Vanessa started ranting nonstop, her voice sharp and hysterical as she pointed at the manager, Mr. Marcus on the floor.“How dare you slap me?!” she screamed. “Who do you think you are?! Who do you think you are to dare raise your hand at me?!”Her chest heaved violently as anger and humiliation was clear on her face. She had completely lost all sense of reason.She glanced past Mr. Marcus who was still kneeling and fixed her gaze on Mr. Rand standing calmly. Since she had no idea who he was, her mouth became even more vicious.“So this is it?” Vanessa sneered loudly, her voice dripping with contempt. “Is it because of that wrinkled old man standing there that you think you can slap me whenever you want?”Her words rang loudly in the hall.Iris gasped.Her face turned pale as she stared at Vanessa in disbelief. She instinctively tried to speak up, anger flashing across her eyes. Disrespecting her grandfather like this— openly, viciously— was unforgivable.“That’s my—” Iris began,

The hall fell into a strange, suffocating silence the moment Charles lifted the phone to his ear.No ringtone sounded.No voice answered.Only Charles’ forced confidence filled the air as he stared straight ahead, his back stiff, his chin lifted as though he were truly speaking to someone on the other end of the line.“Yes,” he said loudly, nodding once. “It’s me.”Vanessa’s breath caught. She leaned forward slightly, eyes locked on Charles’ face, hanging onto every word as if her entire world depended on it.Adrian didn’t move.He didn’t interrupt.He didn’t smile.He simply watched.Charles paced slowly, one hand in his pocket, the other holding the phone firmly to his ear.“There’s been a misunderstanding,” he continued, his voice smooth, practiced. “Yes… yes, I understand.”A few people in the hall exchanged glances.Mr. Marcus, still kneeling, felt his heart pound violently against his ribs. Cold sweat slid down his spine. Even now, he couldn’t afford to take chances.Victor Rand

Adrian sat at the long dining table, his posture relaxed but distant, as though his body was present while his mind hovered somewhere far away. Nothing stirred his appetite. The scent of the food barely registered.Across from him sat Victor Rand.Victor ate with measured precision, every movement unhurried, his presence filling the space without effort. Years of authority clung to him. To his right sat Iris, composed and elegant, her back straight, her expression neutral. Yet there was something restrained about her, a tension she hadn’t quite managed to smooth away.For several minutes, only the faint clink of cutlery filled the silence.Adrian pushed a piece of food around his plate once more, then stopped.“Victor,” he said at last.Victor looked up immediately, attention sharpening as though he had been waiting for that exact moment. “Yes?”Adrian set his fork down carefully. “I need to say something before this goes any further.”Victor studied him, saying nothing, giving him th

Adrian’s car came to a smooth halt in the school compound, the engine purring softly as the driver shifted it into park. He took a moment to look at the building before him, watching children stream out of classrooms, laughing, calling to friends, clutching their backpacks, their energy bouncing off the walls of the familiar structure.He stepped out of the car, closing the door gently behind him, and adjusted his shirt... feeling a little self-conscious today, like the whole world could see that his marriage failed. He took a deep breath and walked further.His eyes scanned the courtyard, instinctively seeking the one person who mattered most in this sea of activity. And there she was.The moment she saw him, her little face lit up in a way that made all the tension he carried throughout the day seem to melt instantly. Her small legs moved faster than usual, and before he knew it, she was running straight toward him, her laughter cutting through the murmur of parents and children aro

Vanessa remained where she was long after the car had disappeared from view, the faint hum of its engine dissolving into the general noise of the street beyond the school gates. For a brief moment, she looked almost frozen, her posture stiff, her lips parted as though words were trapped somewhere between her thoughts and her pride. Parents passed by her, some glancing curiously, others too wrapped up in their own routines to notice the woman standing alone with an expression that hovered between disbelief and wounded arrogance.Then she straightened.With a sharp shake of her head, she scoffed under her breath. “Ridiculous,” she muttered, more to herself than anyone else. “Everything about Adrian has always been a joke.”She folded her arms tightly, as though physically holding herself together. The image of the driver kneeling, the way he had addressed Adrian, the smooth authority in Adrian’s voice—it all replayed in her mind, uninvited and irritating. But she pushed it aside forcef