The next day, I deliberately dressed Kyrie in a more understated suit. He even left his favorite figurine at home.

This time, I wanted to see what they could possibly find to complain about.

Right after I dropped him off and got to the office, the parent group chat exploded.

Adam posted a photo. In it, Kyrie was half-kneeling on the floor playing with a toy, while Sarah stood right in front of him.

Adam followed up with a barrage of voice messages.

"Everyone, take a look. Kyrie is acting like Sarah's dog again. He is just a boy with no backbone at all, kneeling the moment he sees a girl."

Several parents quickly chimed in below.

"Oh my. He is only five and already such a shameless suck-up. Did he learn this from his dad?"

Another laughed and said, "You had better watch what you say. What if his sugar mommy comes after you?"

"This kind of boy is going to grow up to be a freeloader for sure."

I was fuming and immediately sent a voice message in the group. "Mr. O'Neil, you secretly photographed Kyrie and publicly insulted a minor. I have already screenshotted this as evidence, so expect a letter from my lawyer."

That was when the homeroom teacher, Kenneth, spoke up in the group. His profile picture was a selfie showing off a Rolex watch.

I thought, 'Wait a second… That watch looks suspiciously like the one I could not find last month.'

Kenneth tagged me in the chat and wrote:

[Mr. Stone, please calm down. Mr. O'Neil only wants the best for the class. Where there is smoke, there is fire. If Kyrie kept a lower profile, people would not talk.

[As his teacher, I have to be frank with you. This is not the real world, and you cannot bring that kind of attitude into a school setting. Also, to avoid affecting the other students, please come to the school tomorrow. Kyrie is suspended for three days of reflection.]

I could not believe my eyes.

Was this really the kind of thing an educator should be saying?

"Where there is smoke, there is fire"? Since when did blaming the victim become the standard?

I fired back at Kenneth in the group without hesitation.

[Mr. Griffin, what right do you have to suspend Kyrie? Mr. O'Neil insulted Kyrie in the group, and as the homeroom teacher, you did not stop him but instead took his side.]

Kenneth quickly called me, his tone dripping with arrogance. "Mr. Stone, know your place and delete what you posted in the group. This is an elite preschool, not a place where new money like you can run wild. Let me be clear with you. My fiancée is a major shareholder of this preschool, so do not push me. I can make your son pay for this."

When he said that his fiancée was a major shareholder at the preschool, I was puzzled.

I suddenly remembered how Nadine had been coming home late and leaving early recently, always smelling of unfamiliar men's cologne. Moreover, there were those designer watches and suits that had mysteriously disappeared from our house.

An absurd suspicion began to form in my mind.

Just then, my phone rang, interrupting my thoughts. It was a call from Kyrie's smartwatch. However, the moment I answered, it was abruptly cut off.

Kyrie never hung up on me for no reason.

Thinking back to Kenneth's threats, my expression hardened. I rushed out of the office, jumped into my car, and sped toward the preschool.

When I reached the classroom door, I heard Kyrie's muffled sobbing.

I burst into the classroom, and the scene before me made my blood boil.

Kyrie stood on the platform, his once-sharp little suit cut to shreds and hanging off him like rags. His arms were covered in red scratches, all of them made by scissors. Not only that, even his backpack had been carelessly thrown onto the floor, covered in footprints.

Kenneth stood there, holding a pair of scissors in his hand, proudly addressing the entire class of children.

"Everyone look. This is what happens when you show off your wealth. Boys should be humble. Wearing these weird outfits just to get attention is tacky. From now on, nobody plays with Kyrie. Understand?"

The children in the audience did not really get it, but they followed along with the taunts anyway.

"Kyrie's a dork! Such a try-hard!"

Sarah sat in the front row, making faces at Kyrie. "Poor loser! Shame on you!"

Kyrie clenched his fists. Though scared, he stood as straight as he could, his eyes full of stubbornness and helplessness.

"Stop!" I let out a furious roar and rushed forward, shoving Kenneth aside.

Caught off guard, he stumbled backward and hit the blackboard. He shouted, "How dare you push me?! Security! Where the hell is security?"

I took off my jacket and wrapped it tightly around my trembling son. When I saw the bloody marks on his arms, my heart felt as though it was being torn apart.

"Dad, the clothes are ruined. Did I misbehave?" Kyrie leaned against me, his voice hoarse.

"Kyrie, you're the best. They're the mean ones. I'm going to get revenge for you right now!"

I turned around and stared at Kenneth as if I were ready to tear him apart. I growled, "What gave you the right to cut Kyrie's clothes, and what gave you the right to step all over his backpack? This is abuse, and it is a crime."

Kenneth adjusted his hair and looked at me with disdain. "I was just correcting his bad behavior. School rules say no flashy outfits. Since he wouldn't listen, I helped trim it down. As for the backpack, it was way too eye-catching. Is he trying to be a bad influence on the class?"

He mocked, "Besides, it's just some cheap clothes and a bag. How much could they cost? Worst case, I'll give you fifty bucks."

With that, he pulled a fifty-dollar bill from his bag and tossed it at my face as though he were dismissing a beggar.

"Take the money and get out with your show-off son!"

I was fuming. Still, seeing the other teachers gathering around us, I knew the advantage was not on my side. I had kept such a low profile that, aside from the preschool principal I worked with directly, nobody else knew my real identity.

It was obvious these people were all on Kenneth's side.

After taking several deep breaths, I suppressed my rage. "Kenneth, that suit you're wearing is an Armani spring limited edition, worth eighty-eight thousand dollars. The watch on your wrist is a Vacheron Constantin, worth two hundred thousand dollars. The shoes on your feet are a Berluti seasonal limited edition, worth fifty thousand dollars."

I stepped closer to him and asked, "You're a preschool teacher making eight thousand dollars a month. Where did you get the money to buy all this? Or maybe… these things were stolen in the first place?"

Kenneth's expression fell instantly, and he shouted, "These were gifts from my fiancée! She's a big-time executive!"

Just as he finished speaking, Adam burst in with a dozen other parents.

Adam pointed at me and yelled, "That's him! Mr. Griffin was kindly educating his son, and he dared to assault a teacher! Arrest him! This kind of savage doesn't deserve to be in our elite preschool!"

The crowd immediately surrounded Kyrie and me.

I shouted, "I'd like to see who dares touch us!"

Perhaps the intensity of my aura was too strong, because no one dared step forward for a moment.

Seeing this, Adam immediately ran outside the classroom and started yelling loudly.

"Everyone, come take a look! This is that crazy parent who makes his son wear weird outfits to school! Now he's causing chaos on campus and assaulting a teacher. A menace like him needs to be exposed!"

It was almost dismissal time, so quite a few parents had already gathered at the entrance. They, along with the school staff, were all drawn over by the commotion.

"Is that for real? Even at an elite preschool like ours, there are parents with such poor manners."

Someone whispered, "Anyone who's been a teacher knows you'll run into all kinds of crazy parents."

Another chimed in, "That little boy doesn't look right either. You can see how calculating he is despite his age. He's definitely going to be trouble when he grows up."

With so many people taking his side, Kenneth regained his confidence. He pulled out his phone and sent a voice message dramatically.

"Honey, someone's bullying me at school. Come quick and stand up for me."

In under ten minutes, a Porsche sped onto the preschool playground. The car door opened, and Nadine stepped out in business attire.

That car was the birthday present I had bought her just last month.

Kenneth rushed into Nadine's arms like a lapdog, putting on a pitiful act. He whined, "Honey, you're finally here! Look at my hands. That brute scratched them, and my clothes are all ruined!"

Nadine hugged Kenneth sympathetically and turned around angrily. When she saw me, a flash of guilt crossed her eyes. However, she quickly masked it and scolded me instead.

"Sir, this is a school, not your home. It's not a place for you to throw tantrums!"

I was stunned by how Nadine was pretending not to know me. Back then, her family had been dirt poor, and her parents were in poor health. She had been the one who got on her knees and swore I was the only man she would ever love in this lifetime.

After a few good years living in comfort, she had decided she was above me now. She figured that I, her 'freeloader' husband, would not dare expose her lies.

"Nadine." I calmly said her name. "Are you sure you want to turn on me for this boy toy?"

Nadine froze for a moment, then let out a cold laugh. "What are you talking about? I'm the board representative for this preschool, and Mr. Griffin is my fiancé. Messing with him means crossing me, and crossing the entire Stone Corporation!"

I nearly burst out laughing when I heard her mention Stone Corporation. So, this was how she threw her weight around outside.

I was genuinely curious what her reaction would be when she found out that the Stone Corporation she was so proud of belonged to the husband she looked down on.

When Kyrie saw Nadine, he called out pitifully, "Mom… Mr. Griffin cut my clothes and hit me…"

"Mom? I'm not your mother! Where did this bastard come from, claiming to be my kid?"

At that moment, the light in Kyrie's eyes completely dimmed. He stared blankly at the mother who used to hold him in her arms, but now looked at him like he was trash.

My heart ached as I covered Kyrie's eyes. Then I pulled out my phone and called my assistant, Tony Lowe.

"Tony, I'm at Kyrie's preschool. Bring the legal team and all the board members over immediately. Also, cancel all of Nadine's supplementary cards, repossess her car, and remove her from all her positions at the company."