The Ten-Dollar Lunch

I did not stop.

I slapped him across the other side of his face.

"You touched my son! I'll kill you!"

My voice came out raw, my eyes burning red.

Mark finally reacted. Like a street thug, he shrieked and lunged at me.

"You bastard, you dare hit me? Do you know who my wife is?"

He grabbed a glass cup from a desk and hurled it at me.

I dodged sideways. The cup smashed against the wall, scattering shards across the floor.

Mark picked up a sharp piece of broken glass and pointed it at me. His eyes were venomous.

"My wife is Karen Blake, regional director at Apex Capital! Hit me again and I'll destroy you and your son. I'll make sure you can't live in this city!"

At that moment, Ms. Walker and several security guards rushed in after hearing the commotion.

Ms. Walker took one look at the scene and immediately pointed at me.

"Ethan, have you lost your mind? How dare you attack someone inside the preschool?

"Grab him! If anything happens to Mark, can you afford the consequences?"

The guards moved toward me.

Mark stood there with the glass shard in his hand, his smile twisted and smug.

"Scared now? Too late. I'm going to make you and your brat kneel down and lick my shoes."

I held Theo tightly in my arms and stared at him. The cold in my eyes felt like it could freeze the air.

I ignored the guards closing in on me and knelt to carefully cradle Theo's hand.

His soft little hand now had a deep shoe print across it. The skin was already swelling, red turning into purple.

Theo was trembling from the pain, but he bit down on his lip and tried not to cry. He only looked at me with frightened eyes.

The sight stabbed into my chest like a knife. I could barely breathe.

I stood, sweeping a cold gaze over Ms. Walker and the guards.

"Try touching me. Any one of you."

My voice was not loud, but the chill in it made the guards stop instinctively.

I took out my phone and called the police.

"Bright Horizons Bilingual Preschool, Southside campus. A man intentionally harmed a child and is threatening people with a weapon."

After hanging up, I turned back to Mark.

"You said your wife works where? Apex Capital? Karen Blake?"

Mark mistook my question for fear. He lifted his chin proudly, still waving the glass shard.

"Now you're scared? Let me tell you something. My wife's network in this city is beyond anything a bottom-feeder like you can imagine.

"Get on your knees and apologize right now. Maybe I'll let you keep breathing."

Ms. Walker chimed in with the same slimy tone.

"Ethan, I told you long ago that people should know when to bow their heads. Mark's background is not something you can afford to offend.

"Now you've made such a mess. Not only will Theo be expelled, you won't be able to find work anywhere in this city."

I looked at the two clowns and almost laughed from anger.

I did not bother arguing.

Instead, I called my assistant.

"Prepare every file we have on Apex Capital. Notify legal. We are pursuing criminal charges.

"Also, have the person in charge of Apex get to Bright Horizons within ten minutes."