Turning Of the Tide by Diana Sander

Early the next morning.

When Ava was still in bed, she had reminded Frank repeatedly that even if he knew that Cyril's performance in school was terrible, he could not do anything out of line in public. He had to give the child at least srespect.

If he could not take it anymore, he had to endure it until he returned home. She would not stop him.

Frank guaranteed to take Cyril from second to last to the top of the class last night. Ava had always believed in Frank's ability to do things. Naturally, she also believed that Frank would not lie to her.

After all, Frank had never lied to her. He always did what he promised.

At Athana High School.

A Mercedes-Benz car and a Porsche car met at the school gate due to fate. The windows of the two cars rolled down at the stand greeted each other. The automatic gate of the school gate had already opened.

The two parents in the driver's seat were wearing masks and sunglasses. They looked like they didn't want to be recognized. They nodded at each other and drove into the school gate one after another.

It could be said that they had a tacit understanding.

The two guards at the door shook their heads helplessly and said affirmatively, "It's obvious that they're the parents of mischievous children." Another guard said, "Their score is probably in the bottom of the list. Otherwise, why would their parents cto the parent-teacher conference like this?" The guard nodded in agreement.

In the parking space, two cars were parked across from each other. There was a BMW in the middle. The two people who got out of the car only took off their sunglasses but not their masks.

Frank slammed the door and said to Edward, who had just closed the door, "Didn't Harper ask Rose to come?" Edward didn't answer Frank's question. Wasn't this an obvious question? Why was he asking nonsense? "Didn't Cyril find someone else to come?" The two of them smiled at the stand walked towards the classroom designated by the teacher.

The largest multimedia classroom in the school was already filled with many parents. Frank and Edward tacitly raised their legs and walked up the steps to the last row side by side, trying their best to reduce their presence.

Ten minutes later, the prelude to the parent-teacher conference began. The teacher in charge of the parent- teacher conference invited the principal of Athana High School to speak on stage. The audience applauded warmly.

It lasted for a few minutes before it quietened down.

There were manuscripts on the podium table, and the principal's official words cthrough the black microphone. "First of all, | would like to thank all the parents for taking the tout of your busy schedules to attend our Athana High School's annual parent-teacher conference..." Frank and Edward didn't listen to the rest of the sentence. One of them leaned lazily against the back of the chair, while the other sat upright without taking off their mask.

Half an hour later.

The principal began to highlight the excellence of Athana High School's results by citing the highest and lowest college entrance examination results in previous years, "Students in our Athana High School has never scored lower than 1000 points in the years since it was established." Frank looked at the passionate principal on the podium who excitedly conveyed the teaching principles. He cited SAT scores from previous years. His lips under the mask moved. "The principal said that the total score of the college entrance examination has never been lower than 1000 points. Harper broke the record. You have to pay attention to it. You have to live up to your straight A student status." Edward replied gently, "Cyril was 1001." The simple answer was a reminder. Frank could naturally hear it. He smiled, which meant that they were about the same. "Harper and Cyril are like pot meet kettle. Even if you add the two together, they won't be as good as our Nona." Edward said, "Cyril is like you, Nona is like Ava." This time, Edward did not call her sister-in-law. Frank was not angry, nor did he ask him to call her that.

The smile under Frank's mask gradually widened. He did not feel depressed because of his son's results. Instead, he was in a particularly good mood. "A top student is indeed a top student. You're quite insightful." The words meant praise, but there was no praise in his tone. Instead, there was ridicule.

For an entire hour and a half, the people on the podium had already taken turns changing several batches, from the principal and vice-principal, to the dean of students, and then to vice dean of students.

After the parent-teacher conference ended, all the parents stood up and walked towards the door. Frank and Edward sat calmly in the last row, planning to wait for everyone to leave before going out.

15 minutes later.

Frank stood up and tidied his clothes. He adjusted his mask with one hand and looked like he was accepting reality. "Let's go and get criticized." Edward also fiddled with his mask. "You're both good and bad. At least Nona will make you proud." Edward never thought that he would one day becfamous because of his son, to the point of wearing a mask at a parent-teacher meeting. No matter what, he was once a top student in Athana High School. He did not expect his son to be a bad student in Athana High School and even set a record for Athana High School in the exam.

Speaking of his daughter, Frank was proud. The smile under the mask did not disappear. He walked towards the door. Edward sighed and followed behind. He did not know how the teacher would complain later.

After leaving the multimedia classroom, Frank and Edward parted ways. Cyril's classroom was on Building 1, and Harper's classroom was on Building 3.

Frank and Edward were enduring the parent-teacher conferences. The children at hwere also extremely anxious and restless.

At the Roberts’ Villa.

Cyril leaned against the door at an 80-degree angle. His eyes kept glancing outside, and he cursed in his heart.

Why did the parent-teacher meeting have to be held on Saturday? He didn't even have the chance to send someone to investigate.

Grace glanced at her grandson and shook her head helplessly. "If you knew this would happen, why did you beca bad student? Learn from Nona. Won't you be afraid of your father's expression after the parent- teacher meeting?" At this moment, there were only had Grace and two children in the Roberts's villa. William and Ava had gone to work. Ever since Ava took over the technology company, she had been very busy. She could be considered Frank's virtuous wife.

The way she did things was becoming more and more like Grace's style. It was a strong contrast to her usual soft personality. Frank especially liked the contrast of Ava. At the stime, he felt sorry for Ava's sensible and hard work.

Cyril turned around and said to Grace, "Grandma, | didn't want to either. | only have so much brain capacity." "If you have the tto stand at the door and wait for your father, why don't you finish your homework upstairs like Nona? When your father comes back, he will criticize you less. Hurry up and go." Grace looked at her grandson and said sternly.

Cyril reluctantly walked upstairs in his house shoes. When he reached the stairs, he bent down to look downstairs. When he realized that his father was not back, he resigned himself to his fate and pushed open the door to do his homework.

Grace, who was standing downstairs, pinched her eyebrows with a headache. She took out her phone and sent a message to her daughter. [From now on, Edward will be in charge of Harper's studies. Don't interfere.] At that time, it was the Landor family.

In the living room, the mother and son sat opposite each other. On one side, Juana was sitting in an armchair.

Richard had gone to the company early.

Harper went straight to the point. He wiped his hands on the legs of his pants and clasped them together. "Mom, | want to talk to you." Her phone dinged. Rose raised her hand and gestured for her son to keep quiet. She turned on her phone and looked at the message from her mother. After reading it, she could only sigh in her heart.

Seeing her daughter-in-law sigh, Juana asked with concern, "Rose, what's wrong? Is it about the hospital?" Rose shook her head and waved her hand. "Mom, it's nothing. I just feel like reciting poems at this moment." She wanted to adapt the article about the cowherd child into a goatherd child because she had failed. Her son was like a wild horse that had run free. After galloping, he collapsed on the ground and could not be helped up at all.

Juana was speechless.

Rose gave up and replied to her mother, "Got it. Didn't | turn invisible about the parent-teacher conference?" After replying, Rose placed her phone on the side of the sofa and folded her hands. She sat upright and serious.

"Tell me, I'm listening. What do you want to talk toabout?" Harper was not used to seeing such a serious and serious mother. "Mom, don't be so nervous. We're just having a casual chat." Rose said, "I'm not nervous. | think you're more nervous. You said you wanted to talk, and I'm listening carefully.

Are you going to tell me? If not, your father will be back soon." Harper looked up at the clock. "Yes, yes." He did not care if his mother was serious or not. "Mom, Grandma, look.

You guys have already planned forto repeat a grade, right?" Juana and Rose nodded in agreement.

Harper continued, "Since you've decided to letrepeat a grade, | don't think you should ground me. Why don't | take a break from school and adjust my emotions? | can think about my future. If | don't empty my brain, my brain capacity will definitely be insufficient. The trash in the garbage dump has to be cleaned regularly, right?" Rose felt that it made sense.

Juana recalled his son's instructions before he left. He said that her grandson would definitely find a breakthrough from her and Rose.

Sure enough. Juana refused. "Harper, you'd better not struggle on the brink of death. In the future, your mother and | have already been deprived of the right to speak in terms of your education. From now on, your father will have the final say in your scores. | can't help you even if | want to." Upon hearing her mother-in-law's words, Rose also recalled what Edward had said to her last night on the bed.

She spread her hands and looked helpless. "Your grandmother is right. | can't help you either. Your father has giventhe order." Juana and Harper was speechless.

Seeing that his grandmother and mother were not helping him, Harper lay on the sofa with a dead heart and scratched his head in frustration.

The suspension plan fell through.

At night, in the living room of the Landor family.

Juana, Richard and Rose sat on the sofa.

The four children, Harper, Kade, Vincent and Dalton stood in a row according to their age and height. After the parent-teacher meeting, Edward stood in front of the children and prepared to set the rules.

The entire family was waiting for Edward to speak. The four children lowered their heads and waited for the lecture.

The three brothers looked at Harper in unison and aligned themselves with him.

Edward placed his hands on his hips. His mind was filled with the teacher's complaints today. He was almost angered to death. He began to lecture, "Today, | went to Harper's school for a parent-teacher meeting. It gavea new understanding of Harper. Do you want to hear it?" Harper stared at his toes. He knew that this was the outcome. He definitely had to share it.

The other three children shook their heads. Even the people on the sofa shook their heads as well because from their son and husband's expressions, they could tell that something was definitely wrong without listening.

"You have to listen even if you don't want to. After the semester ended, the number of times he wrote an essay was zero. During the final exam, he set a low record for the Athana High School. He copied homework 38 times, and they were all discovered by the teachers. He copied the other party's nbecause he copied too quickly for 9 times." Everyone except Harper himself was speechless.

Edward took a deep breath. Ella had given Edward respect and talked to him privately. At that time, Edward really wanted to hide.