Chapter 23

“Babel, you always have the sweetest words. We aren't in a hurry. As long as our family prospers, I'll be happy,” Roy said with a smile.

“Yes, we aren't in a hurry. Anyway, I don't want to be in a relationship. It's boring. It's better to make money,” Jack agreed.

Isabel's words made the family happy.

Soon, it was Sunday. The next day, Isabel checked Samuel's leg and then visited Blake.

“Do you feel this in your arm?”

“Yes, I can move my hand a little bit,” Blake responded happily. Over the years, his limbs had been basically useless, and he couldn't even lift them.

“It seems you're recovering faster than I expected. In a few days, you should be able to move your hands and handle simple items.” Blake became even more excited. He finally saw a glimmer of hope.

“Isabel, thank you,” Blake exhaled, his voice thick with gratitude.

“No need for thanks. You're one of us now. Whatever the future brings, today we stand as one.”

Isabel's words warmed Blake. He had grown up in a cold family and had never experienced such kindness. This was a first. Suddenly, Simon ran in, yelling, “Isabel, oh no, you have to save me!”

“What's wrong? Why are you yelling?”

“My… my homeroom teacher is coming to visit. I'm so dead this time.”

“Isn't it just a home visit? What did you do wrong?”

“You… go and see for yourself.”

Isabel went downstairs. The homeroom teacher was in the yard, chatting with Hannah.

“Mr. Galvez, I have to talk to you about Simon. He often skips class, and his grades are a mess. I remember when he was in elementary school, he was one of the best students, but now he's one of the worst. High school is crucial. He'll be a senior next year! We must take this seriously… Not only that, but I heard he's been in contact with gangsters outside of school. I think he's idle at such a young age. Be careful that he doesn't go astray.”

The homeroom teacher spoke at length, and Hannah kept her head down, apologizing, her eyes red. It wasn't until the teacher left that Hannah went back into the house.

Simon felt terrible when he saw his mother like this. “Mom…” he called out, his head down. Hannah picked up a broom and started hitting him.

“You ungrateful brat! No one in our family has gone to college. We’re all counting on you. Your older brothers and sisters work so hard to make money and support our family. They pay for your expensive tuition, and this is how you repay them! Do you know how much your brother wanted to go to college? He gave up that dream because we couldn’t afford it back then. And now that we can, you’re just throwing this opportunity away…”

Isabel stepped forward and snatched the broom from Hannah. “Let’s have a good talk with Simon about this, Mom. Why don’t you go inside and rest for a while?” Isabel escorted the heartbroken Hannah to her room. Then she came out to check on Simon. He didn't dodge her but took the hits.

“Come with me. I have a look at your homework.”

In Simon's room, Isabel looked through his schoolbag. Inside, she found his recent test papers and homework assignments. The grades were poor, mostly in the forties and fifties. “These are really bad. You’re failing everything. It seems like you haven’t been focusing on your studies. Why?” Isabel asked.

“Isabel, I’ve just been feeling down lately. You know Jacob from Auntie’s family, right? He goes to the same school as me. We’re both from the Galvez family, so why does he get to drive a fancy car every day while I can barely afford my tuition?”

Isabel knew it wasn't that simple. “Jacob humiliated you at school, right?” Simon nodded. Isabel understood that teenagers at this stage were going through puberty and prone to various psychological problems. The old lady had always been biased, and with Jacob Galvez from the third branch of the family showing off every day, Simon naturally felt uncomfortable.

Isabel patted him on the shoulder. “Simon Galvez, there’s a saying, ‘No matter how strong others may be, it’s important to stay true to yourself.’ We don't have to care about what others say. We just need to be ourselves. If you really can’t stand it, you need to study harder, surpass him, and repay your parents. That’s what you should do. I don’t think you’re any worse than Jacob. I believe that one day, you will surpass him, and maybe even everyone in the Galvez family. Our branch of the family has always been looked down upon. We must strive to be successful. One day, we’ll slap them in the face and make them kneel and beg us! Just like yesterday, when Rex and Phillip groveled at your feet—didn’t that feel great! So you have to work hard to become strong. On the contrary, if you continue to degenerate and accomplish nothing, they will look down upon you even more and trample you under their feet.”

Isabel's words ignited a fierce determination within Simon. “Isabel, I understand,” Simon said, a sudden clarity in his voice. “I promise I’ll study hard from now on. I’ll get into college and won’t let my parents down! I’ll show them!”

Isabel nodded with satisfaction. “As for your grades, I’ll help you catch up. You're only in your second year of high school. There’s still time to turn this around.”

Simon nodded determinedly and immediately started hitting the books. Hannah had been in a bad mood all morning, and Isabel had to coax her out of it. Hannah saw Blake lying on a chair in the yard, enjoying the view. Meanwhile, Simon was studying intently nearby, completely focused.

“Mom, look! Simon has started to work hard. He knows he was wrong. He promised me he’d get into college. Don’t worry, with me tutoring him, if he can’t get in, I’ll break his legs!” Isabel smiled. Hannah was relieved to see her son working so hard.

“Thank you, Isabel. Without you, we really don't know what to do.”

After a while, Isabel went to tutor Simon again. No matter what type of questions Simon gave her, she could solve them.

“Isabel, you are so awesome. It feels like there’s no question you can’t solve,” Simon discovered another one of Isabel’s strengths.

“Simon, you can ask me when Isabel is away. With the two of us tutoring you, you’ll definitely get into college,” Blake added.

“Blake, where did you graduate from?” Simon asked casually.

“Ph.D. from Fayland International School of Finance and Management.”

“Wow! Blake, that’s awesome. That’s one of the top three schools in the world.” Simon was suddenly envious. He had always thought Blake was just a cripple, but it turned out he had such impressive credentials.