At the parent-teacher conference, Leo Stone’s essay, “My CEO Mom,” won first place. The entire class applauded. After the meeting, my daughter, Lily, ran crying towards me, five angry red marks blooming on her face. “Daddy, Leo Stone hit me again! He said I don’t belong in the same class as him, and he even spat on me!” I picked up Lily and went to confront Ms. Davies, our class teacher. Ms. Davies just scoffed, “Mr. Foster, kids play rough sometimes, it’s completely normal. You’re making such a big deal out of it.” “Besides, Leo Stone is the son of Victoria Hayes, the CEO of Hayes Corporation. Who do you think you are?” “Leo himself said it. You’d better know your place and just transfer her out. Don’t you dare disrupt Leo’s schooling.” I froze for a second. Then I called my private lawyer: “Prepare the divorce papers. I want Victoria Hayes to lose everything in the divorce.” She dared to use my money to support a lover and his illegitimate child. She had truly crossed the line.
After the parent-teacher conference, I went directly to Ms. Davies. “Ms. Davies, I’d like to discuss my daughter, Lily Foster’s situation.” Ms. Davies was tidying her desk, not even looking up. “Oh, Lily Foster, is there a problem?” “She’s been coming home crying a lot lately, saying Leo and his friends often dump water in her backpack and draw on her face.” Ms. Davies impatiently waved her hand. “Mr. Foster, it’s just kids being kids. How serious could it be? Just a bit of roughhousing, perfectly normal.” I started to doubt my own ears. “But my daughter’s backpack was deliberately soaked, and her stationery was hidden. You call that roughhousing?” Ms. Davies sighed, “Goodness, why are you parents so sensitive these days? Leo is such an energetic boy. It’s a privilege for your daughter that he even bothers to play with her!” “His mom is the CEO of Hayes Corporation. You should be thanking her son for even acknowledging your daughter.” My fists clenched instantly. “A privilege? My daughter is being bullied, and you, as a teacher, not only do nothing but call it a privilege?” Ms. Davies clearly looked annoyed. “Mr. Foster, that’s going too far. Victoria Hayes has donated so much money to our school. It’s normal for a child to be a bit spirited. You’re making a mountain out of a molehill.” “Besides, isn’t it all just kids playing?” “Playing? My voice couldn’t hold back the anger. She comes home crying every day, sometimes her clothes are torn. You call that playing?” “Oh, kids these days are just too sensitive.” Ms. Davies scoffed, pursing her lips. “Leo is such an excellent kid. His mom is a CEO, his dad is a respectable man. Your daughter should be honored to be friends with him.” “I advise you to go home and educate your daughter properly. Teach her to fit in and stop being so petty.” Fine, just fine! Is this the respect I get for stepping back to support my family? Is this the professional integrity I get for anonymously donating millions in scholarships to this school every year?
After leaving the teacher’s office, I was about to drive Lily home. But I found the road blocked. I leaned out to see, and a group of well-dressed parents were gathered in the middle of the road, completely blocking traffic. I got out of the car and walked closer. It turned out they were eagerly chatting around Mark Stone. I stepped forward and said, “Excuse me, could you please move aside?” The group of parents immediately turned their heads, scrutinizing me with utter disdain. A fat man with a gold chain rudely snapped, “We’re talking to Mr. Stone here. Who do you think you are to interrupt?” Mark Stone noticed me then. He looked at me, then at my car, and sneered, “Well, well, a nobody like you daring to lecture us here?” The other parents chimed in: “Exactly! He doesn’t even know his place, daring to lecture Mr. Stone?” “Mr. Stone is the husband of Victoria Hayes from Hayes Corporation, worth hundreds of millions! What right does a pauper driving a beat-up car like you have to make a scene here?” “You’d better know your place and get out of our sight!” Ten years ago, for my wife and daughter, I chose to retire, giving all my love to them. Hayes Corporation? That was just a little trinket I bought to make my wife happy back then. But now, this small toy I used to amuse my wife has become an object of worship for these people. I looked at Mark Stone, then at the familiar luxury car behind him – it was the exact car I had given Victoria for her birthday last year. Mark Stone noticed my gaze, mistaking it for envy, and even more smugly patted the car door. “What do you think? Never seen one before? This is a global limited edition, money can’t even buy it!” I spoke calmly, “I haven’t indeed.” “Of course not!” Mark Stone said with an air of superiority. “This level of car isn’t something people like you can even dream of touching.” I continued, “I just haven’t seen anyone else dare to drive *my* car.” The air suddenly went silent for a second. Mark Stone froze. “What did you say?” “I said, this car is mine,” my voice was calm. “The last digits of the license plate are even Victoria’s birthday.” Mark Stone first froze, then burst into laughter. “Hahaha! Did you hear that? This pauper says this car is his!” The surrounding parents also joined in the laughter: “Is this guy crazy?” “Mr. Stone, don’t stoop to the level of a delusional patient like him!” “Exactly, these days anyone can come along, daring to flatter themselves like that!” Mark Stone wiped away tears of laughter. “Buddy, do you know how much this car costs? Three hundred thousand! Look at the junker you’re driving, a used one isn’t even worth three thousand! And you dare to say this Maserati is yours?” “And you just said the license plate ends with Victoria’s birthday?” Mark Stone became even more arrogant. “My wife’s birthday is public knowledge, you can find it online! You think you can fool me with such a pathetic trick?” Mark Stone pulled out his phone, triumphantly. “Come on, let me show you, a country bumpkin, what real high society life looks like!” He opened his photo album, and the screen displayed a picture of him and Victoria. In the photo, Victoria was wearing a custom-made gown I had bought her, worth tens of thousands, her arm linked with Mark Stone’s, both intimately leaning against each other. “This one, this is our photo under the Eiffel Tower in Paris.” I looked at the photo on the screen, my heart struck by lightning. At that time, Victoria had clearly told me she was going to attend an important business conference, requiring a week-long business trip. “And this!” Mark Stone opened a video. “This is our daily life at home last weekend.” In the video, Victoria was busy in the kitchen, wearing an apron, seriously chopping vegetables and stir-frying. Mark Stone hugged her from behind, and they interacted sweetly. I froze. Victoria never cooked. In ten years of marriage, she had always claimed she couldn’t cook, either ordering takeout every day or having the housekeeper prepare meals. Even when I was sick and wanted a bowl of soup, she would say she was too busy and told me to order takeout myself. But now, she was personally cooking for another man, with a gentle smile on her face I had never seen before. Just then, a sharp voice cut through the crowd: “Dad!”
I turned to see Leo Stone, Mark’s son, running from the school gate. He was wearing a designer school uniform, with an arrogant expression on his face. Mark Stone ruffled his son’s hair. “Leo, perfect timing. Someone here says our car is his. What do you think?” Leo sneered, saying in a precocious tone, “Dad, I’ve seen too many people like this. There’s a kid in my class who always brags about how rich his family is, but he can’t even afford a decent toy.” He glanced at me. “Mister, do you know how much this car costs? My mom said it’s enough to buy a house. Look at yourself, do you look like someone who could afford it?” Then he pointed at my clothes. “Your entire outfit probably costs less than one of my shoes, and you dare to say our car is yours?” “Just a pauper!” Leo made a face. “My mom said, people like you, poor as dirt, should just disappear. You’re a blight on our eyes!” Mark Stone burst out laughing. “My son’s right! You’d better know your place and get out of here before you embarrass yourself!” I looked at this father and son, my anger intensifying. What kind of upbringing did this child have? Just then, my daughter, Lily, also stepped out of the car. She ran worriedly to my side. “Daddy, why aren’t you leaving yet?” Leo Stone’s eyes lit up the moment he saw Lily. “Well, well, if it isn’t the poor little girl!” He walked in front of Lily, deliberately blocking her path. “I heard your dad said our car is his? Like father, like daughter, both of you love to lie!” “Poor kids should know their place!” Saying that, he pulled out a craft knife from his backpack. “If you don’t apologize, I’ll show you what happens when you mess with me!” Lily recoiled in terror, tripped over her feet, and fell to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. I didn’t hesitate. I rushed forward, grabbed Leo Stone’s wrist, and snatched the craft knife away. “Ah! Ow! Let go of me!” Leo Stone shrieked loudly. I pocketed the knife and released his hand. Leo Stone immediately sat on the ground, wailing. “Dad! He took my stuff! He squeezed my hand!” Mark Stone immediately rushed over, pointing at me furiously. “You dared to lay hands on him? Do you know how precious my son is?” “He just threatened my daughter with a knife!” I said, pointing to the craft knife in my hand. Mark Stone glanced at the craft knife and scoffed, “That’s just school art supplies, kids play with them! Do you have to be so dramatic?” The surrounding parents also chimed in: “It’s normal for kids to roughhouse, adults shouldn’t interfere!” “And if your daughter were a bit nicer, Leo wouldn’t have pulled out a knife!” “Ultimately, you two started it, that’s why Leo got angry!” “Look at your daughter, crying like that, she must be spoiled rotten, can’t handle anything!” “At the end of the day, it’s your father-daughter problem!” Mark Stone sneered, “Poor people are just poor people, they don’t even know how to raise kids. No wonder others bully them!” I watched these people twist the truth, a cynical smile playing on my lips. No matter what Leo Stone did, in their eyes, the fault would always be ours.
Mark Stone pulled out his phone and quickly dialed a number. The moment the phone rang, it was answered instantly. “Babe?” My heart jolted. Every time I called Victoria, she’d hang up immediately. She’d always say she was in a meeting, busy, no time to answer. But now, she answered Mark Stone’s call instantly. Mark Stone spoke a few words into the phone. In less than a minute, he hung up. “My wife will be here any minute!” Mark Stone looked at me. “If you’ve got the guts, don’t go anywhere.” Not long after, a white BMW X7 pulled up to the curb. The car door opened, and Victoria Hayes stepped out, her expression grim. Mark Stone immediately rushed to her, looking wronged. “Babe, you’re finally here! This lunatic is making a scene, not only claiming our car is his but also hitting Leo!” Leo Stone also cooperatively held up his wrist, which indeed had a red mark. “Mom, this mister is so mean. He took my knife and squeezed my hand!” Victoria soothingly patted Leo Stone’s back. “Don’t worry, Leo, Mom will make sure you get justice!” “Honey, it’s those two, the father and daughter!” Mark Stone pointed at me and Lily, gritting his teeth. “That man is a maniac, and the little one is no good either! You must make them pay and disappear from here!” The surrounding parents, seeing the main person arrive, started eagerly adding fuel to the fire: “Ms. Hayes, it’s this man! He not only insulted Mr. Stone but also laid hands on Leo!” “That’s right, I think he’s just jealous of Mr. Stone’s happy family and successful career, deliberately looking for trouble!” “Yes, this person is too arrogant, he just doesn’t respect you at all!” The surrounding parents started to incite again. Victoria Hayes followed the direction of their fingers. When she saw my face, the anger on her face instantly froze, and a flicker of guilt flashed in her eyes. She walked up to me and said coldly, “Sir, there might be some misunderstanding here. But no matter what, you laying hands on my son is wrong.” “So?” I retorted calmly. “So, I hope you can apologize, and we can put this matter behind us.” She said, her eyes uncontrollably darting away, avoiding my gaze. Mark Stone, seeing Victoria handle the situation so lightly, immediately interrupted, clearly displeased: “Babe, how can an apology just end it? This guy made me lose face in front of so many people today! He not only said our car was his, but he humiliated me in front of everyone, and then he laid hands on Leo! I can’t let this go!” Mark Stone grew more agitated as he spoke, pointing at me furiously. “Look at all these parents watching. If we let him off easy today, how can I, Mark Stone, ever mix in this circle again? What will everyone think of me?” A few parents immediately nodded in agreement: “Mr. Stone is right! Ms. Hayes, you’re too kind-hearted!” “Exactly, this kind of person needs to be taught a lesson, otherwise more people will cause trouble later!” “Ms. Hayes, you’re being too lenient, people will take advantage of you!” Mark Stone’s face darkened when he heard these dissenting voices. He eagerly looked at Victoria: “Babe, did you hear that? If this matter is settled today, tomorrow all the parents in the school will know that Mark Stone was bullied and didn’t dare fight back! My reputation, our family’s reputation, have you considered that?” “You shut up!” Victoria Hayes suddenly burst out, her voice so sharp it made everyone present freeze. Mark Stone was startled by the sudden roar and took a step back, looking at Victoria in disbelief. “Babe, you… what’s wrong?” I smiled. “Apologize? Of course.” Victoria and Mark Stone both froze, seemingly not expecting me to back down so easily. Mark Stone’s face immediately showed a triumphant expression. “Smart move!” I pulled out my phone and dialed a number. “Chief Miller? It’s Alex Foster.” “I’m at my daughter’s school gate. Someone stole my car and is claiming it’s theirs in front of all these people. Could you please send some officers over to handle it?” After hanging up, I looked at Mark Stone. “Mr. Stone, don’t rush. My apology will be here any minute.” Mark Stone sneered, “Heh, still putting on a show with phone calls? Do you think if you get a friend to back you up, we’ll believe you?” The surrounding parents also scoffed, “Exactly, these days anyone can make up stories. ‘Chief Miller,’ big talk!” Five minutes later, three police cars sped up, sirens wailing. The middle-aged police chief leading the group walked over quickly. Seeing me, he immediately saluted. “Mr. Foster, are you alright? Who would be so foolish as to steal your car?”
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