The Wrong Woman

Candice felt her hands sweating from nervousness as soon as the question was asked. She clenched her fists and lowered her
head. She couldn't meet Elio's gaze, yet her ears remained sharply attuned to his voice.
After stealing a glance at Candice, Elio thought for a moment before saying, "Josie isn't my girlfriend."
"What?" Everyone fell into stunned silence.
Candice looked up, her eyes wide with shock as she stared at Elio in disbelief. Her reaction was so over the top that Elio almost
laughed. He found her astonishment adorable and struggled to keep a straight face.
With a frown, Daniel asked, "What's the matter?"
Elio turned to Daniel and explained with a polite tone, "My mom was pressuring me to find a girlfriend back then. Out of
desperation, I convinced my best friend to pose as one. We kept up the act for so long that everyone believed we were actually
together."
"Why did you stop pretending?"
"My mom found out."
"That explains it."
Candice was dumbfounded, her mouth slightly agape in surprise. An unexpected sense of joy flooded her. The dilemma that had
troubled her was resolved, and she sighed in relief.
So, Elio and Josie were never a couple. That meant Candice's relationship with Elio hadn't compromised her values. And the
person she was interested in wasn't taken after all.
"Uncle Elio," Jasper called out as he entered the living room.
Elio looked up to find Jasper beaming while taking a seat beside him. Turning to the group, Jasper said, "Grandma Michaela is
really something else. She's downright terrifying. I even have nightmares about her. Poor Uncle Elio had to grow up under her
strict rule."
Florence glared at Jasper and scolded him, "Jasper, that's no way to talk."

Jasper furrowed his brow and sighed. "Grandma, I'm just being honest. Dad told me Mom didn't really have a childhood. All she
ever did was study non-stop.
"Thankfully, Mom's a natural genius. That made her studies manageable, and she even became a researcher. Uncle Elio,
though, wasn't as fortunate. He—"
Before Jasper could continue, Elio gently patted his hand, signaling him to stop. Jasper caught the hint and swiftly skifted the
conversation. "You know, I stayed with her during my summer vacation for two weeks, and it was a complete nightmare. I swear
I'll never do that again."
He shuddered at the memory, continuing, "Every day started at 5:30 am. had exactly 15 minutes for breakfast, which was always
a timer and strictly portioned. couldn't even pick what I wanted to eat Right after breakfast, it was straight into lessons.
"I couldn't even take bathroom breaks longer than ten minutes. Oh my goodness, it was non-stop studying, reading, and writing.
Lunch and dinner were half an hour each. I didn't get to shower and wind down until 11:00 pm."
Unable to contain her disbelief, Sienna laughed. "Jasper, you must be exaggerating, right?"
"Not at all. Those two weeks were a total nightmare," Jasper responded earnestly.
With a smile, Florence said, "I remember that year. Your grades improved dramatically, jumping over 30 spots to rank you within
the top 50 of your grade."
"But at what cost? It wasn't worth sacrificing my life for those grades."
Florence gave him a loving smile paired with a playful glare. "Such nonsense," she said.
While the others continued to chat and laugh, Candice experienced a wave of sadness. She observed Elio with compassion, her
heart heavy as she began to understand the reasons behind his reserved nature and rare smiles.
She pondered how some people might need a lifetime to recover from childhood traumas. Having grown up in a joyful and
carefree environment herself, she struggled to comprehend the depth of his pain.
Despite coming from the wealthiest family that provided money more than one could hope to earn in several lifetimes, Elio's
childhood was marred by rigorous and relentless academic demands, robbing him of the joy and carefree experiences one might
expect.

It seemed that each family had its own approach to education.
As Elio listened to Jasper recounting his tale, his eyes unintentionally met Candice's, who returned his gaze with a deep and
thoughtful expression.