"What... what on earth is going on here?"


    At that moment, Ste, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke up, her voice calm but unwavering.


    "Your son, Sheldon, has been leading the charge in ostracizing and bullying my son, Haynes, at their previous preschool. And today, because of an argument with Marvin, he started a fight with him too."


    She handed her phone to Mr. Ayers, whose face was frozen in bewilderment.


    "This is the footage from today. Why don''t you take a look, Mr. Ayers?"


    Mr. Ayers epted the phone, forcing an obsequious smile. "Thank you, Deanna."


    Since Keen was Sheldon''s ssmate, Mr. Ayers had attended Keen''s birthday party as well. He''d witnessed Ste''s humiliation firsthand that day. But as a seasoned businessman, he was far shrewder than his wife and knew how to read a room. Unlike Mrs. Ayers, who wore her disdain openly, Mr. Ayers made sure to show Ste nothing but respect, bowing and scraping as if she were an important client. Mrs. Ayers could hardly believe her eyes. Her heart skipped with a sudden jolt of anxiety. Had she gone too far with her arrogance toward Ste just now?


    Mr. Ayers finished watching the video quickly. His face darkened, lips pressed into a grim line, his hand trembling as he held the phone.


    No wonder... No wonder Neville and Haynes had looked at him that way. So his son hadn''t just bullied Haynes'' child-he''d even gotten into a fight with Neville''s


    son.


    Mr. Ayers'' jaw clenched. He forced a smile, though his cheeks twitched with strain.


    "Mr. Connolly, Mr. O''Brien, kids are young-they don''t know any better. Please, let me apologize to both of you, and to your children. Tell me, what can I do to make this right?"


    He lowered himself so much he was practically bending in half, his humility on full disy. Mrs. Ayers stared in shock, eyes wide and mouth agape. Instinctively, she jumped in to defend herself, "But it was Neville''s son who threw the first punch! Just look at Sheldon-he''s the one who got hurt the most!"


    She tugged Sheldon forward as evidence. Mr. Ayers shot her a murderous re. "Would you just shut up?!"


    Neville drawledzily, "When I arrived, your wife wanted Star and my son to kneel and apologize. Now, asking someone to kneel is a bit much, I''ll admit, but hey, that was her idea of an apology. If I refuse, wouldn''t that be disrespecting your dear wife, Mr. Ayers? Don''t you agree?"


    In that instant, Mr. Ayers finally understood how he''d offended Neville. He turned and, without warning, pped Mrs. Ayers hard across the face.


    Smack!


    Stars exploded in Mrs. Ayers'' vision. She clutched her cheek, staring at her husband in disbelief.


    Mr. Ayers red at her, his voice trembling with rage. "I bust my back for this family, and you— you cause trouble everywhere you go! Damn it! Get down on your knees this instant and apologize to Mr. Connolly, or so help me—!"


    He yanked Sheldon over as well. "You too!"


    Neville interjected, "Leave the children out of this. If a child misbehaves, the fault lies with the parents. The adults can apologize on their behalf."


    At this point, Mr. Ayers knew that if Neville asked him to grovel, he''d do it—he''d eat dirt if necessary. Their family''s reputation-maybe even their entire livelihood was on the line.


    Swallowing his pride, Mr. Ayers dropped to his knees with a heavy thud.


    "Marvin, I am truly sorry. This was entirely our fault. I hope you can forgive us."


    But Marvin simply pointed at Ste, standing quietly to the side. "You''re apologizing to the wrong person. You should be saying sorry to Ste."