The Villain Mom Awakens — Going Viral by Parenting on a Reality Show-Chapter 109: The Fourth Installment: Warren Isle

Chapter 109: Chapter 109: The Fourth Installment: Warren Isle

The bus stopped, and the guests got off.

It was the height of summer, but perhaps due to its proximity to the sea, the air here was damp and cool.

Margaret Jennings folded her fan. "It’s so cool here."

Ruby Preston, standing nearby, nodded. "This would be a great place to live!"

A phone started ringing. As Naomi Kenway pulled out her cell phone, a nearby staff member said, "Ms. Kenway, you can’t use electronic devices during filming."

The call was from Ethan Shaw. Afraid of missing something important, Naomi Kenway said, "I’m sorry, it’s a call from my family. Just give me a minute."

The staff member hesitated, but the director had already nodded in agreement.

Naomi Kenway took Ian and stepped aside.

"Hello... Ethan?"

Hearing Ethan Shaw’s voice, Ian also excitedly shouted, "Daddy!"

Noticing some of the other guests staring from a distance, Naomi uncomfortably turned her back. "What’s wrong? I’m in the middle of filming."

"Have you arrived at the destination yet?"

His voice was perfectly calm, and the question was completely ordinary. For a moment, Naomi couldn’t figure out what he was up to.

"We’ve arrived."

"Good. Stay safe."

It was such a warm, mundane conversation that Naomi felt a little unsettled.

Ian gently tugged on the corner of Naomi’s shirt. "Mommy, Daddy, Daddy."

Naomi understood. She crouched down and handed the phone to Ian.

"Ian, you have to be a good boy and listen to Mommy, take care of yourself... and take care of Mommy, too, okay?"

Ian nodded obediently and clenched his little fist, promising, "Ian will definitely protect Mommy!"

Renee Jennings looked away. "Is Nina on the phone with her husband? But I thought..." She leaned closer to Chelsea Raines and lowered her voice.

"I thought their marriage was on the rocks? Could the rumors be fake?" Renee Jennings frowned.

"Of all the times for her husband to call, why right now?" Chelsea Raines scoffed. "Naomi Kenway has a new agent, and their marketing tactics are notoriously aggressive. This whole thing was probably planned. I don’t know what that agent was thinking. They used to manage Kiera Sherman, for crying out loud. Why would they go and pick Naomi Kenway out of the trash?"

Jared Woods wriggled closer, a gossipy look on his face. "Mommy, what trash can?"

Chelsea Raines jumped, then quickly jabbed him on the head. "Why are you so nosy? Trying to eavesdrop on everything? This is grown-up business. Go play somewhere else."

Jared Woods pouted. "Daddy always says walls have ears. If you don’t want people to hear you, then you shouldn’t say it."

"You! Are you lecturing me now? You little brat!"

Renee Jennings held her back. "Chelsea, calm down."

She glanced around nervously. Jared’s comment about walls having ears was a stark reminder that the other guests might overhear her and Chelsea’s hushed discussion.

When a camera moved in for a close-up, Renee Jennings quickly waved it away, explaining that she and Chelsea Raines were discussing a private matter.

The cameraman took a step back.

After shooing Jared away to play, Chelsea Raines lowered her voice again. She shot a wary glance at Ruby Preston. "Renee, I heard Naomi Kenway stole a role from you? Hmph, throwing her money around is her signature move. You probably don’t know this, but I was on a variety show with her once. During the talent competition segment, Naomi actually paid to have the results changed. My punishment for losing was having to post embarrassing photos of myself on Weibo for three days straight."

Renee Jennings grew animated. The two of them were surprisingly in sync when it came to their hatred of Naomi Kenway. Having found common ground, Renee felt much closer to Chelsea. Still, conscious of the surrounding cameras and guests, Renee couldn’t bad-mouth Naomi too much.

She leaned close to Chelsea’s ear and said, "Chelsea, you should bring Jared over to our place sometime. We can have a proper chat then."

Chelsea squeezed her hand and nodded, the two of them looking like the closest of sisters.

A moment later, Naomi Kenway walked over, pressing her palms together. "Sorry for holding everyone up."

Margaret Jennings offered a gentle smile. "It’s fine. Everyone has emergencies. Is everything okay at home?"

"Everything’s fine."

A voice boomed over a megaphone as Dalton walked over, dressed simply in a short-sleeved shirt and pants. "Welcome, everyone! Our destination for this trip is a beautiful seaside village in Quenville—Warren Isle!"

He smiled. "Can you feel that cool breeze? The air is fresh and the climate is lovely. It’s truly a wonderful place for a trip!"

The other guests nodded in agreement.

Jared Woods nudged Chelsea Raines, who was fanning herself. "Mommy, stop fanning. I’m a little cold."

"Really?" Chelsea Raines folded her fan.

"And now for our usual rule: please hand over everything except for the clothes on your back!"

Naomi didn’t have much in her backpack. She handed over her phone and a power bank.

Ian was very well-behaved and handed over his snacks without being told.

"I don’t want to!" Jared Woods hugged his snacks, refusing to let go no matter how Chelsea tried to coax him.

A vein throbbed on Chelsea Raines’s forehead. The part where they had to turn in their snacks was always a huge challenge for her. "What do you mean, ’don’t want to’? I’m your mother, you have to listen to me!"

"No! Grandma just bought me these new snacks the day before yesterday! Almond is my favorite!"

Chelsea reached out to grab them, but Jared nimbly dodged. "Mean mommy!"

"’Mean mommy?’ You dare call me mean? Watch me, I’m going to spank you!"

Before Chelsea’s hand could even fall, Jared clutched his bottom and let out a wail.

[Chelsea Raines has zero patience with her kid. She’s always about to hit or yell at him.]

[Jared is pretty rebellious, but Chelsea is a little extreme. She should try talking to him calmly instead of always trying to force him. Just reason with the kid.] 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

[Easy for the person above to say. If you had a little terror like that, who wouldn’t lose their temper?]

...

After a long struggle, Chelsea’s forehead was beaded with sweat, but Jared was as stubborn as a mule, refusing to yield to either threats or coaxing.

She started complaining about Jared’s grandmother. "Of all the times she could have given them to him, why the day before filming? She’s just making things difficult for me!"

Renee Jennings walked over, confident she had a way with children.

Chelsea immediately shot her an expectant look.

Renee Jennings bent down, her tone gentle. "Jared, why are you being so naughty? Haven’t your teachers taught you that children should listen to their parents? Nobody likes a boy who doesn’t listen."

Jared froze for a second.

Chelsea quietly breathed a sigh of relief and gave Renee a thumbs-up.

The two exchanged a smile.

But in the next second, Jared clutched his snacks and declared:

"I don’t care if people like me, I just want my snacks!"