I am in such a rush to pick up my daughter, Ava Pennington, from school that I don't have time to change out of my work attire.

At the kindergarten gates, I run into the mother of one of her classmates, Candice Austin.

She sizes me up from head to toe and says, "You must be Ava Pennington's mom."

I politely nod. Just as I am about to say hello, her expression suddenly sours. "It's no wonder your daughter dresses so skimpily at school. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, does it?"

I am so mad that I nearly forgot to respond. "What nonsense are you talking about?"

Candice clicks her tongue and grows even more aggressive. "Nonsense? Your daughter wears skirts to school every day. She's distracting my son so much that his grades have slipped."

Her words leave me utterly speechless. How is her son's failing grades somehow Ava's fault?

When I don't respond, she gets bolder.

"Look at you dressed from head to toe in cheap junk; how can you afford to send your daughter to this elite kindergarten? You must have pulled some shady strings to sneak her in through the back door, didn't you?"

Has she lost her mind? Since when does Ava need strings to attend the school I built?

"Watch your mouth, Mrs. Pierce," I snapped. "Your son's grades are slipping because of his own issues. It's not anyone else's problem, so stop blaming it on others! I suggest you take him to the doctor to get his head checked."

I was usually mild-mannered, but I wasn't a pushover.

My retort caught Oliver Pierce's mom, Candice Austin, briefly off guard. She froze for a beat, then pointed at me and shrieked, "How dare you insult my precious son!

"Look at you dressed up all indecently. You must work at some shady club! Besides, your daughter's barely five and wearing skirts at her age. What's that for if not to lure boys?"

I couldn't believe this. My office attire was modest and conservative, so how was it indecent to her? To make matters worse, a few nearby parents sided with her.

"To be fair, Mrs. Pennington, her skirt is indeed a little short…"

"True. Boys mature early these days, so that isn't a great influence."

With the crowd backing her up, Candice grew smug. She eyed my clothes and sneered.

"You're always the one picking her up. Where's the dad? You aren't some rich man's mistress, are you?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, the looks around us instantly shifted. I couldn't help but groan at the thought that they were nothing but a flock of mindless sheep.

"Are you all living in ancient times? The world only looks filthy to you since your minds are in the gutter," I snapped before grabbing my daughter, Ava Pennington's hand, and turning to leave.

"Stop right there!" Candice shouted and yanked my bag. "If you think you can just walk away after ruining Oliver's grades, you can think again! Either you explain yourself today, or Ava won't have an easy time at this kindergarten!

"I'm telling you—Ms. Davies is my best friend, and her family is a shareholder. All it takes is just a single phone call to get Ava expelled."

I thought of how Ava had come home a few days ago looking upset and telling me that the new homeroom teacher didn't like her. A cold laugh escaped my lips.

Since when did my kindergarten have a nepotism hire? I had to look into it since a teacher without professional ethics would poison the kids and ruin the school's reputation.

"Fine," I said. "I'd love to see how you make my life miserable."

After shaking off Candice's grip, I led Ava into the car. In the car, Ava kept her head down, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Mommy, did I do something wrong?

"Oliver called me a hussy and said I wear skirts just so he can look… But you bought this skirt, and I really like it."

Hearing the word "hussy" come out of my five-year-old's mouth hurt so much it felt like I was pierced with needles.

I pulled her close and comfortingly said, "You did nothing wrong, Ava. The clothes are beautiful, and what is ugly is the people's thoughts.

"Tomorrow, I'm putting you in the prettiest princess dress."

After comforting Ava, I called my husband, Harvey Hoffman. "Honey, something happened at the kindergarten today—"

"Madelyn Pennington! Can you stop already?" he irritatedly cut me off. "I'm working myself to death for this family, so could you stop bothering me with trivial nonsense?

"Bye!" Before the line went dead, I swore I heard a woman's faint, soft laugh, and my anger flared.

Harvey was a matrilocal husband who married into my family. To protect his pride, I had hidden my true identity.

To everyone else, I was just a regular office worker from a family that got a little lucky and struck it rich. I had even quietly promoted him to the deputy CEO of Quantum Group.

As for this kindergarten, I had built it on a whim and registered it under the group's name, just so Ava could go to a nearby school. It seemed like Harvey had grown so bold that he had the guts to cheat behind my back.

The next day, I deliberately dressed Ava in a limited-edition tutu and even made sure she had thick leggings underneath. I wanted to see what else they could possibly nitpick now.

After dropping her off, I had just arrived at the office when the parents' group chat exploded with messages.

Candice had posted a photo. In it, Ava was squatting on the floor playing with wooden blocks. The tricky angle was deliberately chosen to make her skirt appear slightly lifted.

Candice followed up with a barrage of voice messages. "Look, everyone! Ava is trying to lure the boys again! Sticking her butt out like that in public… What is she trying to hint at?

"Keeping this little hussy in the class will just affect our kids' learning!"

Several parents immediately piled on. One said, "Oh, that's so disgusting! Since she's only five and knows how to act like this, she must have learned it from her mom."

"Careful what you say, or the sugar daddy might come after you!"

"Girls like her will grow up and end up selling themselves one day."

As blood rushed to my head in rage, I sent a voice message straight into the group chat. "Mrs. Pierce, you were caught red-handed taking up-skirt photos of my daughter, and that's blatant assault on a minor.

"I've taken screenshots as evidence, so you can expect a lawyer's letter very soon."

That was when the homeroom teacher, Georgina Davies, finally spoke up in the group. Her profile photo was a selfie of her wearing a Chanel suit.

Still, that outfit… Why did it look so much like the tailored luxury piece I couldn't find in my closet last month?

Georgina tagged me in the group chat, saying, "Please calm down, Mrs. Pennington. Mrs. Pierce is just concerned about the learning environment in the classroom.

"Where there's smoke, there's fire. If Ava usually behaves appropriately in class, why would people talk about her? As a teacher, I must condemn and remind you not to bring your societal antics into class.

"Also, to avoid affecting the boys' learning, please come to the school tomorrow and take Ava home. She's suspended for three days to reflect on her behavior."

I could hardly believe my eyes. Were these words really coming from a teacher?

"Where there's smoke, there's fire." Seriously? She was playing the victim-blaming card like a seasoned pro. Without a second thought, I fired back at Georgina right in the group chat.

"In what place are you suspending my daughter, Ms. Davies? Mrs. Pierce insulted Ava in the group chat, and not only are you not stopping her behavior as the homeroom teacher, but you're also taking her side."

Georgina called me almost immediately. Her tone was dripping with arrogance as she spat, "Know your place, Mrs. Pennington. Retract your statements in the group chat.

"This is an elite kindergarten for the rich, not a place for upstarts like you to cause trouble. I'll be honest with you—my fiance is a major shareholder of this kindergarten. Push me, and I'll make sure Ava suffers for it."

Her fiance? Or was it… Suddenly, I recalled Harvey's recent late nights, the lingering scent of unfamiliar perfume on his clothes, and the mysterious disappearance of my designer bags and dresses at home.

An absurd guess began taking shape in my mind. Just then, my phone rang and interrupted my thoughts. It was a call from Ava's smartwatch, which was cut off as soon as I picked up.

Ava would never hang up on me for no reason. Remembering Georgina's threat, I panicked and bolted out of the office, driving straight to the kindergarten.

Before arriving at Ava's class, I could hear her heart-wrenching wails outside the door. When I stormed inside, what I saw nearly snapped my last shred of sanity.

Ava stood on the podium. Her once beautiful tutu was hacked into shreds and hung off her like rags. Her calves were streaked with red cuts from the scissors, while her leggings had been stripped off and tossed into the trash.

Georgina stood holding a pair of scissors and smugly addressed the class. "Look, everyone! This is what happens when you have no morals!

"Girls should know shame. Wearing such outrageous outfits means you're trying to seduce boys, and that makes you a bad girl.

"From now on, don't play with Ava. Understood?"

The kids below the podium barely understood a word she said, but they echoed her anyway. "Ava is a bad girl! Shame on her!"

Oliver sat in the front row, pulling faces at Ava. "Hussy! Shameless hussy!"

Ava clutched the tattered remains of her skirt and cried so hard she was almost convulsing. Her eyes were full of terror and helplessness.

"Stop!" I roared and rushed forward to shove Georgina aside. Clad in high heels, she stumbled and slammed into the blackboard.

"How dare you push me!" she shrieked. "Security! Where are the guards?"

I took off my coat and wrapped it tightly around the shaking Ava. Seeing the bloody scratches on her legs hurt me so much that it felt like my heart was bleeding and dripping with blood.

"The skirt's ruined, Mommy… Am I a bad girl?" she whimpered in a hoarse voice as she curled into my arms.

"No. You're the best, Ava. They're the evil ones, and I'm going to make them pay."

Turning around, I fixed my sharp, menacing gaze on Georgina. "What right did you have to cut Ava's skirt and strip off her leggings?

"This is abuse and a crime!"

Georgina smoothed her hair and shot me a look of disdain. "I was correcting her bad behavior. School rules forbid inappropriate clothing, and since she wouldn't listen, I helped her trim it.

"As for the leggings, they were so tight, so what if they hurt her? I was just doing her a favor.

"Besides, that skirt must be cheap. I'll just give you 20 dollars to make up for it."

She pulled out a 20-dollar note from her bag and flicked it in my face like she was dismissing a beggar. "Take the money and get out with your mini hussy."

In that instant, my blood boiled over. But as I noticed the other teachers gathering around, I knew I was at a disadvantage.

I had always kept a low profile. Aside from the dean of the kindergarten, with whom I had always worked alongside, no one else knew my identity. So, clearly, they were all on Georgina's side.

After a few deep breaths, I forced down my rage and began saying, "Georgina, that outfit you're wearing is Chanel's spring limited edition, worth 50 thousand dollars.

"The necklace around your neck is a full-diamond Cartier, worth 150 thousand dollars. That bag you're holding is Hermès' current seasonal limited, worth a million dollars."

I stepped closer, one pace at a time. "You're a kindergarten teacher earning 4,000 dollars a month, so where did you get the money for everything?

"Or perhaps… were these stolen in the first place?"

Georgina's expression fell, and she shrieked, "They were gifts from my fiance! He's a big-shot businessman!"

Right then, Candice stormed in with over a dozen parents. She pointed at me and yelled, "She's the one! Ms. Davies was kindly disciplining Ava, and she assaulted Ms. Davies!

"Grab her! Uncivilized women like her don't belong in our elite kindergarten!"

They closed in at once, surrounding Ava and me.