The next morning, Ethan arrived at the Raynor Estate, ready to drop off Freya at school as usual. Eleanor, who was finishing her tea, was surprised to see him.
"I thought you’d be busy with your training," she said as he entered.
"I was yesterday. It was an intense, all-day session," Ethan replied, placing his bag down. "But from now on, I can manage my schedule a bit better. I want to make ti for Freya."
Eleanor gave him a small smile. "You don’t need to worry. I can handle school drop-offs."
"I’m not worried," he said gently. "I just love spending ti with our daughter. She’s growing up so fast... I don’t want to miss any of it."
Just then, Freya ca skipping down the stairs, her hand held by her nanny.
"Daddy!" she shouted with glee and ran into his arms.
Ethan lifted her into a big hug, his heart overflowing. He had missed too many of her early milestones already, and he knew that ti with children was fleeting. Freya wasn’t like most kids. She had inherited the Raynor clan’s bloodline and with it, a high learning capacity. Her ntal developnt was well beyond her age. She was already learning coding and could solve logic puzzles that would challenge so adults. Ethan worried that in a few short years, she might not need him at all. That fear made every small mont precious.
"Let’s get going, princess," he said, strapping her into her seat in the car.
Eleanor got in beside Freya, and Ethan took the driver’s seat. As the car began moving, Freya started talking excitedly.
"Daddy, there’s a competition at school next week!" she said, her voice bubbling with excitent.
"A competition?" Eleanor asked curiously.
"Yes! It’s a cooking competition!" Freya chirped. "Miss Cooper said we need to bring our parents. Each parent will cook sothing, and the kids will help. It’s a team effort!"
Eleanor’s eyes widened. "A cooking competition for school kids? That sounds risky. Fire, knives... what are they thinking?"
Ethan chuckled. "It’s probably more of a demonstration. They want to teach the children that household work is important and that they should help out at ho. Especially in families where the parents handle everything themselves."
"I suppose that makes sense," Eleanor replied. "Still, it sounds chaotic."
"I’ll do the cooking," Ethan said firmly. "You already have enough on your plate. Besides, I enjoy cooking. I used to cook all the ti before, and I can cook a lot of dishes."
"I can still help with sothing simple," Eleanor offered.
He shook his head gently. "No need. You focus on work. I’ll handle this."
When they arrived at school, Miss Cooper ca over with a welcoming smile. She seed especially pleased to see Ethan.
"Mr. Raynor! Good morning. Did Freya inford you about school competition?" she enthusiastically asked.
"Yes," he replied.
"Good. Then I will to tell you more about the competition," she said.
Ethan nodded and listened attentively as she explained the plan. The event was scheduled for the upcoming holiday. A kitchenware company had volunteered to sponsor the setup, bringing portable mini-kitchen stations for each family. Parents just needed to bring their own ingredients.
A few other parents gathered around to hear more about the event. Miss Cooper smiled warmly.
"To coordinate everything, I’ll create a WhatsApp group for the class. It’ll be for moms, mainly, since that’s usually easier for planning these things."
Though so fathers, like Ethan, were present, the group would be mom-centered for convenience. Everyone seed to agree without issue.
Later that morning, Eleanor sat at her desk when her phone buzzed. She had been added to a group called "Moms of Class 1A". Curiously, she opened the app and found a flurry of ssages waiting for her.
"Hi everyone!"
"This is Ava’s mom, looking forward to the cooking day!"
"I’m Klein’s mom... can’t wait to et all of you!"
Dozens of introductions flooded the chat. Eleanor scrolled through them and realized sothing surprising... all the mothers knew one another already. They had t during orientation and during the daily school runs. Because Freya started as a transferred mid-term student, she had missed orientation.
Taking Miss Cooper’s suggestion, Eleanor saved the moms’ numbers using the nas of their children for reference.
She finally typed a ssage into the chat:
"Hi everyone, I’m Freya’s mom. Nice to et you all!"
Freya was popular among classmates. And since Ethan usually did the pick-ups and drop-offs, Eleanor had remained a mystery to all.
The group exploded in response.
"Oh wow! We were wondering who Freya’s mom was!"
"Your daughter is so smart and polite!"
"You’re so lucky... your husband does the school runs!"
Eleanor blinked at the stream of ssages. It was both amusing and slightly overwhelming. Apparently, her absence had beco a point of curiosity among the mothers. A few of them admitted they had been envious, seeing Ethan regularly drop Freya off with such care and attention.
Only Miss Cooper had t Eleanor briefly, but even she admitted they hadn’t talked much.
Soon, the group shifted focus.
"We should all have a get together after the competition."
"Yes! Let’s plan sothing fun so we can get to know each other."
"Miss Cooper, could you arrange sothing like dinner or playground visit soti after school?"
Miss Cooper responded positively and suggested a casual get-together a few days after the competition. Everyone seed excited at the idea of having a fully booked playground for their children a few hours on a holiday. Miss Cooper will finalize the program as well as the venue. As for the fund, they all agreed to provide whatever cos to their part.
The group started suggesting probable location for the event, but Miss Cooper stopped them and directed them to the incoming competition.
Just then, Maya stepped into Eleanor’s office, holding a folder in her hands.
"Boss, we have a situation with our Indian companies," she said, her expression serious.
Eleanor quickly minimized the chat window and turned her attention back to work.
"Go ahead," she said, all business again.
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