Chapter 52:


    He intercepted Effie. He grabbed the book she was holding—a math workbook—and threw it into a puddle.


    “Kaiden!” Isolde shouted, starting to move.


    “This is my school!” Kaiden yelled. “Get out!”


    He shoved Effie. Hard.


    Effie stumbled back. Her foot caught a root, and she fell onto the paved path. Her knee hit the stone with a sickening crunch.


    “Ow!” Effie’s cry was sharp and pained, and she immediately clutched her leg. Blood started to seep through her white tights.


    Isolde saw red.


    The world narrowed to a tunnel. The sound of the other parents gasping faded away.


    She was across the grass in three seconds.


    ??????’t ???????? ?????? ????l?????????? ??? g???????????????.с??m


    She didn’t go to Effie first. She went to Kaiden.


    She grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him around.


    “Hey!” Belle shrieked, dropping her coffee. “Don’t touch him!”


    Isolde ignored her. She loomed over Kaiden. Her face was a mask of fury.


    “You will never touch her again,” Isolde hissed. “Do you understand?”


    Kaiden, usually so brave, looked into her eyes and saw something terrifying. He shrank back.


    Belle rushed forward and shoved Isolde. “Get away from my son! It was an ident! They were ying!”


    Isolde turned on Belle. She didn’t touch her. Instead, she took a single, deliberate step forward, invading Belle’s personal space with such cold intensity that Belle instinctively took a step back. The expensive silk of Belle’s dress seemed to shrink away from the sheer force of Isolde’s anger.


    “ying?” Isolde’s voice was a low growl. “He pushed her. He bullied her.”


    “He’s a child!” Belle screamed, trying to regain her footing. “Help! She’s crazy!”


    A crowd of parents and teachers had gathered.


    Isolde didn’t raise her voice. She leaned into Belle’s ear, her whisper a de meant only for her.


    “Control your son,” Isolde murmured, the words cutting through the air like a knife. “Or I will burn down everything you’ve built. You think your position is secure? You think Grayson’s name protects you? I know about the ‘consulting fee’ your father’spany paid to that shell corporation in the Cayman Indsst year. Let him hurt my daughter one more time, and I will make sure the SEC knows it too.”


    Belle went rigid. Her face drained of color. Her eyes darted to the listening parents, a wave of pure terror washing over her features.


    “You… you wouldn’t,” Belle stammered.


    “Try me,” Isolde said. “This isn’t a threat. It’s a guarantee.”


    She stepped back, creating a chasm of space between them. Belle stumbled, nearly tripping over her own heels.


    Kaiden started to wail.


    Isolde turned to the shocked crowd.


    “My daughter is a genius,” she announced, her voice ringing clear. “She justpleted your entrance exam. I have full confidence that if this school values merit, its evaluation will reflect her capabilities. And if this school cannot protect its gifted students from bullies, I will sue the board for negligence. Is that clear?”


    The headmaster, who had just arrived, nodded frantically. “Crystal clear, ma’am.”


    “Ms. Carson,” Isolde corrected.


    .


    .


    .