Chapter 293: Mistaken For His Mother

Isobel had long since learned that sharing blood did not necessarily mean sharing affection, and that being related to someone did not automatically make them family in the truest sense. Richard wasn’t a blood relative but he was as close as a brother to her.

As long as she could live peacefully with the people closest to her, the opinions of distant relatives meant very little.

She was already very happy with how Julian, Morgan and Judy treated her and happier still with how Leanne treated her like her own child.

And there were Kristine and the twins too. She couldn’t ask for more.

She had no intention of wasting her happiness trying to win the approval of people who had already decided she wasn’t worthy of it.

...

"Are you blind? How could you possibly mistake her for the child’s mother?"

Denise Foran’s sharp voice cut through the cheerful atmosphere.

The photographer she had berated looked thoroughly bewildered, his camera still hanging from his neck.

A short while earlier, Kai had toddled excitedly toward the table where Leon and Alena were seated. The two were watching the magic show onstage as Randy and Yana volunteered to participate in an act.

A large red and yellow bee with a huge belly that was styled to look very friendly was standing nearby and had been waving enthusiastically at the little boy, encouraging him to come closer.

Kai, being a toddler, had eagerly responded to the invitation.

Unfortunately, his little legs weren’t quite steady enough to keep up with his enthusiasm.

He stumbled just as he reached Alena’s table.

Before the nanny could react, Alena had already leaned forward and scooped him into her arms.

Fortunately, the floor was covered with padded rubber mats, and the little boy hadn’t been hurt. He merely blinked in surprise before looking around as though wondering why everyone had suddenly become so concerned.

That was when the photographer noticed them.

Seeing Alena holding Kai beside the colorful bee mascot, he naturally assumed they were a mother-and-son pair. Hoping to capture a charming family photograph for the event, he approached them and asked them to pose together.

Alena, caught off guard by the request, hadn’t known how to refuse without making things awkward.

So she had reluctantly stood beside the mascot with Kai in her arms.

Unfortunately, Denise had witnessed the entire scene.

And she was furious.

"She’s not his mother!" Denise snapped, her voice rising high enough to attract the attention of nearby guests. "How can you go around taking pictures of people without knowing who they are?"

The photographer’s face flushed with embarrassment.

"I’m sorry, ma’am. The little boy fell, and the young lady helped him up. I thought they were mother and son, so I asked them to pose for a picture. I didn’t mean any offense."

His explanation only seemed to irritate Denise further.

Isobel heard the commotion from a short distance away.

The moment she realized it involved her cousin, her heart skipped a beat.

"Excuse me," she said to Judy and Pierce before hurrying toward the scene.

The couple followed closely behind.

By the time Isobel arrived, Kai was already back in his nanny’s arms. The little boy appeared perfectly fine, seemingly oblivious to the fuss his brief tumble had caused.

Alena, however, looked as though she wished the floor would open up and swallow her whole.

The color had drained from her face. Her fingers were tightly clasped together, and she kept her eyes lowered, unable to meet the gazes of the people who had gathered around them.

"What happened?" Isobel asked, her voice calm but firm.

The photographer hurried to explain himself.

"Ma’am, I was only trying to take a picture. The little boy fell, and this young lady helped him. I thought she was his mother, so I asked them to pose beside the mascot. I didn’t realize there was a misunderstanding."

Isobel glanced at Alena, whose face had grown even paler.

"The little boy stumbled, so I picked him up," Alena explained quietly. "Then the photographer asked us to take a picture. That was all."

Her voice was barely audible.

She had done nothing wrong, yet she was being treated as though she had deliberately tried to claim someone else’s child.

Isobel’s expression softened when she saw how distressed her cousin was.

"It’s all right," she reassured her before turning toward Denise.

"Ma’am, it was simply a misunderstanding. The photographer saw Alena helping Kai and made an innocent assumption. There was no harm intended."

Denise drew breath, clearly preparing to deliver another scathing reprimand.

But before she could speak, Carlos arrived.

One glance at the gathering crowd was enough to tell him that a scene was developing. His gaze settled a moment longer on Alena and then on Denise, and the warning in his eyes was unmistakable.

"That’s enough," he said evenly. "It was just a photograph. There’s no need to turn it into something bigger."

He then took Kai from the nanny and looked toward the photographer.

"Since you’re already here, why don’t you take a picture of everyone together?"

His suggestion immediately shifted the atmosphere.

A few nearby guests laughed, and others readily gathered around Carlos. The photographer, relieved to have an opportunity to put the awkward incident behind him, quickly raised his camera.

Isobel found herself standing to Carlos’s left, while Denise took her place on his right. Alena hid behind the mascot, not intending to be photographed.

Kai was held securely in Carlos’s arms.

"Everyone, look this way!" the photographer called.

A moment later, the camera flashed.

The incident appeared to have ended as quickly as it had begun.

But not everyone was ready to forget it.

Alena quietly returned to her seat beside Leon. Even after the surrounding guests dispersed and the banquet hall resumed its cheerful bustle, she kept her head lowered.

Her earlier excitement had vanished.

She had only wanted to help Kai who had stumbled. She hadn’t expected such a simple act of kindness to turn into a public humiliation.

Leon glanced at her, his expression growing concerned, but Alena offered him a faint smile that failed to reach her eyes.

"I’m fine," she murmured before he could ask.

Yet the way she kept her gaze fixed on the table suggested otherwise.