"Humph..." Mrs. Green snorted disdainfully. "A bully’s mother is a bully. Now I understand why that girl turned out like this."
"I didn’t bully her," Seraphina said. "It’s Natalie. She hit me. She always did."
Natalie made a tight, angry pout.
"She pushed me often," Seraphina continued. "She pulled my hair and threw my bag away. One day, she splashed water on me and broke my water bottle."
As she recounted, her voice shook. "She always called me a bastard. She said I didn’t have a father."
The words left a hollow ache inside Elowen’s heart. She had never known her daughter had been enduring all this alone.
"She is really a bastard," Natalie snapped. Her face was filled with defiance. "She doesn’t have a father."
"I have a father," Seraphina cried out.
"If you have a father, why hasn’t he come here? We’ve never seen him."
Elowen went numb in her place.
Her child had been bullied and had been called a bastard again and again because no one at the school had ever seen her father.
Her chest ached painfully as she realized loving Soren had never protected her and her daughter from being hurt.
Soren had been absent from Seraphina’s life for far too long. If he had paid a little attention to their daughter, no one could have dared say such things to her.
"How could the school enroll a bastard child like her?" Mrs. Green thundered. "She should be expelled."
She reached out and tugged at Seraphina’s arm, ready to drag her out of the classroom.
"Don’t touch her." Elowen shoved the woman away.
The force sent Mrs. Green stumbling backward. She lost her balance and fell. Shocked, she couldn’t react for a moment.
The teacher stood frozen in the corner.
Natalie rushed over to her mother. "Mom..."
Anger returned to her eyes. Mrs. Green got to her feet.
"You pushed me? Do you know who I am? My husband is the CEO of Green Holdings. He can make you disappear from this city in a blink."
Her glare was full of warning. "Apologize to me. Now."
Elowen didn’t flinch. She leveled the glare. "Your daughter bullied mine. Then you tried to hurt her. You should be the one apologizing."
"You..." Mrs. Green lost her composure completely. "How dare you demand an apology?"
"Why wouldn’t I?" Elowen retaliated. "Look at my daughter."
She pointed at the red marks on Seraphina’s face. "The fingerprints are clearly visible on her cheek. It’s obvious that an adult hit her. You beat her."
Then she showed Seraphina’s torn sleeve. "Her dress is torn. She has scratch marks on her shoulder, hands, and knees. She is in a mess. It showed how brutally she was harassed. And your daughter..."
Elowen took a quick look at the little girl beside Mrs. Green.
"She looks fine. That tells me enough about who was actually being bullied. And you want my daughter expelled? I’ll talk to the principal myself and demand justice."
Mrs. Green laughed mockingly. "Go ahead and talk to him."
She folded her arms.
"But let me tell you this... The principal won’t listen to you. He will take my daughter’s side. Do you know why?"
She stepped closer with a proud look on her face. "The school receives thousands of dollars from the Green family every year. The principal won’t take any action against my daughter. Instead, he will expel Seraphina."
Elowen frowned. Uncertainty crept into her heart.
’What if the principal sides with the Green family?’
She was worried Seraphina would be falsely accused and expelled.
Her thoughts immediately turned to Soren. At that moment, she genuinely thought of calling him and asking him to come to the school. If he appeared, the Green family could do nothing.
But that thought faded almost immediately.
’Why would he come? He must be busy with his work.’
She clenched her fingers. She no longer trusted him.
"What? Scared now?" Mrs. Green scoffed, noticing Elowen’s hesitation. "Are you regretting it now?"
Elowen gritted her teeth. "I don’t regret it."
She didn’t need anyone’s help. She would protect her daughter on her own.
"I believe the principal will see the truth."
Mrs. Green drew several deep breaths, trying to rein in her anger. "Fine. Let’s go to the principal."
She stormed out of the classroom, holding her daughter’s hand.
Elowen turned to Seraphina. Her eyes softened. "Does it hurt?"
Seraphina gave a small nod. "It hurts. But I am not thinking about it." She sniffed. "What if the principal expels me?"
Elowen caressed her hair, forcing a reassuring smile. "Mommy is here. I’ll talk to the principal. I’m sure he will listen to us."
She held her hand. "Come. Let’s go see him."
Together, they left the classroom.
Mrs. Green gave Elowen a taunting smile as she raised her hand and knocked on the door to the principal’s office.
"Come in."
She pushed the door open and walked in.
"Principal Smith," she started, not paying attention to the man sitting across from the principal. "My daughter has been bullied at school. Her classmate attacked her."
She pulled Natalie forward and showed the scratch on her elbow. "Take a look. She is injured."
The middle-aged man’s face turned grave. "This is intolerable. Who did this to you? Tell me the name, and I’ll take the proper action."
Mrs. Green’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction. She pointed at the door.
"She did that."
At that exact moment, Elowen and Seraphina walked in. Their eyes fell on the familiar figure.
Soren
Elowen’s chest rose suddenly. She was momentarily breathless.
’What is he doing here?’ Her knees almost gave out.
The principal’s eyes narrowed when he saw Seraphina’s bruised face and torn clothes. Before he could ask anything, Soren suddenly rose from his seat and rushed over to them.
"Sera? Elowen?" Shock and worry warred on his face. "What the hell happened?"
He crouched in front of Seraphina. "Sera..."
Seeing her in that messy state, his heart twisted painfully.
Seraphina’s lips trembled. She burst into tears and threw herself into his arms.
Soren held her tightly. "It’s okay." He gently stroked her hair. "Daddy is here."
Seraphina sobbed against his chest. She wanted to tell him everything, but she couldn’t speak at that moment.
Slowly, a dark look crossed Soren’s face. "Tell me, who dared to hurt you?"
"Mr. Vale." The principal rose to his feet. "Do you know them?"
Soren turned his head toward him. His face went still, but the anger in his eyes was unmistakable.
"She is my daughter."
The words landed like a bomb. The principal’s face paled instantly.
"Your daughter?"
Soren had just donated a million to the school, and his daughter had just been bullied.
The principal didn’t know what to do or say.
Not only he, but Mrs. Green and Natalie were shocked too. They had believed Seraphina had no father. That was why they had been so confident that the Green family would overpower Elowen.
But her father was right there in the principal’s office.
Mrs. Green’s expression turned complicated. ’He doesn’t look like an ordinary guy.’