Lost and Found: Return of My Mysterious Fiancee

At Moon Gate Estate.

After school, Amber returned home and went straight to her room, not even eating dinner. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to eat; she just had no appetite. Every time she thought of how Tina had become the lead teacher of class 22D through nepotism, her heart felt blocked. What made that unsophisticated girl qualified to be a teacher? With her own talents, Amber could easily take on that role. But that wasn’t what she wanted. She aspired to get into Kongham University on her own merits and climb to the very top of society.

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts, followed by the nanny’s voice from outside, “Miss Amber, Mrs. Woodham is here.”

The title ‘Miss Amber’ grated on her nerves. Before Tina’s return, she was ‘Miss Reed.’ Now, even though Tina didn’t live in Moon Gate Estate, everyone referred to her as ‘Miss Amber,’ as if to remind her of her adopted status.

Amber collected her thoughts, stood up, opened the door, and went downstairs. The person sitting in the living room took her by surprise. It was Beatrice! Having married into the Woodham family, she was known outside as Mrs. Woodham. Last time at the Ivy banquet, Beatrice had asked for Amber’s help with her daughter’s illness, but she hadn’t returned since. Amber thought that word of the banquet mishap had spread, and Beatrice had changed her mind about letting Tina treat her daughter.

Mentioning the banquet made Amber’s blood boil with resentment towards Tina. Since Talon’s affair with the nanny had been exposed, Ivy had insisted on a divorce. But Talon wouldn’t agree, causing a prolonged dispute between the two families. Elizabeth, of course, looked down on the nanny and had dismissed her immediately. However, Talon, unchanging in his ways, insisted on keeping the nanny and refused to divorce Ivy, which was infuriating.

Even worse, Talon had vented his anger on Amber, blaming her for not handling things properly and leading him into a trap.

“Miss Reed!”

Upon seeing Amber descend the stairs, Beatrice quickly stood up, her face filled with apologies. “I’m sorry about last time, saying I’d bring my daughter to you. She’s been quite traumatized by the car accident and refuses to leave the house.”

Beatrice’s face showed helplessness. “I came today to ask if you could possibly visit my home to check on my daughter’s condition.”

Amber was puzzled. Hadn’t the news of Sophia’s recovery by Tina’s hands spread?

“Don’t worry, I won’t expect you to treat my daughter for free. I will pay for your services.”This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.

“Mrs. Woodham, please don’t mention it. Grandma Woodham and my grandmother are friends; we’re like family, so let’s not talk about payment,” Amber replied with a smile. “I’ll make a visit and take a look at Miss Woodham.”

Beatrice sighed with relief. “Thank you so much!”

She hesitated before asking, “When would be convenient for you?”

She was anxious. Very anxious. Her daughter hadn’t slept well in days, especially since she had taken a six-month hiatus from school and was showing no interest in studies, with exams looming. Beatrice was worried about her daughter’s future if things continued this way.

Amber thought for a moment. “How about the weekend? You know how busy I am with exams coming up; academics are quite demanding.”

The truth was, Professor Lininger’s team was visiting tomorrow, and Amber needed to make a good impression to secure his favor. If she could gain his personal tutelage, her success in this year’s exams was guaranteed.

“Of course, studying comes first,” Beatrice replied with a smile. “Miss Reed, you’re so talented and hardworking; you’re bound for great things.”

“Thank you for the compliment, Mrs. Woodham,” Amber replied, her smile faint. She had grown immune to such flattery.

Once they had settled on a time, Beatrice didn’t linger and soon left. After her departure, Elizabeth asked Amber, “Do you feel confident about treating Miss Woodham’s condition?”

The Fanning family held a prominent status in Ensford, and Beatrice had married into the capital’s Woodham family. The old lady didn’t want any mishaps.

“I need to see her first to be sure,” Amber pursed her lips, “but it shouldn’t be a problem. Miss Woodham suffered facial injuries from the car accident, and Dr. Ward has treated such cases before and taught me.”

In reality, Amber had only observed Dr. Ward performing such treatments and hadn’t been taught directly. She wasn’t a true disciple and had only learned the basics. Only Dr. Ward’s true disciples received his full teachings.

Treating Miss Woodham was her opportunity. If she could cure Miss Woodham, her reputation would grow, and she might even gain Mrs. Woodham’s support in the future.

“That’s good then!” Elizabeth said earnestly. “Amber, you must be very careful with this matter. We can’t afford to offend the Woodham family.”

“I understand, Grandma.”

The next day at Ensford High School.

At half-past seven in the morning, Tina arrived at the school and headed to her office, which was separate from those of the other teachers. The first class of the day would start at eight.

On her way to the office, she had to pass by Mr. Stiller’s office. As she approached, she heard a commotion inside. She intended to walk by, but she stopped when she heard her name mentioned.

“Mr. Stiller, you must fire Tina Reed today, no matter what. We will not recognize a teacher who got the job through backdoor connections.”

“Yes, if you don’t fire Tina Reed, we will collectively withdraw our children from school. It’s your call, Mr. Stiller!”

“I can’t understand what you’re thinking, Mr. Stiller. Tina Reed grew up in the countryside and never received a proper education. She was only recently taken back by the Reed family. There are rumors about her inappropriate relations with Mr. Farrell. How can you let such a person teach? How can our children respect her as a teacher?”

“And it’s not just unclear ties with Mr. Farrell; I’ve heard she’s a thief as well. The Reeds have just managed to suppress that information. How can someone with such a bad reputation be fit to teach?”

Mr. Stiller had just arrived at the school and was already cornered by a group of parents in his office. They were giving him a headache, especially when they maligned Tina with such vitriol, claiming to be cultured and yet spreading malicious rumors about a young woman.

“Miss Reed is the lead teacher of Class 22D, and she doesn’t teach any classes, nor will she be teaching other classes. I’ve already discussed this with the parents of Class 22D, and they have no objections. Please stop making unreasonable demands.”

“How is it unreasonable?” a parent retorted. “She’s just a shameless village woman; why should she be a teacher? If she were a teacher at another school, I wouldn’t care. But at Ensford High School? I don’t want my child calling such a person ‘teacher.'”

“Even if she doesn’t teach, she’s still a teacher!”

“You’re justifying her backdoor entry? We donate so much money every year; is it for you to bring such a person to disgust us?”

If he weren’t the principal, Mr. Stiller would have slapped them all.

“Miss Reed did not get the job through any backdoor. Her employment process was legal and legitimate!” Mr. Stiller said through gritted teeth.

“Your word doesn’t suffice. Stop wasting our time. If you don’t fire her today, we will not let this go!”