<h4>Chapter 111: Mom’s Group</h4>
The next morning, Ethan arrived at the Raynor Estate, ready to drop off Freya at school as usual. Eleanor, who was finishing her tea, was surprised to see him.
"I thought you’d be busy with your training," she said as he entered.
"I was yesterday. It was an intense, all-day session," Ethan replied, cing his bag down. "But from now on, I can manage my schedule a bit better. I want to make time for Freya."
Eleanor gave him a small smile. "You don’t need to worry. I can handle school drop-offs."
"I’m not worried," he said gently. "I just love spending time with our daughter. She’s growing up so fast... I don’t want to miss any of it."
Just then, Freya came skipping down the stairs, her hand held by her nanny.
"Daddy!" she shouted with glee and ran into his arms.
Ethan lifted her into a big hug, his heart overflowing. He had missed too many of her early milestones already, and he knew that time with children was fleeting. Freya wasn’t like most kids. She had inherited the Raynor n’s bloodline and with it, a high learning capacity. Her mental development was well beyond her age. She was already learning coding and could solve logic puzzles that would challenge some adults. Ethan worried that in a few short years, she might not need him at all. That fear made every small moment precious.
"Let’s get going, princess," he said, strapping her into her seat in the car.
Eleanor got in beside Freya, and Ethan took the driver’s seat. As the car began moving, Freya started talking excitedly.
"Daddy, there’s apetition at school next week!" she said, her voice bubbling with excitement.
"Apetition?" Eleanor asked curiously.
"Yes! It’s a cookingpetition!" Freya chirped. "Miss Cooper said we need to bring our parents. Each parent will cook something, and the kids will help. It’s a team effort!"
Eleanor’s eyes widened. "A cookingpetition for school kids? That sounds risky. Fire, knives... what are they thinking?"
Ethan chuckled. "It’s probably more of a demonstration. They want to teach the children that household work is important and that they should help out at home. Especially in families where the parents handle everything themselves."
"I suppose that makes sense," Eleanor replied. "Still, it sounds chaotic."
"I’ll do the cooking," Ethan said firmly. "You already have enough on your te. Besides, I enjoy cooking. I used to cook all the time before, and I can cook a lot of dishes."
"I can still help with something simple," Eleanor offered.
He shook his head gently. "No need. You focus on work. I’ll handle this."
When they arrived at school, Miss Cooper came over with a weing smile. She seemed especially pleased to see Ethan.
"Mr. Raynor! Good morning. Did Freya informed you about schoolpetition?" she enthusiastically asked.
"Yes," he replied.
"Good. Then I will to tell you more about thepetition," she said.
Ethan nodded and listened attentively as she exined the n. The event was scheduled for the uing holiday. A kitchenwarepany had volunteered to sponsor the setup, bringing portable mini-kitchen stations for each family. Parents just needed to bring their own ingredients.
A few other parents gathered around to hear more about the event. Miss Cooper smiled warmly.
"To coordinate everything, I’ll create a WhatsApp group for the ss. It’ll be for moms, mainly, since that’s usually easier for nning these things."
Though some fathers, like Ethan, were present, the group would be mom-centered for convenience. Everyone seemed to agree without issue.
Later that morning, Eleanor sat at her desk when her phone buzzed. She had been added to a group called "Moms of ss 1A". Curiously, she opened the app and found a flurry of messages waiting for her.
"Hi everyone!"
"This is Ava’s mom, looking forward to the cooking day!"
"I’m Klein’s mom... can’t wait to meet all of you!"
Dozens of introductions flooded the chat. Eleanor scrolled through them and realized something surprising... all the mothers knew one another already. They had met during orientation and during the daily school runs. Because Freya started as a transferred mid-term student, she had missed orientation.
Taking Miss Cooper’s suggestion, Eleanor saved the moms’ numbers using the names of their children for reference.
She finally typed a message into the chat:
"Hi everyone, I’m Freya’s mom. Nice to meet you all!"
Freya was popr among ssmates. And since Ethan usually did the pick-ups and drop-offs, Eleanor had remained a mystery to all.
The group exploded in response.
"Oh wow! We were wondering who Freya’s mom was!"
"Your daughter is so smart and polite!"
"You’re so lucky... your husband does the school runs!"
Eleanor blinked at the stream of messages. It was both amusing and slightly overwhelming. Apparently, her absence had be a point of curiosity among the mothers. A few of them admitted they had been envious, seeing Ethan regrly drop Freya off with such care and attention.
Only Miss Cooper had met Eleanor briefly, but even she admitted they hadn’t talked much.
Soon, the group shifted focus.
"We should all have a get together after thepetition."
"Yes! Let’s n something fun so we can get to know each other."
"Miss Cooper, could you arrange something like dinner or yground visit sometime after school?"
Miss Cooper responded positively and suggested a casual get-together a few days after thepetition. Everyone seemed excited at the idea of having a fully booked yground for their children a few hours on a holiday. Miss Cooper will finalize the program as well as the venue. As for the fund, they all agreed to provide whateveres to their part.
The group started suggesting probable location for the event, but Miss Cooper stopped them and directed them to the iingpetition.
Just then, Maya stepped into Eleanor’s office, holding a folder in her hands.
"Boss, we have a situation with our Indianpanies," she said, her expression serious.
Eleanor quickly minimized the chat window and turned her attention back to work.
"Go ahead," she said, all business again.