"This is all your fault for hiding Tommy's existence from the start. Otherwise, Jeffrey wouldn't be this upset," Angelica complained.

I didn't care what she said about me, but no one was allowed to lay a finger on Tommy.

I released Jeffrey's wrist and instead drove my fist straight into his face.

I looked coldly at Angelica and warned, "Keep your man in check. If anyone harms Tommy, I'll make sure they pay for it a thousand times over."

"You actually hit me!" Jeffrey shrieked. "I'm still the head of the Manning family, and Angelica is the general manager of Manning Group. With just a flick of her wrist, she could crush you.

"Don't think having her son changes anything. The Manning family will never accept you. Even if I leave, the next head of the family won't be you!"

I snorted coldly. Only Jeffrey would care about these things.

"Who gives a damn about being the head of the Manning family? Only a dog would want that."

"Y-You're insulting me?" Jeffrey threw an arm over Angelica's shoulder, his gaze dark and menacing as it settled on Tommy.

"Angelica, look at the way Devon is now. How could he possibly be a good influence on Tommy? You need to take Tommy back to your family and raise him properly."

Angelica frowned at me. "Jeffrey's right. Hand Tommy over to me. I can give him the best life possible."

"Over my dead body!" Seeing them ready to snatch Tommy, I quickly rushed toward the preschool with him in my arms.

As I ran, I pulled out my phone and called Vera. "Vera, someone's trying to take Tommy. I'm at the preschool entrance. Get here now with your men."

Angelica chased after me. "Devon, he's my son too! He has to come home with me."

A crowd had gathered at the preschool entrance, and people were staring.

Someone recognized Angelica. "Isn't that Ms. Manning?"

"The Ms. Manning from Manning Group? And that's her husband next to her. I've seen him in the news before."

"No wonder we've never seen Tommy's mother. Turns out he's an illegitimate child."

"Ms. Manning is already married, and yet this man still dares to play the homewrecker. How shameless."

"It's disgraceful to have someone like that attending the same school as our children."

"Exactly, what if he influences our kids? Ms. Lopez, you have to expel them. Our kids can't study alongside people like this."

More and more people were calling for expulsion.

I shouted toward them, "Tommy isn't Angelica's son! We haven't been together for years. She's trying to take my son by force. Please, help me! If you don't believe me, call the police. Let them sort this out!"

Jeffrey scoffed and said, "You're just trying to use Tommy to cling to Angelica. Now that your plan's failing, you're panicking. Angelica is only trying to get her own son back. And don't you know that filing a false police report carries serious consequences?"

Those who had considered helping me call the police slowly lowered their phones.

Seeing this, I knew I had to call for help myself. But as I reached for my phone, Angelica lunged forward, trying to snatch Tommy away.

In the chaos, my phone fell to the ground. I held Tommy tightly.

Jeffrey stomped on my phone, shattering it, then drove his fist hard against my head.

A sharp pain shot through my skull. At the last moment, I curled around Tommy, shielding him in the corner. The blow left me dazed and unable to move for what felt like an eternity.

"Help," I managed to whisper weakly.

Angelica frowned in disgust. "Jeffrey only hit you once. How much could it hurt? Stop pretending. You're just embarrassing yourself in front of all these people."

My head spun, and I wanted to argue. But no words came out.

Jeffrey must've been wearing something hard on his hand, maybe metal.

I could only grip the nearby railing tightly, shielding Tommy with everything I had.

In the haze of dizziness and pain, I finally heard a familiar voice.

"Devon! Tommy! I'm here!"