Chapter 28
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Arriving at the preschool with Logan, Isabella was still in high spirits, even smiling faintly as she stepped out of the car. Cotning here together with Logan gave her the distinct, satisfying feeling of being Samuel’s parents.
Her good mood lasted until they walked into the office and she saw the scratches and bruises on Melvin and the other boys
faces. Her smile froze
Secing Logan enter, the gathered parents immediately turned their attention to him. While they all moved in similar social circles and usually showed Logan deference, their patience had worn thin after repeated incidents involving Samuel
This time, they weren’t backing down. Especially Melvin’s mother. She had rushed over the moment the school called.
Seeing her son’s scraped forehead and the angry red marks on his face had shattered her composure. She had already slammed a hand on the teacher’s desk earlier.
Now, seeing Logan, she didn’t hold back. “Mr. Eliot, we all respect you, but you can’t teach your son to throw his weight around like this.
“Melvin is our only child. We’ve never laid a hand on him. Now look at what Samuel has done to him.
“Mrs. Harris, Mrs. Marquez, let’s not mince words here. If we don’t get to the bottom of this today, our children will just keep getting bullied.
“Mr. Eliot, even if it means offending you, we’re settling this today.” Following Melvin’s mother’s lead, the other parents chimed in with their own angry complaints.
Soon, the office was filled with a chorus of complaints directed at Samuel. Samuel, still so young, flushed bright red under the barrage of criticism from so many adults.
Before Logan could speak, Samuel looked desperately at Isabella, his voice trembling. “Isabella, you said you’d help me!
“You said you wouldn’t be like Mommy, making me apologize. You said you’d always protect me no matter what!
“I did everything you said. Why is everyone mad at me? Why aren’t you helping?” Tears of grievance finally spilled over, and Samuel began to cry.
The focus of every adult in the room shifted instantly to Isabella. A conflict between children was one thing. But if a child’s actions were instructed by an adult, that changed everything.
“Ms. Hewitt, what kind of person teaches a child that?” Melvin’s mother exploded, her voice rising. “Look what you’ve done. Just look at my son.
“By your logic, if we don’t need to care about right and wrong or apologize, should I just hit you right now to make myself feel better?”
“Exactly, Ms. Hewitt, Mrs. Harris joined in sharply. “Even if you don’t have children of your own, how could you be so malicious as to poison someone else’s child?
Teaching a child to form cliques, to use treats to get other kids to gang up on someone is that what an adult should do?”
At that very moment, Melvin let out a sudden, wet cough and spat a small, white fragment onto his palm–a broken tooth.
Seeing it, his mother’s control snapped completely. She snatched up the tooth, marched over to Isabella, and slapped her across the face.
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2:27 am
Chapter 28
55 Vouchers
“Even if it means a full–blown feud with the Eliot family, I can’t take this anymore. My son came to school and got beaten so badly he lost a tooth! I will not let this go. If the school doesn’t give us a satisfactory resolution, I’ll take this public.
“Let’s see if anyone can ignore a child getting his tooth knocked out at school.” Fuming, she pulled out her phone and started recording video, capturing her son’s injury and the broken tooth.
Stung by the slap, Isabella’s first instinct was to turn to Logan, to seek his comfort and demand he defend her. But seeing the situation spiraling completely out of control, fear clamped her mouth shut.
She shrank back, not daring to utter another word. Seeing even Isabella get hit, Samuel fell silent too, just staring at his father with watery, pleading eyes.
Seeing his son’s pitiful expression, Logan’s protective instinct kicked in. He pulled Samuel behind him and addressed the angry parents, his voice tight. “What exactly do you want?”
“Samuel has been causing disruptions at school repeatedly,” Mrs. Marquez, who had been quiet until now, spoke up with cold clarity.
“Besides the cotton candy incident, I’ve also seen evidence he’s been posting school problems online for others to solve. That kind of behavior sets a terrible example for the other children.
“Mr. Eliot, we’re not targeting you. We wouldn’t dare. We pay a premium to send our children here for the quality education and safe environment.”
“But with incidents like this happening again and again, our children aren’t learning in a good environment. Their basic safety isn’t even guaranteed.
“Frankly, we’re worried about what might happen next. Our request is simple. Please take Samuel home for a while. Otherwise, none of us can feel safe leaving our children here.”
“I know your family is a major stakeholder in this school. It seems unfair to ask for your child to leave. But facts are facts. We all enrolled through proper channels. You can’t just rely on your family.”
Mrs. Marquez trailed off, lowering her head, stopping short of saying the truly harsh words. But even this much was enough. Logan’s face was a mask of barely–contained fury.
He had never, in his entire life, been spoken to in such a humiliating way. In business, he was decisive and ruthless. But this involved children, and his own child was clearly in the wrong. He couldn’t just silence them.
He glanced back at the sniffling Samuel, then bent down, scooped the boy into his arms, and turned to leave without another word, throwing a cold remark over his shoulder. “Discuss compensation with my assistant.”
His dismissive áttitude only further enraged the already furious parents. They couldn’t stop Logan from leaving with his son. So, they turned their anger on the next available target.
Before Isabella could follow Logan out, several hands reached out and yanked her back. “Make sure you tell Mr. Eliot,” Melvin’s mother hissed, her face contorted with rage.
“We don’t want his money. We want you to pay for what you did.” With that, she raised her hand and slapped Isabella hard across the face again.
The other two mothers, their own anger boiling over, needed no further encouragement. They closed in, and several more sharp, stinging slaps landed on Isabella’s cheeks in rapid succession.
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
