"I did not! You''re the ones who yelled at me and hit me-you even knocked out


    my tooth! And now you''re lying!" Adrian''s wails grew louder as he clung tightly to M''s hand, "Mom, they''re picking on me! They''re being mean!"


    The nurse''s office was suddenly filled with the sound of children crying.


    One shriek after another echoed off the sterile walls.


    No one could make heads or tails of what had actually happened.


    As tempers red and the adults from both sides looked ready to sh again, the teacher hurried to step between them, raising her voice over the din, "Let''s all calm down, please! Parents, let''s just settle down for a moment. Let''s get the kids to quiet down first, and then we can figure out what happened, alright?"


    "Leonard!" M called out first.


    Leonard didn''t look back. With a casual motion, he brushed past the two bodyguards Randall had brought, his expression cool as he returned to M''s side.


    Cara shrank further into the corner, silent and tense.


    ...


    Soon, the two groups had separated to opposite sides of the nurse''s office, a teacher stationed between them. Each parent tried to soothe their own child. After much effort, the room finally quieted enough for a proper conversation. But as soon as the adults tried to make sense of things, each child told a different story.


    Parker insisted he was justughing and talking with his friends when Adrian ran in and started hitting them. He said Adrian kept insulting him even after they came to the nurse''s office, which led to another scuffle.


    "That''s not true at all!"


    Adrian clung even tighter to M''s hand, his wordsing out slurred and lisping through the gap in his teeth, "Mom, they made fun of me for not having a mom or dad-they even said bad things about my dad..." His eyes filled with tears and he choked up. "I couldn''t take it, so I argued with them. That''s when they hit me. I only fought back because they started it."


    Parker''s bruised face flushed even darker with anger. He pointed at Adrian, his hand shaking, "Liar! You threw the first punch-I didn''t even touch you!"


    "You still cursed my parents!" Adrian shouted back.


    M''s eyes grew cold.


    She could tell what had happened. Never mind who threw the first punch-Parker had definitely said something cruel.


    And words like that don''t juste out of a child''s mouth for no reason.


    Unless an adult had set the example.


    M''s icy gaze shifted to Randall. He seemed uneasy and looked away for a split second, but then his eyes snapped back to hers, defiant. "My son has always been gentle he wouldn''t hurt a fly. He''s the kind of kid who walks around an earthworm on the sidewalk. He would never hit anyone. Adrian must have provoked him. Besides, his father was-"


    "Bang!"


    M mmed her hand on the table, making the medicine bottles jump. Her eyes were sharp as she stared down Randall, her voice cold. "Mr. Parker, watch your words."


    Randall fell silent.


    He felt a twinge of guilt, but M''s calm, unyielding manner only made him more resentful. He opened his mouth to retort, but then caught sight of Leonard behind M. Leonard''s face was expressionless as he stepped forward, just enough to remind Randall he was there.


    M, at least, was reasonable. She could be tough, but she always left some room forpromise.


    But Leonard-he was cut from the same ruthless cloth as histe boss, Lysander Montgomery. Not someone you wanted to cross. If you got on his bad side, he wouldn''t just make you regret it—he''d make you wish you''d never been born.


    Randall had thought that with Lysander gone, as one of the major shareholders, Montgomery Holdings would finally be his. He never expected someone like M to appear out of nowhere-tough, sharp, and hard to manipte, with more than a hint of Lysander''s presence. Her status was rock solid, and even Leonard, that old wolf, followed her every word. There was no shaking her.


    She was nothing but trouble.


    He could swallow his pride when it came to corporate battles. But when it came to his own child, he wasn''t backing down. He wanted answers today, no matter what.


    Of course, M was thinking the exact same thing.


    This matter with the children wouldn''t be dropped.


    ...


    "Ms. Stephanie, would you mind telling us what you saw?"


    When it became clear the children''s stories didn''t match, M turned to the quiet teacher, ncing at her name badge with a softer tone.


    Finally, Ms. Stephanie had a chance to speak.


    She let out a relieved sigh and began to recount what she''d learned from the children who had been there.


    Parker had, in fact, been the first to say something nasty.


    But it was Adrian who threw the first punch.


    As for the fight in the nurse''s office, Ms. Stephanie hesitated, struggling to exin. After a moment, she admitted, "After I brought both boys here, separated them. But then Adrian suddenly rushed in and


    grabbed Parker, arguing about something. By the time I got in, they were already fighting again."


    She couldn''t say for sure who started that second fight.


    "No matter what, hitting is wrong!" Randall jumped in as soon as he heard Adrian had struck first. "Maybe my son said something out of line, but he''s a kid-kids say things they don''t mean. You correct them, that''s all. At least he didn''t get violent. Is this how you raise your child-throwing punches because of a few words? This is a civilized society, not a jungle!"


    "And teaching your child to insult and attack other families-is that how you parent?" M''s tone was cool as she looked Randall up and down. "You certainly set a fine example for your son."


    "You-!"


    Randall was about to snap back when M pointed to the security camera mounted on the wall, turning to Ms. Stephanie, "Ms. Stephanie, I''d like to see the security footage."