Turning Of the Tide by Diana Sander

The day before Memorial Day, at the Wilson's residence.

In the living room, Olivia, who had returned hfor the break, and Jasper, who had already graduated, sat together. The two siblings were chatting with their heads close to each other. Olivia was affectionately holding onto Jasper, who occasionally nodded with a subdued expression, much like Trevon. However, upon closer inspection, one could tell his facial features looked more like Natalie's.

When Natalie and Trevon cdownstairs, they saw their daughter in wide-leg jeans and a Chanel top while their son was wearing a white hoodie and black sweatpants. They were huddled together and chatting.

Similar to Natalie, Olivia also disliked wearing dresses or high heels. She preferred jeans, wide-leg pants, and casual trousers. She was fine wearing any attire as long as it wasn't a dress.

Seeing their parents cdownstairs, Olivia stood up from the sofa, quickly walked over to Trevon, and took hold of his wrist. "Dad, Mom, we were discussing which day to go and visit the graves." Natalie followed behind. She smiled at her daughter and sat down beside her son.

Trevon was indulgent toward both daughters. Just like when they were younger, he gently ruffled Olivia's hair as she led him to sit on the sofa. He asked her gently, "Why did you cback alone? Didn't you wantto pick you up?" Olivia tilted her head back, shaking it while sporting a playful smile. "No way! | just thought you and Mom were too busy. Besides, | study at Athana Medical University, which isn't far from home. | can cback myself. My motorcycle isn't slower than your car, right, Mom?" Olivia rode Natalie's motorcycle to the university. When she didn't have much luggage, she usually used her mom's motorcycle to go to university. She also disliked traffic congestion. Her personality was very similar to Natalie's. Even their way of thinking was alike.

The only difference was that Olivia was very good at being coquettish, while Natalie had just a bit of that skill, which she had picked up after marriage. Perhaps if Natalie had had loving parents when she was young, she might have learned to be coquettish too.

When Olivia was young, her dream was to beca teacher. However, as she grew older, her aspirations changed. She opted for a major in surgery, either general or orthopedic, when applying for university. Natalie knew that Olivia's devotion was to cure Caleb's leg.

Sophia fulfilled her dream and got into a military academy. This determined girl was adamant about not studying in the country and insisted on going abroad. She said that if she studied in the country, her dad would pull sstrings for her. She wanted to challenge herself abroad and make her own way.

After a lot of pleading, tantrums, threats, and even a bit of coquettishness, Trevon couldn't resist his daughter's persistence and ultimately agreed. He went to great lengths to send his cherished daughter to the foreign military academy.

Natalie reminisced about the tshe and Trevon stayed at a hotel near Sophia's school for over a week when they sent her abroad. They had hoped against the odds that Sophia, feeling the hardship, would give up and cback home. But it didn't happen.

Sophia was clever too. She realized her dad wouldn't feel at ease and guessed he was at the hotel. She deliberately called him to make him return home.

On the first night back in Athana, Trevon hid in the study, looking at photos of his three children. As he gazed at them, he unexpectedly began to cry. It was Natalie who eventually comforted him, spending several hours consoling him. She used a charming and alluring tactic, an activity that Trevon certainly enjoyed. And unbelievably, he shamelessly gave this activity a nickname, the "Blossoming Show." Unable to visit Evergreen Gardens, they continued to reside long-term at the Wilson's residence, shifting from computerized counting to manual counting. After each round, he made sure to report the counts.

After reminiscing, Natalie smiled and responded to her daughter's comment, "Your dad misses you but feels awkward saying it. Drive carefully and mind the speed. Safety always comes first. Otherwise, | will take the motorcycle back." Olivia said, "Got it, I'm driving really slow. Are Grandpa and Grandma napping?" Natalie replied, "Grandpa and Grandma are taking an afternoon nap. Your dad heard you were home, so he skipped work and also draggedalong." Olivia smiled happily and looked up at his father. Trevon stroked his daughter's hair.

Trevon glanced at his son, who had been quiet all the time. He was so quiet that he seemed to have becinvisible. He continued asking his daughter, "Want to practice what you've learned on Grandpa's leg first?" Olivia shook her head. "No, | just miss Grandpa and Grandma a bit. They're taking a nap, and | don't want to disturb them." "Aren't we going to visit the grave tomorrow? Do you have other plans?" Trevon asked leisurely, glancing at his son, who was sitting opposite him.

Upon hearing this, Jasper lifted his gaze to meet his father's eyes and remained silent for a while. Then, he said, "Well, I'll go to the Blackwell family's grave for you." At this, Natalie playfully held her fist to her nose tip to conceal her smile. The entire family knew this joke, and her son saying it so blatantly was quite amusing.

However, the three children did not know the exact reason why Trevon Wilson went to visit the Blackwell family's grave every year. Whenever they attempted to ask, Trevon always evaded the topic.

The history behind it wasn't particularly glorious, and Trevon surely didn't want to lose face in his children's eyes.

On the other hand, Jasper seemed to treat it as a routine matter. He only wanted to help his father. There was no trace of anything specific in his tone as he said, "At your age, it's not suitable to visit Mr. Blackwell's grave, but not going is also not appropriate. So, I'll go on your behalf. This is the best solution." Trevon squinted and looked at his son. He felt this brat had grown up. He was a bit offended that the boy was openly criticizing his age in front of his wife and daughter. "Am | 80 years old? Am | that old?" he retorted.

The mother and daughter chuckled at the exchange between the father and son. Jasper didn't praise his dad for being youthful. He simply pursed his lips and did not reply.

Seeing his son's silence, Trevon grew more agitated. He asked in annoyance, "So | should thank you then?" His tone lacked any trace of gratitude as he stared intently at his clever son.

Jasper smoothly replied, "You're welcome. It's what a son should do." Natalie was afraid that the father and son would go against each other, so she quickly added, "Since Jasper can go on your behalf, that's even better. You're already so old, yet you're still going to Mr. Blackwell's grave. Aren't you afraid that everyone will tease you? In the future, let Jasper help you. Do you really plan to visit the Blackwell family's cemetery until you're 80 years old?" Trevon didn't dare to argue with his wife's words and didn't compete with his son to go to the graveyard. "Who dares to tease me?" The two siblings agreed that their mother was the only one who could manage their father.

Natalie was tired of dealing with the unreasonable Trevon. Olivia diverted the conversation after casting a glance at her brother. "Dad, just let Jasper go then. By the way, do you know when Sophia will be back?" Trevon persisted with his son, saying, "Since you're helpingout, and it's been a month since you graduated, start working at the company after the holiday." Jasper did not object and agreed readily. "Sure, okay." Only after his son agreed did Trevon respond to his precious daughter. He also missed Sophia a lot. That ungrateful girl stopped calling him after she was sent to the military academy. They had agreed on a call every week, and initially, she was punctual. Now, it took her a month to make one call. Trevon said, "I reckon she might cback for Christmas. That girl's completely obsessed with her military academy life." Trevon still couldn't understand why his daughter wanted to becspecial forces. What was she thinking about? Trevon felt heartbroken.

In the evening, at a trendy coffee shop.

A group of youngsters sat inside, exchanging lively conversations and sharing recent interesting stories.

Liam, with permed hair, dressed in a white t-shirt and black work pants. He wore khaki-colored high-top boots and kept one leg crossed over the other. He shook his legs continuously, almost resembling restless leg syndrome.

Olivia had changed her outfit. She wore dark, wide-leg jeans, a black belt, a short Chanel top, and black platform sneakers. Her shoulder-length straight hair cascaded like a waterfall, and she had a touch of light makeup.

She glanced at Liam's trembling legs in disdain and stared straight at him, asking, "Shall I help you with that trembling?" Caught by Olivia's serious stare, Liam quickly put his leg down. "Have you gone crazy from studying medicine? What's with staring at my leg?" he asked hastily.

Olivia nonchalantly took a sip of juice and stuffed a mouthful of mousse cake into her mouth. Then, she replied earnestly, "I only stare at the legs that need fixing. Normal legs don't catch my eye." Her words drew smiles on everyone's faces.

Cyril was in a gray hoodie and jeans. He swiftly chimed in, saying, "Let Olivia give you a few inspections. It's free, which is great, right, Olivia?" Olivia nodded, appearing quite generous. "Yeah, free of charge." Nona's hoodie matched Cyril's, but hers was a light pink. She wore white casual pants and tied her hair in a high ponytail. Following Frank's rule, his daughter could go out at night for fun, but she had to have a bodyguard and wear pants to prevent any wardrobe malfunctions.

Standing at the entrance were Tom, Benjamin, and Yana.

Nona's personality was a replica of Ava's. With a pure face, large expressive eyes, and curved eyelashes, she scanned the surroundings and then looked at the entrance. "Isn't Harper coming?" Ruby, who had been silent all along, spoke gently. Her naturally pleasing features becmore prominent with a subtle layer of makeup, adding depth. Even under the light, there were shimmering spots from the eyeshadow.

She replied gently, "Harper was grounded by our uncle. This time, he performed relatively poorly in the mid-term exams. He has a lower total score." Jasper had changed into a different outfit for the outing. He wore a black and white casual shirt, casual pants, and white sneakers. He discreetly glanced at Ruby and quickly averted his gaze. Then, he lifted the coffee in front of him, took a sip, and remained silent.

Olivia was curious about how poorly Harper performed to be grounded by the usually gentle Edward. She asked, "How much did Harper score? 400?" Liam knew about the grounding imposed by his uncle on Harper but remained unaware of the actual score.

Despite several inquiries directed at Harper, Harper only responded cryptically, remaining elusive about the score.

Liam made a speculative guess, saying, "I estimate it's 300 points or maybe even lower. Otherwise, why would it anger my uncle? If even my aunt can't defend Harper. I'm sure his score is too low to salvage, and my uncle could only punish him with a new house rule." Because of Harper, the Landor family had a new house rule, grounding.

Ruby slapped her brother's leg heavily. Unconsciously, Liam propped his leg up again. It had beca natural posture as if he couldn't sit without it. Using the gentlest tone, Ruby delivered a threatening message. "If there's a genuine issue with your leg, let Olivia help you with it." Olivia was very happy to take on the job. She said with a smug smile, "See, even your sister says so. Why not give it a try?" Liam rejected the offer without hesitation. "No way. You've only been learning for a few months, and you wantto be your guinea pig? Dream on. | don't want to end up in a wheelchair just because you decided to experiment." He would never agree to it because he didn't even have a girlfriend yet.

Olivia responded, "That's too much. Are you looking down on me? How about we have a fight? If | lose, | won't stare at your legs anymore." "No thanks. | won't fall for that." Liam didn't want to risk it. If he miraculously won, Jasper wouldn't let him off the hook. He would not get away with it with a sister-protecting fanatic around. He had learned from past experiences of taking such losses since they were kids.

Jasper smirked slightly and chuckled. "You can't beat Olivia. It's wise to surrender voluntarily." Liam remained silent and refused to say more. Why did they look down on him? How could Olivia be so fierce as a girl? Nona or his sister were the real definition of gentle girls.

Cyril interjected, "Aren't you all curious about how many points Harper scored?" Cyril's personality was similar to Frank's. He enjoyed a good spectacle and thought that peace might be too boring. He was especially protective of his sister. If anyone at school even mentioned bullying his sister, Cyril could make that person question their life choices.

Olivia remained curious. With a straw in her mouth, she raised her eyebrows and said, "Tell us." Ruby glanced at Jasper when she lowered her head. Coincidentally, Jasper was also looking at her. Her blush slowly spread across her cheeks as she looked down and sipped her juice, biting the straw tightly with her teeth.

At the stime, Jasper diverted his gaze toward Cyril.

Cyril and Nona were freshmen in high school, while Harper was in senior year. All three attended the sschool, while Liam studied at the suniversity Jasper had attended in Athana. He was majoring in management. Jasper and him were born into positions requiring them to be heirs.

When Cyril was called to the principal's office for a lecture, he found Harper also being reprimanded.

It was quite a coincidence, almost too much to be called brothers. They could even meet each other during a scolding. Fate, right? Both were being criticized by their respective teachers, but they were actually listening to what the other's teacher was scolding them for.

At Athana High School, every homeroom teacher of every grade shared an office. The office was quite spacious, so whenever a student was called in for a lecture, teachers from different grades would be aware. There was no privacy at all. The principal claimed this method motivated students to make fewer mistakes.

Recalling the incident, Cyril revealed Harper's score. "It's 250." Everyone was speechless upon hearing that.

Jasper wasn't surprised at all and said in a casual tone, "That fits his ability. Pretty stable." At that time, Cyril had heard Harper's homeroom teacher saying the sthing.

Eyes widened, Jasper asked, "Cyril, how do you know that Harper's homeroom teacher said the sthing?" Jasper appeared as though everything was within his expectations and didn't chin. Cyril's words sparked everyone's interest, prompting them to ask how the teacher had put it at that time.

Harper wasn't present at the gathering but had becthe focal point of the evening.

This was all thanks to Cyril.