"Just now, I told you to take care of my daughter." Soren stood, his deep voice piercing the office. "And this is how your school treated her?"
The principal’s face burned with shame. He lowered his gaze, unable to meet Soren’s eyes.
"Mr. Vale... I didn’t know anything about it..."
"Principal Smith," Mrs. Green interrupted sharply. "Why are you even wasting your time talking to them? That girl bullied my daughter. Expel her right away."
She believed no one would dare to challenge the Green family.
"Sera is the one who was hurt," Soren snapped back. "Look at her face and clothes. Do you still have doubts?"
Mrs. Green’s confidence faltered for a moment. But she still stood her ground.
"It’s her who pushed my daughter first." She pointed at Seraphina accusingly. "My daughter only retaliated."
"Retaliated?" Soren thundered. "My daughter was practically beaten. Her dress was torn. You call it retaliation?"
For the first time, Mrs. Green was nervous.
"And you have the nerve to demand that the principal expel her?"
"Daddy," Seraphina tugged at his sleeve, "Natalie called me a bastard. She said I didn’t have a father. She bullied me every day."
She wiped her eyes. "Then her mother slapped me."
"A bastard?" Soren’s jaw flexed, a telltale sign of his anger. "This is what children are being taught in this school."
He quirked his lips into a dangerous smile. "I made a wrong decision. Now, I’ll wipe out the existence of this school."
"No... Mr. Vale." The principal rushed over to Soren. He was visibly shaking in nervousness. "Please spare the school. I-I’ll take proper action. Give me a chance."
"Ah..." Natalie started crying loudly. "Mom. I didn’t do anything. It’s her fault."
"Principal Smith," Mrs. Green stepped forward. "You can’t take action against my daughter just because someone made an accusation. That girl is certainly lying. She might have torn her dress on her own to frame Natalie."
"Yes," Natalie joined her mother instantly. "She attacked me first. I only defended myself. I don’t know how her dress got torn."
"No, you are lying," Seraphina protested. "You hit me again and again."
"Girl, stop spreading lies," Mrs. Green thundered furiously. "You have no proof that Natalie hit you."
"Is that so?" Soren raised an eyebrow. "Principal Smith, I believe you have surveillance cameras in school."
The principal nodded frantically. "We do. Let me check the footage right away."
He hurried back to his desk and began searching through the security recordings.
Mrs. Green shifted uneasily, growing nervous. She had completely forgotten about the cameras installed in every corner of the school.
The footage appeared on the computer screen.
The principal’s face was ashen.
Natalie pushed Seraphina down. She snatched away Seraphina’s backpack and dumped its contents onto the floor. She then pulled her hair and tore her clothes.
Seraphina struggled to get away, but Natalie continued to hit her.
The principal wiped the sweat from his brow. He could hardly believe that a six- or seven-year-old little girl could do something so cruel.
He swallowed and looked up at Soren. "You should look at this."
He turned the screen toward him.
Soren leaned forward, his eyes fixated on the screen. As the footage played, his features tightened.
Behind him, Elowen gasped in shock.
Mrs. Green looked disturbed. The confidence she had carried a moment ago started to crack.
"This is insane," Soren muttered through his clenched teeth. His fingers curled against the edge of the desk. "After seeing this, what are you going to do, Principal?"
The principal looked hesitant.
For years, the school had received a substantial amount of donations from the Green family. He owed them. But he couldn’t afford to offend Soren either.
He was trapped between the two powerful families.
"Are you hesitating, principal?" Soren’s voice dropped dangerously. "Even after seeing the footage?"
He straightened. "If you don’t take action, I’ll call the police."
"Mr. Vale. Please don’t involve the cops," the principal begged. "I-I promised you. I’ll take action."
He then turned to face Mrs. Green. "This is a shame that such an incident happened in the school. Natalie bullied Seraphina. The evidence is clear. I can’t ignore it. Apologize to Seraphina, Natalie."
"I am sorry," Natalie murmured, lowering her head.
"That’s not enough," Soren said. "If you let it go with a simple apology, she will bully my daughter again later. She can harm other children too. You have to take strong action."
The principal had no choice. He took a deep breath and said, "She will be suspended for a week."
"What?" Mrs. Green exclaimed. "Suspension? Are you out of your mind, Principal Smith? We donated to the school for years. And this is how you repay us?"
"This is precisely why I am only suspending her for seven days. Or I would have taken a much harsher measure."
Her eyes hardened at his words. "You are scared of that man?"
She threw Soren a disdainful look. "He is nothing compared to my husband."
She lifted her chin arrogantly. "My husband is the CEO of Green Holdings. One phone call, and he can make him disappear."
Soren chuckled. "This is ridiculous. Threatening me?"
Mrs. Green met his eyes unwaveringly. "Yes, I am. What can you do?"
Soren stepped back and stood beside Seraphina. "What you and your daughter did to my Sera is enough to wipe out the existence of Green Holdings."
Mrs. Green burst into laughter. "What a joke. Green Holdings is not something you can mess with."
Soren didn’t waste his time answering her. Instead, he took his phone out of his pocket and dialed Kael.
"Kael, the Green family offended my daughter. I want Green Holdings to go bankrupt in a week. Cancel all the projects we have with them."
Instead of being worried, Mrs. Green laughed louder. "Are you serious now? You..." She pointed at him mockingly. "You think you can make Green Holdings collapse?"
"Believe it or not," Soren said, "the Green family is finished. You messed with the wrong person. Now face the consequences."
Her smile disappeared. Anger surged even hotter.
"This is too much. I won’t tolerate it any longer. Your whole family should be punished. I’ll call my husband right away. He will teach you a good lesson."
She reached into her bag. Just then, her phone rang.
It was her husband.
"Hubby," she answered immediately. "You have to come to school right away. Our daughter was bullied. And there is a strange man here threatening to..."
"Whom did you offend?" Mr. Green’s sharp voice boomed through the speaker.
"The Vale Corporation has cancelled every project with us. The investors pulled away altogether. The banks are demanding repayment of the loans in five days. My office phone is ringing continuously. The partners are cancelling the contracts one by one. What the hell did you do?"
Mrs. Green’s face turned deadly pale. She slowly lifted her head to Soren.
He was standing there calmly, as if he had known this would happen.
"So, he wasn’t lying," she murmured in a daze.
"What are you talking about?" Mr. Green snapped.
"Hubby, I am sorry. I-I offended Mr. Vale. I didn’t know his identity."
"What? Mr. Vale! Have you lost your mind?"
Mrs. Green trembled in fear. The phone almost slipped from her hand.
"You... Let me fix this matter first. Then I’ll deal with you."
The line went dead.
Mrs. Green stood frozen, staring at the phone in her trembling hand.