Chapter 581

Grace suddenly lunged at Susan. Startled, Susan slammed on the brakes, nearly crashing into the roadside barrier.

"Oliver, Candy, you guys okay?" Susan asked, still shaken, turning to check on the kids.

"I'm fine, Mommy..."

Thankfully, the car seats in the back kept them safe.

Susan was fuming, "Grace, are you nuts? Tackling me with two kids in the car? What if something happened? You trying to get us all killed?"

"I... I didn't mean to..." Grace stammered.

"I'm driving, and you just tackle me? You trying to cause an accident? Are you even thinking?" Susan was livid, worried about the kids.

"Susan, I... I saw someone ahead and freaked out you'd hit them. I'm sorry..." Grace apologized, looking timid.

"They were like 16 feet away! How could I not see them? And I wasn't even speeding..."

Grace kept apologizing, "I thought you didn't see them. I'm sorry, I panicked..."

"Panicking makes you tackle the steering wheel? If we crash, we're all dead. Can you handle that?"

"Susan, stop being mean to my mommy!" Candy piped up.

"I'm not being mean. Lunging like that was super dangerous," Susan explained.

"Mommy said she was worried you'd hit someone. She meant well. Why keep scolding her?" Candy was upset. "Are you bullying her because Daddy's not here?"

"Of course not," Susan was shocked Candy thought that.

"But you were really mean. She apologized, and you kept scolding her. You're bullying my mommy. I don't like you anymore!"

Oliver couldn't take it, "Candy, my mommy's just worried about our safety. Driving's serious."

"But she could've said it nicely. Did she have to yell at my mommy?"

"Candy, don't say that. Susan didn't yell. She was just worried about you," Grace interrupted.

"She shouted at you. I heard it. Susan was really mean."

"Candy... it's okay, really."

"It's not okay. I can't let Mommy be bullied. Susan, I'm not going to the amusement park with you today. Mommy, let's go."

"Candy..." Susan frowned, not wanting things to get worse.

"Really, it's okay," Grace said, but Candy had already opened the door and got out.

"I'm really sorry. Let's reschedule," Grace hurriedly got out and left with Candy.

Susan sighed, feeling pretty helpless.

"Mommy, I really like Candy, but sometimes she's unreasonable. You were clearly worried about us," Oliver said.

Susan forced a smile, "She was just worried about Grace. If it were you, you'd protect me too, right?"

"Even so, she was too mean to you. She didn't appreciate your good intentions. I'm angry and upset for you. You don't deserve that."

"It's just a small conflict. No need to dwell on it," Susan was upset but hid it from her son, so she smiled lightly.

"Alright, Mommy, let's not think about unhappy stuff. I've been to the amusement park a bunch. It's boring. Let's hit the bookstore. I want some new comics."

"Okay."

Meanwhile...

"Candy, you were super rude to Susan just now. You know that, right?" Grace scolded.

"Me? Rude to her? She was yelling at you! Is that polite?" Candy grumbled, clearly upset. "You already apologized, but she kept going. I couldn't bear it. I'll stand up for you. You don't have to face the unfairness alone."

Grace was touched, "I know you care about me, but there's not much we can do. Your daddy's heart is with Susan, so I can't afford to offend her. You don't know how hard it is for me to see you. I had to beg your daddy and Susan, even kneel to them, before they agreed."

"What? You knelt to Susan? That's too much. How could she treat you like that? She's awful!"

"No, it's not their fault. I made mistakes before. Kneeling wasn't their demand, it was my choice. As long as I can see you, it's worth it."

"Candy, it's already tough for me to see you. Don't be mad at Susan. If things get bad between you two, she'll think I told you to act that way. If she complains to your daddy, I might never see you again... That would break my heart," Grace hugged Candy tightly, choking up.

"I'm sorry, Mommy, for making you suffer so much. I thought Susan was genuinely nice to me and accepted her, but I didn't know she was only nice in front of Daddy while mean to you behind his back."

"Don't say that. Even if you know it in your heart, don't say it out loud, okay?"

Candy felt even more heartbroken, "I don't want Mommy to suffer."

"I'm not suffering. You need to be good, okay?"

"Okay, I understand," Candy nodded and smiled, but she had already developed a strong prejudice against Susan.

Suddenly, Susan's phone vibrated. She told Oliver not to run around and walked to a secluded corner.

"Are you having fun at the amusement park? A foreign client suddenly came in, but I really wanted to be with you," Caleb said.

"It's okay. Work is important. Besides... I'm not at the amusement park," Susan answered.

"Not at the amusement park? Did you go somewhere else? Where?"

Susan sighed, "There was a little problem, so we split up. Grace took Candy to the amusement park, and Oliver and I went to the bookstore to buy comics."

"How did that happen? What is Grace up to now?"

"I don't know. But honestly, she's making things difficult for me," Susan said truthfully. "She suddenly tackled the steering wheel while I was driving, almost causing an accident. I had to brake hard. You know, there were two kids in the car, so I got really angry and couldn't help but yell at her, then Candy got mad and blamed me for being mean to Grace."

"You did the right thing. Grace is the one acting weird. I think she's trying to cause trouble between you and Candy."

"Maybe I'm overthinking it, but I don't dare to think that way," If that were the case, it would be a big problem.

"I told you, leave it to me. I'll pick them up later. Be safe on your way back."

"Caleb, please don't say anything. I don't want Candy to think I'm a snitch."

"Okay, I know. I'll handle it."