First Day of School, His Fall

But Olivia’s son Ethan Hayes snatched my phone from the ground and waved it tauntingly at me.

Helpless, I looked to the homeroom teacher, who had been hiding in the background, silently begging her to intervene.

Instead, she stepped over to Olivia’s side.

“Why not just let everyone check, Lily’s mom? That way you can clear your name.”

I clung to Lily tightly, but in the struggle, her pink diamond bunny hair clip fell and shattered into pieces.

It was a gift from my father Charles for her tenth birthday—her most treasured possession.

Lily broke down in tears.

“My bunny clip! Mom, my favorite pink bunny is broken!”

Her pain cut me like a knife.

I had always raised my two daughters to value humility, teaching them never to flaunt their privileges. They had always listened, keeping low profiles.

But humility should not be mistaken for weakness to be trampled on.

My eyes swept over the parents who had laid hands on her, sharp and cold.

“A single hair clip could cost your families everything. Worth it.”

Olivia sneered.

“You expect us to believe that? It’s just cheap plastic. I wouldn’t pay five bucks for it. Bankrupt us? You must be insane.”

“Just standing near you makes the air filthy.”

One sharp-eyed parent picked up the broken pieces, eyes widening. Their face paled.

“This… this has an Argyle Pink Diamond Certification! Only legendary top-tier diamonds carry that mark.”

Two more parents bent down to look, their faces draining of color.

“My husband told me diamonds of this level don’t circulate on the market. They only show up at auctions, starting at no less than five million dollars!”

“Now that you mention it, I remember—two years ago at an auction, a pink diamond shaped like a bunny was sold to a mysterious buyer. Could it be…?”

“Maybe she really is someone powerful.”

The contempt in the parents’ eyes shifted into unease and fear.

“You’ve all gone crazy! Can’t you see she’s a fraud? Just pretending to be high-class, and you all fell for it?”

“I saw her walking her daughter to school this morning. Not even a beat-up car to their name. She’s nothing but a piece of trash who pulled a few tricks to scare you idiots. Pathetic!”

Olivia cursed the other parents, but a few, not wanting more trouble, pulled their kids away. Only her close allies stayed, trying to calm her down.

“Olivia, maybe it’s better to drop this. If this blows up, it’ll hurt Crestwood Academy’s reputation.”

“Yeah, they’re leaving the school anyway. Out of sight, out of mind.”

Olivia smirked at me, taking the excuse.

“Fine. Make them kneel and kowtow 500 times to me and my son, then leave Crestwood. I might be merciful enough to let them go.”

Lily’s feverish face flushed red, her breathing growing heavier. My heart clenched.

I shoved Olivia aside.

“You’re not worthy of our kowtow. Move. If anything happens to my daughter, I’ll make you pay.”

Olivia slapped me hard across the face, splitting my lip.

“Still so stubborn? I’ll show you just what I’m capable of.”