Ste knew Marvin would never start a fight for no reason.


    Her gaze shifted to Sheldon, who stood quietly in the corner.


    "Sheldon," she said gently, "tell everyone what made you two argue."


    Sheldon opened his mouth as if to speak, but when his eyes met Marvin''s, he lowered his head and fell silent, unable to say a word.


    Mrs. Ayers immediately stepped protectively in front of her son.


    "Don''t you dare try to intimidate my boy!"


    Haynes, having picked up on the tension in the room, spoke in a deep, steady voice.


    "Maybe we should rewind the security footage a little further."


    Ste nced at the preschool teachers. "That''s all the footage we have."


    The teachers'' faces paled.


    They had witnessed how everything had unfolded, but they didn''t dare show the


    full video. That''s why only part of it was handed over.


    If Haynes were to discover that his son had been deliberately targeted at preschool-


    There would be serious consequences for them all.


    Neville read the fear on the teachers'' faces and immediately understood.


    His lips curled into a cold, mocking smile.


    "You''re afraid of upsetting Haynes, but you have no problem throwing my son under the bus? As educators, as the principal and teachers of this school, is this really the lesson you want to teach-rewarding the powerful, sacrificing the innocent?"


    He paused, his tone icy.


    "Looks like this preschool is due for aplete overhaul."


    Neville pulled out his phone and dialed a number.


    "I need a copy of a security video-from my son''s preschool. Full recording, no edits."


    He added, almost as an afterthought, "And while you''re at it, make sure the entire staff, including the principal, is reced. They''re all hopelessly biased."


    The principal and teachers, hearing these words, all looked stricken.


    But as soon as they nced at Haynes standing nearby, their panic faded and they straightened up, as if emboldened by his presence.


    Neville''s eyes narrowed. His smile was razor-thin.


    "You really don''t seem worried at all. Do you think your connections will protect you?"


    His gaze swept over Haynes.


    Haynes, feeling Neville''s eyes on him, frowned but said nothing.


    About five minutester, Neville''s phone pinged-theplete, unedited security footage had arrived.


    He yed it for everyone.


    The video was crystal clear-even the audio was sharp.


    Keen and Marvin''s conversation could be heard without any trouble.


    When Keen''s voice rang out—"No one wants to y with you anymore”—the room fell into an icy, suffocating silence.


    In that instant, Ste understood why Marvin hadn''te to her thesest few days.


    He''d been bullied at preschool.


    She never could have imagined something so cruel would happen in a ce meant for children''s happiness.


    She whipped her head toward Haynes, her gaze colder than he''d ever seen.


    Haynes instinctively began, "I never told anyone to do this—"


    But before he could finish, the sharp crack of a p echoed through the room. Ste''s hand had struck his face, hard.


    "Haynes, you''re despicable!" she spat.


    Stunned silence. No one dared to move or even breathe.


    Wasn''t it said that they were divorced? Wasn''t Ste supposed to be powerless in


    front of the O''Brien family?


    How did she have the nerve to p Haynes in front of everyone?


    Mrs. Ayers, Sheldon''s mother, stood frozen in shock.


    Just then, the principal and teachers'' phones began to ring, one after another.


    Each of them answered, only to have their faces drain of color.


    The message was the same-brutally concise.


    "You''re fired."


    They tried to protest, to exin, but the calls ended abruptly. No one was willing to listen.