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.

"I'd like to see who dares!" Maybe my presence and tone were too imposing because, for a moment, no one moved.

At that, Candice dashed out of the class and started shouting at the top of her lungs, "Look, everyone! This is the freak parent who lets her daughter wear lingerie to school!

"She's causing a scene on campus and attacking teachers now. She's a menace to society, so we must expose her!"

It was nearly dismissal time, so some parents were gathered at the gate. Candice's yelling drew all of them over, along with the school staff.

"Seriously? How are parents with such low-class behavior in an elite kindergarten like ours?"

"Anyone who's been a teacher knows that you run into all sorts of freak and low-life parents in this job."

"Look at that little girl. She doesn't even look like a child; she's got the word 'manipulator' written all over her face. I bet she'll grow up to be a real piece of work."

With the crowd siding with her, Georgina regained her swagger. She pulled out her phone and sent a voice message in a sticky, sugary tone. "Honey… Someone's picking on me at school. Come stand up for me."

Less than ten minutes later, a Porsche screeched into the kindergarten grounds. The door opened to reveal Harvey, who stepped out in a sharp, tailored suit.

That Porsche was the birthday gift I had bought him just last month. Georgina fluttered into his arms and wept pitifully. "Honey! You're finally here!

"Look at my hand! That shrew scratched me so hard and ruined my clothes!"

Harvey held her protectively before turning to me with a furious glare. When he saw who I was, guilt flickered in his eyes for just a split second before he masked it.

In a reprimanding, lecturing tone, he snapped, "This is a school. It's not your home or a place for you to throw tantrums, ma'am."

Was he pretending not to know me?

…

Back when Harvey had nothing, he had knelt before Dad, crying and begging him to approve our marriage.

After a few years of living in comfort, did he think he had made it and was looking down on me? Did he think I was a hag who was only capable of house chores and wouldn't dare expose his lies?

"Harvey Hoffman," I said evenly. "Are you sure you want to take her side and mess with me?"

Harvey briefly froze, then sneered. "What nonsense is that? I'm the board's representative for this kindergarten, and Ms. Davies is my fiancee.

"Touching her means you're picking a fight with me and crossing the entire Hoffman Group."

Hoffman Group? I nearly laughed. When did my company change its name? Was this how he had always been, boasting and bragging to everyone else?

"Daddy…" Ava plaintively called out when she saw Harvey. "Daddy, Ms. Davies cut my dress and beat me up…"

To my disbelief, Harvey's face hardened before he stepped back in disgust. "Who are you calling 'Daddy'? Don't you dare associate yourself with me, you brat.

"Whose child is this? Stop trying to cling to my name!"

In that moment, the light in Ava's eyes completely went out. She stared blankly at Havey, who used to lift her onto his shoulders, but now looked at her like she was trash.

Heartbroken, I covered her eyes before taking out my phone to call my secretary, Landon Spencer. "Landon, I'm at Ava's kindergarten.

"Bring the legal team and all members of the board of directors here, now. Also, freeze all of Harvey's supplementary cards and reclaim his car. Terminate all his positions within the company."