The Villain Mom Awakens — Going Viral by Parenting on a Reality Show-Chapter 352: What He Needs Is Your Companionship

The tea party lasted for three hours. Before leaving, Serena Grant gave Naomi Kenway some custom-blended incense she’d made herself, saying it had a calming effect.

When Naomi Kenway arrived home, Ian had already been brought back by the driver for lunch. After a two-hour midday rest, the driver took him back to school.

Naomi listlessly watched some TV for a while, the camera following her closely. ’It felt strange not having any tasks to do,’ she thought, feeling a bit restless.

Her phone rang. It was Ruby Preston, asking Naomi to come to the set and discuss the movie’s promotional campaign.

Naomi agreed at once. This had already been arranged. The producers of *Youth* and *Supermom* had agreed to promote the movie on the show.

An assistant led Naomi into Ruby Preston’s room. Ruby was wearing headphones and staring intently at the screen before her, her brow slightly furrowed.

Naomi instinctively quieted her steps. To her surprise, Simon Sawyer was sitting in a nearby chair, fiddling with a ping-pong ball. Noticing Naomi, he stood up. "Aunt Kenway."

Naomi smiled at him. "Sean, are you here keeping your mom company?"

Simon Sawyer nodded. "Elementary school’s out for the summer," he explained, "so I have a lot more free time."

The sound of their conversation caught Ruby Preston’s attention. She took off her headphones and said to Naomi, "Nicole, you’re here? Come, have a seat."

With a calm expression, Simon Sawyer brought over two glasses of water, handing one to Ruby Preston and the other to Naomi Kenway.

Naomi accepted it with a smile. "Thank you, Sean."

Simon Sawyer shook his head.

"You don’t have to be so formal with him," Ruby Preston said. She took a sip of water, leaned back in her chair, and sighed, her gaze fixed on the screen. "An actor with a sizable role got blacklisted by the authorities for tax evasion. It’s a real pain to deal with in post-production."

Naomi glanced around. "Have you been on set these past few days?"

"There’s just been a lot of frustrating things to deal with." She smiled and glanced at Simon Sawyer. "I’ve been practically living on set. Sean’s dad went abroad for a shoot the day before yesterday, and the grandparents are away on a trip, so I had no choice but to have Sean stay here with me at the hotel. Thankfully, he’s obedient and doesn’t make a fuss. His dad gets back the day after tomorrow. I’ll have Old Sinclair pick him up then."

Simon looked like he wanted to say something but held back. Finally, he spoke up. "I’ll be really quiet. Can I stay here a little longer?"

Ruby Preston turned to look at him, confused. "Since when are you so interested in the set? When you were little, didn’t you say you hated it more than anything? I guess kids’ tastes change as they get older?"

Simon pressed his lips together, not saying a word. He seemed to be gathering his thoughts. After a moment, he said, "In any case, I’m staying here."

"The room here is small, and I’m often up late, so I’ll just disturb your sleep. Sean, you should just have your dad take you home."

"I’m staying here." Simon seemed unusually stubborn on this point.

Ruby Preston paused. "There’s nothing fun to do here, and you’ve been losing sleep because of me. Be a good boy, son. Just go home with your dad, okay?"

Seeing the determined look in Ruby Preston’s eyes, Simon pursed his lips. "It’s stuffy in here," he said. "I want to go outside and get some sun."

Ruby Preston quickly called for her assistant. "Crowe, take Sean out for a bit. He’s not very talkative, but he’s got a curious streak. Take him around and see if anything nearby catches his interest."

Simon headed out, saying goodbye to Naomi on his way. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Naomi withdrew her gaze and commented, "Sean is a good boy. He’s smart and so polite."

"He is," Ruby Preston sighed again. "He’s a great kid, but his attitude is so strange. He’s considerate and polite to everyone else, but he can barely string a few words together when he’s with me." A sad look crossed her face. "I don’t understand why he dislikes me so much. ’Is it something I’ve done wrong?’"

Naomi was taken aback. Looking at Ruby Preston’s weary face, she asked in astonishment, "Sean dislikes you? Why would you think that?"

The question made Ruby Preston’s hand freeze on the mouse. She looked lost, asking in return, "He doesn’t?" She managed a weak, bitter smile. "It feels like he’s just naturally distant with me. I feel so guilty, so I’ve been trying really hard to win him over. I buy him any toy or snack he wants, without a second thought. I support whatever classes he’s interested in. I’ve never forced him to do a single thing he doesn’t want to do..."

"I know my son is a good person, but he’s always so cold to me. I just don’t know what to do. Ugh, never mind..." Ruby Preston pressed a hand to her aching head. "As long as he grows up healthy and happy, that’s what’s most important. How he feels about me doesn’t matter as much."

Naomi listened intently, frowning slightly. "Hazel Preston, have you ever really thought about what Sean wants most?"

Ruby Preston thought for a moment. "He doesn’t really want anything special. If I see something he likes, I just buy it for him."

"That’s not right. There’s one thing he wants more than anything, but you’ve never given it to him."

Ruby Preston frowned in confusion. "What is it?"

"Your company. What he wants most is your company. When he said he wanted to stay here, it wasn’t because he was interested in the set—it was because he wanted to be near you."

Ruby Preston sounded incredulous. "But he acts like he dislikes me so much. Why would he possibly want to be near me? That’s impossible."

"I think he misses having you around, Hazel Preston. He craves your company but doesn’t know how to show it, which is why his behavior seems so difficult to you. But think about it—does Sean really dislike you? He might be quiet, but he never stops caring about you. I believe you can feel that, deep down."

Ruby Preston fell silent. She was starting to realize she’d been overlooking things. For instance, how a glass of water would appear on her desk whenever her throat felt dry. Or how, when she was working into the early hours of the morning, Simon Sawyer would complain that her mouse clicking was too loud and order her to go to bed.

Naomi could tell that memories were surfacing for Ruby. She said gently, "Hazel Preston, I think we touched on this before. I hope you don’t think I’m prying. It’s just that you’ve been so supportive, like a big sister to me, and I’m really fond of Sean."

"Of course not," Ruby Preston said. "I’m glad you told me." She lowered her gaze. "I’ve never noticed any of that." She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. The long hours had clearly taken a toll; she looked exhausted, and a few white hairs stood out against her once jet-black hair.

She stared blankly at a spot on the table. Following her gaze, Naomi saw what she was looking at: the ping-pong ball Simon Sawyer had left behind.

Naomi’s heart ached for them. "Sean wants to stay, doesn’t he? Why don’t you let him? I’m sure he’d be thrilled."

Ruby Preston paused. Meeting Naomi Kenway’s clear, steady gaze, she agreed.

With that topic set aside for the moment, Naomi Kenway and Ruby Preston went back to discussing promotional strategies.