologize. I shouldn''t have said those things. Please, I beg you, don''t hold it against me."


    Dignity and pride meant nothing when weighed against money and security.


    Mr. Ayers'' willingness to grovel made it clear: Neville had the power to ruin the Ayers Group with a word.


    At that moment, Mrs. Ayers was wracked with regret. She''d never imagined that the woman so disdained by her inws would turn out to be so lucky-and find herself such powerful allies. Neville and his son were openly backing Ste, right here, right now.


    Ste looked down at the two kneeling before her, silent for a long moment. The Ayers couple grew even more anxious, their hearts pounding, waiting for her verdict.


    Finally, Ste spoke. "Keen, do you want to forgive them?"


    Keen blinked in surprise. He hadn''t expected his mother to ask him. Wasn''t she supposed to stand up for Marvin, that mean kid? Why was she giving him the choice? Didn''t she want him anymore?


    But Ste knew her son''s heart better than anyone. She could tell exactly what he was thinking.


    "It''s because of me that you were left out and bullied by the other kids," she said gently, her voice warm and steady. "I didn''t even realize you were being hurt. That''s my fault."


    Her words washed over Keen, soft and bittersweet.


    "I know you think I''m a useless mom, someone you can''t trust to protect you. But I''ve done the best I can with what I have. Standing up for you today-that''s my final gift to you as your mother."


    In that moment, Keen realized his mom wasn''t entirely powerless to protect him. And what''s more, when it came to making this decision-she gave it to him, not to Marvin.


    His chest tightened with emotion, a sadness he couldn''t quite name.


    The whole scene left Sheldon in tears, thoroughly frightened by what he''d


    witnessed. Though he wasn''t made to kneel, a sincere apology was still required.


    Despite everything, Keen was still a kind-hearted kid. In the end, he forgave Sheldon.


    But even after Keen''s forgiveness, Haynes remained silent.


    Ste understood Haynes'' temperament-he was not someone to let things go so easily. But that wasn''t her concern anymore.


    Just as Ste had predicted, Jasper''s so-called friends never showed up. They fancied themselves his loyal buddies, but who would be afraid of Neville? Even if the sky fell, Jasper would handle it. With Jasper around, and his close ties to Haynes, who would daree looking for trouble?