I saw the pen Lily clutched tightly in her hands and immediately understood what was happening.

“This pen is indeed my daughter’s. Her father gave it to her as a gift to celebrate her enrollment. I still have the purchase record.”

I pulled up the receipt on my phone—an expense of $100,000.

The woman in purple burst out laughing.

“Don’t know whether to call you uneducated or a fraud. You can’t even read the zeros properly. This pen costs $10,000, but you’re showing $100,000?”

“Pathetic. You’ve probably never seen that much money in your life. You can’t even fake it convincingly.”

Her ignorance made me laugh bitterly.

“This pen’s nibs are custom-made with gemstones. Prices vary depending on the gem’s type, color, and clarity. The one in my hand is crafted with a Colombian emerald, the only one of its kind in the country.”

I pulled off the cap, revealing the glistening green nib.

The crowd began whispering.

“My husband told me about this Hepburn pen—it has three tiers, and the highest does go for about $100,000.”

“I don’t know much about gems, but the way that emerald shines doesn’t look fake.”

The woman’s face flickered with doubt, but she quickly sneered again.

“You can’t even afford a $200 jump rope. You expect me to believe you bought a $100,000 luxury Italian pen?”

“Trying to fool me with a knockoff? I, Olivia Scott, have been in the socialite circle for years—you think I’d fall for this?”

The other parents nodded, clearly siding with her.

Lily trembled in my arms, her temperature rising rapidly. She was running a fever.

I didn’t want to waste more time arguing. The priority was to get Lily to the hospital.

I placed the pen on the desk.

“This pen will stay here. Once the matter is clarified, I’ll take it back.”

I tried to leave with Lily, but Olivia stuck out her leg and tripped me. Lily hit her head on the ground, a lump swelling at her temple.

“You think you can walk out that easily? Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to—trying to swap a fake for my son’s real one? Not a chance!”

“Trash like you are all the same—teaching your kids to steal so you can resell for cash.”

Gasps filled the room.

“No wonder her kid can afford this school—turns out it’s stolen money.”

“If the daughter steals, what does the mother do? Sleep around for cash? Disgusting.”

“Bringing a fake pen to trick us? They’ve probably been targeting our kids’ things for a while. Everyone check your stuff—if anything’s missing, today’s the time to get it back.”

At her words, several parents lunged at me, snatching my purse and emptying Lily’s backpack.

Books and makeup spilled everywhere, but nothing suspicious was found.

“They must be pros. Of course they wouldn’t hide it in their bags. Could be on them instead.”

Seeing them reach for Lily’s clothes, I pulled her tightly to me.

“You have no right to search us. This is illegal.”

One parent shouted back:

“Stealing is illegal too! If you didn’t steal, why are you afraid of being searched? You’re obviously guilty!”

I had no way to argue back. Outnumbered, I could only watch as they tore Lily’s school jacket off.

In a panic, I searched for my phone, desperate to call my husband.

But Olivia’s son Ethan Hayes snatched my phone from the ground and waved it tauntingly at me.

Helpless, I looked to the homeroom teacher, who had been hiding in the background, silently begging her to intervene.

Instead, she stepped over to Olivia’s side.

“Why not just let everyone check, Lily’s mom? That way you can clear your name.”

I clung to Lily tightly, but in the struggle, her pink diamond bunny hair clip fell and shattered into pieces.

It was a gift from my father Charles for her tenth birthday—her most treasured possession.

Lily broke down in tears.

“My bunny clip! Mom, my favorite pink bunny is broken!”

Her pain cut me like a knife.

I had always raised my two daughters to value humility, teaching them never to flaunt their privileges. They had always listened, keeping low profiles.

But humility should not be mistaken for weakness to be trampled on.

My eyes swept over the parents who had laid hands on her, sharp and cold.

“A single hair clip could cost your families everything. Worth it.”

Olivia sneered.

“You expect us to believe that? It’s just cheap plastic. I wouldn’t pay five bucks for it. Bankrupt us? You must be insane.”

“Just standing near you makes the air filthy.”

One sharp-eyed parent picked up the broken pieces, eyes widening. Their face paled.

“This… this has an Argyle Pink Diamond Certification! Only legendary top-tier diamonds carry that mark.”

Two more parents bent down to look, their faces draining of color.

“My husband told me diamonds of this level don’t circulate on the market. They only show up at auctions, starting at no less than five million dollars!”

“Now that you mention it, I remember—two years ago at an auction, a pink diamond shaped like a bunny was sold to a mysterious buyer. Could it be…?”

“Maybe she really is someone powerful.”

The contempt in the parents’ eyes shifted into unease and fear.

“You’ve all gone crazy! Can’t you see she’s a fraud? Just pretending to be high-class, and you all fell for it?”

“I saw her walking her daughter to school this morning. Not even a beat-up car to their name. She’s nothing but a piece of trash who pulled a few tricks to scare you idiots. Pathetic!”

Olivia cursed the other parents, but a few, not wanting more trouble, pulled their kids away. Only her close allies stayed, trying to calm her down.

“Olivia, maybe it’s better to drop this. If this blows up, it’ll hurt Crestwood Academy’s reputation.”

“Yeah, they’re leaving the school anyway. Out of sight, out of mind.”

Olivia smirked at me, taking the excuse.

“Fine. Make them kneel and kowtow 500 times to me and my son, then leave Crestwood. I might be merciful enough to let them go.”

Lily’s feverish face flushed red, her breathing growing heavier. My heart clenched.

I shoved Olivia aside.

“You’re not worthy of our kowtow. Move. If anything happens to my daughter, I’ll make you pay.”

Olivia slapped me hard across the face, splitting my lip.

“Still so stubborn? I’ll show you just what I’m capable of.”

She pulled out her phone as if to make a call.

The parent who had just picked up the broken hair clip hurried to my side, trying to persuade me kindly.

“Lily’s mom, just give in. Do you know who her husband is? Ryan Hayes, CEO of Crestwood Corporation. If he so much as stomps his foot, all of New York City will shake.”

“Even if your family has some money, can you really outmatch hers? If she actually calls her husband here, you’re finished!”

My heart jolted. “You said her husband is Ryan Hayes?”

Olivia Scott laughed brazenly. “Now you’re scared? Too late! Even if you kneel and beg, I’ll make your whole family disappear from New York City today!”

Looking at her twisted grin and recalling everything that had happened today, the truth hit me hard.

Ryan—the one who swore back in high school he would never marry anyone but me, who vowed eternal love, who willingly took my last name and married into the Lane family—had betrayed me.

At six years old, he was thrown out by his stepfather, starving and digging for food in restaurant dumpsters.

I was the one who took him in, fed him, and paid for his schooling.

My parents treated him like their own, never once belittling him for marrying into our family.

After our marriage, we even entrusted him with managing the Lane family’s businesses, raising him to the top as New York City’s richest man.

And now, he had forgotten that the arrogance Olivia flaunted came from the Lane family’s support.

I laughed in fury. “Fine. Call your husband. I’d like to see exactly how he plans to make us disappear.”

Olivia was about to reply when her son suddenly shouted.

“Mom! This woman’s phone has tons of pictures of Dad!”

Olivia snatched the phone, flipping through quickly. With every glance, her face darkened further.

“No wonder you dared talk back to me. You bitch! Turns out you’re my husband’s mistress!”

“If I don’t beat you to death today, I won’t be Olivia Scott!”

She lunged for my hair, but I reacted swiftly, kicking her hard in the stomach.

She fell to the floor, glaring at me with venom.

“Why aren’t you holding her down? Do you all want your kids expelled?”

“Don’t forget—my husband controls your families’ livelihoods. If I’m unhappy, I can bankrupt you in minutes!”

The parents who had hesitated surged forward, pinning me to the ground.

Olivia slapped me over and over.

“You worthless trash! With a face like that, how dare you seduce my husband?”

“You deliberately got your daughter in the same class as my son, didn’t you? Thought I wouldn’t notice, and now you dare act wild in front of me!”

Not satisfied, she tore off her high heel and slammed it into my back, then ground it down on my hand.

My finger bones cracked, and I screamed in pain.

Lily jumped in terror, clinging to Olivia’s leg and sobbing hoarsely.

“My mom isn’t a mistress! Don’t hit my mom. I’ll kneel, I’ll kowtow, just don’t hurt her, please!”

I watched as Lily’s forehead split open from kowtowing, blood streaming down her little face.

The pain and panic stole my voice for a moment.

Olivia kicked Lily aside, then grabbed scissors from the teacher’s desk and hacked at my hair.

“Slut! You like seducing men? I’ll make sure you seduce them now! I’ll make you famous!”

“Strip her clothes! She loves seducing men? Fine, I’ll post her naked online for everyone to see.”

Lily rushed to shield me, but Olivia yanked her away.

“Ethan, this little brat is yours. Strip her and throw her on the field. I’ll make sure she regrets having a shameless mother!”

“No! Let me go! Mom, help me! Mom!”