Someone suddenly tags me in a parents' group chat.

"Hey Madison, I notice that the lunch boxes you've prepared for your daughter have a nice variety and rich in nutrients. Why don't you prepare the same thing for my son starting from tomorrow onward?

"I'm not going to leech off you. In fact, I'll pay you ten dollars per day. When it stacks up, you'll earn quite a lot per month."

As I stare at the messages on the screen, I find the situation rather ridiculous.

My daughter, Sophie Reed, is extremely picky, not to mention she has food allergies. All of the ingredients of her meals are flown in from their places of origin.

That means one meal's net price is more than 500 dollars. Yet now, someone intends to use ten dollars just for me to replicate the same meal for them?

I reply right away in the group chat, "No way."

Unexpectedly, the next day, Sophie is in tears when she returns from the kindergarten. She tells me that her lunch box has gotten snatched by a fellow classmate. On top of that, the teacher scolds her for being selfish as well.

Fine. Since those shameless people intend to take advantage of me, don't blame me for being ruthless at all.

Looking at the notifications constantly popping up in the parents' group chat, I was so mad that a sharp, cynical laugh escaped me.

The person spamming the chat had a profile picture of herself with her son. She was Cody Brooks' Mom, Ashley Carter.

Seeing that I hadn't replied, Ashley followed up with several more messages.

"Madison, did you see my messages? Cody hasn't had much of an appetite these past couple of days, but he really seems to like Sophie's lunch.

"Since you're making lunch anyway, throwing in an extra portion wouldn't be much trouble for you.

"Ten dollars a day is plenty. That's what fast food costs out there anyway. Besides, it can't be easy for a single mom raising a kid alone. Just look at it as a little extra grocery money to help cover your bills."

Her patronizing tone made me deeply uncomfortable.

I had no idea where Ashley had gotten the impression that I was a single mother, but I usually picked my daughter up and dropped her off by myself. Since I tended to dress down in casual clothes, she had clearly pegged me as an easy target.

The truth was, my daughter Sophie Reed was born with severe allergies to many common ingredients, and her stomach had always been extremely sensitive. Because of this, I personally handled every meal she ate. Her ingredients were delivered fresh daily from specific farms.

A small cut of premium marbled beef alone would cost over 100 dollars, not to mention the carefully curated selection of organic vegetables. Ten dollars wouldn't even cover the cost of a lunchbox.

Refusing to waste my breath on her, I typed a reply directly into the group chat.

"Sorry, but I don't have the time. Besides, the ingredients for Sophie's meals are extremely expensive. Ten dollars won't cover it."

I thought giving Ashley such an explicit rejection would finally shut her up. Instead, she sent over a long string of voice messages.

"Oh, come on, Madison. Our kids are in the same class. What's wrong with parents helping each other?

"How much could a few slices of meat and some vegetables possibly cost? You talk like you're serving fine dining over there.

"Why waste money feeding your daughter such expensive food anyway? She's just a girl. My Cody is a boy, and he's right in the middle of a growth spurt. How can you be so clueless?"

Listening to those voice messages sent a sudden wave of fury rushing straight to my head. It was unbelievable that, in this day and age, someone could still say something so sexist with a straight face.

I was about to tear into her in the group chat when Sophie's homeroom teacher, Nicole Turner, suddenly jumped in.

"Madison, Ashley is only looking out for her son, and our school has always encouraged the children to learn how to share.

"Since Cody enjoys Sophie's lunch, it wouldn't hurt for you to put in a little extra effort as a parent. It's a great opportunity for the kids to bond, after all."

My expression went stone-cold when I saw Nicole blatantly taking sides.

I had just transferred Sophie here. I had assumed that because it was a high-end bilingual kindergarten, it would at least have better standards. I never expected the faculty to be just as toxic.

Ignoring the incoming messages, I tossed my phone aside. They could talk all they want, but there was absolutely no way I was cooking for Cody.

The next afternoon, I went to pick Sophie up from school. The moment I reached the classroom, I saw her standing alone in the corner. Her eyes were red, and it was obvious she'd been crying.

My heart tightened. I rushed over and threw my arms around her. "Sophie, what's wrong? Who hurt you?"

The moment Sophie saw me, she burst into tears, sobbing hysterically as her little hands gripped my clothes tightly. "Mommy, I'm so hungry… Cody took my lunch…"

Hearing that made my head buzz. I packed Sophie's lunch with exactly the right amount of food every day. If she hadn't eaten at noon, that meant she'd gone hungry for an entire day.

More importantly, with her medical condition, skipping meals could easily trigger low blood sugar or stomach cramps.

Suppressing the fury burning inside me, I turned to find Nicole.

Nicole was laughing and chatting with a few other parents, but the moment she saw me approaching, her face hardened.

"Madison, perfect timing. I was just about to talk to you. During lunch today, Sophie was incredibly stubborn. Cody just wanted to try some of her food, but she absolutely refused to share and threw a tantrum until she made him cry.

"I've already talked to Sophie about it, but you need to teach her some manners at home. Children shouldn't be this selfish."

I could hardly believe my ears. My daughter's lunch was stolen from her, and somehow she was the one in the wrong?

"Ms. Turner, the lunch my daughter brings to school belongs to her. Why should she be forced to give it to someone else? Is this how you handle things as a teacher?" I snapped.

My voice boomed down the hallway, drawing the attention of all the nearby parents.

Nicole seemed embarrassed, but her tone sharpened.

"What's with that tone? It's completely normal for children to share food! Besides, Ashley reached out to you in the group chat yesterday. You didn't want to cook for him, but was it really such a big deal for Cody to take a couple of bites today? Where's your sense of community?"

Shaking with rage, I jabbed a finger at her face. "Don't you guilt-trip me! My daughter's lunches are specially designed to be allergy-safe. You stood by and did nothing while Cody stole her food, and now you have the nerve to call my daughter selfish? Let me be clear. This is far from over!"

With that, I scooped Sophie into my arms and left.

As soon as we got home, I whipped up a fresh meal for Sophie. Watching her scarf it down made tears stream down my face as my heart ached for her.

I took out my phone and tagged both Ashley and Nicole in the group chat.

"You both owe me an explanation for what happened at lunch today. Since when is it okay for a kid to steal someone else's food? I'll be at the kindergarten tomorrow morning. If you don't apologize to Sophie, this won't end here."

The second my text went through, Ashley fired back a reply.

"Oh, look who's playing the victim and pointing fingers! You should take it as a compliment that Cody's willing to have a couple of bites of your food. Don't be ungrateful. You want to meet tomorrow morning? Fine by me! I'm not scared of you."

The group chat was unusually lively that night. Following her arrogant outbursts, Ashley started working the room and turning the other parents against me.

"Everyone, look at how ridiculous this woman is! She's just a single mother who couldn't even keep her husband, and she has a horrible temper to boot.

"Cody only felt sorry for her daughter and wanted to be friendly, which is why he had a few bites of her lunch. But here she is, causing a massive scene in the group chat.

"A child raised in a broken home is bound to have issues. If I were you, I'd tell your kids to stay far away from her daughter so they don't get corrupted."

A few parents who were close to Ashley immediately jumped in to back her up.

"Exactly. She acts so high and mighty all the time. Does she think her daughter's lunch is some five-star catered meal?"

"Kids from broken homes are always so selfish. I think Ms. Turner was right to call her out."

"Ashley, don't waste your breath on her. Your husband is an executive at a massive corporation, so why argue with someone from the bottom of the food chain?"

I looked at the messages on the screen, disgust curling in my chest as my fingers flew across the keyboard.

"The bottom of the food chain? A corporate executive? So that's where you get the audacity to steal from others? Since you all think stealing is perfectly justified, we'll settle this in person tomorrow. Then we'll see who really doesn't belong at this kindergarten."

After sending that message, I exited WhatsApp. Fury continued to churn violently in my chest, but I forced myself to calm down.

Ashley thought she could run the school like her personal playground just because her husband held some corporate title, to the point where even the teachers bent over backward to flatter her.

Did she honestly believe her meager background gave her the power to rule the world?

Walking out onto the balcony, I dialed my assistant.

"Look into who can access the kindergarten's surveillance footage. Also, look into the parents of a boy named Cody Brooks. I want a complete background check on his father. The more detailed, the better. I want to see every single card they hold."

After hanging up, I took a deep breath.

I'd always kept a low profile because I wanted Sophie to grow up in peace, even going as far as sending my driver to attend the previous parent-teacher meetings.

I never expected my discretion to be mistaken for weakness, leading them to think I was some pushover.

But since they were so determined to step all over me, then they'd better be ready for me to rain hell down on them.

…

Early the next morning, I arrived at the kindergarten gates with Sophie right on time.

Instead of heading to the classroom, I marched straight toward the principal's office. I wanted the principal to pull up the surveillance footage so we could get to the bottom of what happened yesterday.

Halfway there, Sophie suddenly tugged on my hand. "Mommy, I left my sketchbook in the classroom. Can I go get it?" she asked.

I nodded and let her go ahead while I waited for her in the hallway.

Minutes later, Sophie's heart-wrenching cries echoed from the classroom. My heart hammered against my ribs, and I sprinted toward the room, only to be met by a scene that made my blood boil.

Sophie was collapsed on the floor, her little face pale and drenched in tears. The chubby Cody was frantically ripping her sketchbook to shreds, making mocking faces at her with every page he tore. Ashley stood beside him with a dry piece of cheap bread, forcefully shoving it into Sophie's mouth.

"Eat it!" she hissed. "You little parasite. Aren't you super protective of your food? I'm going to make sure you get your fill today! You should be honored that Cody is even sparing your stuff a glance. How dare you try to hide from him?"

Sophie struggled desperately, coughing as the crumbs caught in her throat. Her little face turned red, and she could barely breathe.

Seeing her resist, Ashley brought her foot down onto Sophie's hand, which was bracing her on the floor, and ruthlessly ground the heel of her shoe right into it.

"Ah!"

A piercing scream escaped Sophie.

In that instant, the blood rushed straight to my head, and my sanity shattered. I charged into the room and kicked over a nearby desk, the thunderous crash startling everyone in the room.

Then, I grabbed Ashley by the hair, slammed her against the wall, and slapped her hard across the face.

I put every ounce of my strength into that blow, leaving Ashley completely dazed as blood seeped from the corner of her mouth.