At the parent-teacher conference, Tiffany’s essay, “My CEO Dad,” won first place, and the whole class applauded. After the meeting, my son, Leo, ran to me crying, five fiery red handprints marring his face. “Mom, Tiffany hit me again! She said I don’t deserve to be in the same class as her, and she spit on me!” I picked Leo up and headed straight for his homeroom teacher to confront her. Ms. Albright scoffed, “Stella, kids roughhousing is perfectly normal. Don’t blow things out of proportion.” “Besides, Tiffany is the daughter of Andrew Maxwell, the CEO of Maxwell Group. Who do you think you are?” “Since Tiffany said so, if you know what’s good for you, just transfer schools and get lost. Don’t ruin Tiffany’s learning environment.” I froze for a second. Then I called my private lawyer. “Prepare the divorce papers. I want to strip Andrew of everything.” He dared to use my money to support his mistress and illegitimate daughter? That was absolutely insane. After the parent-teacher conference ended, I approached Ms. Albright. “Ms. Albright, I’d like to talk to you about my son, Leo.” Ms. Albright was tidying up her desk, not even looking up. “Oh, Leo. What’s the problem?” “He’s been coming home crying a lot lately, saying Tiffany and her friends keep pouring water into his backpack and drawing on his face.” Ms. Albright impatiently said, “Stella, how serious can kids’ stuff be? It’s just minor scuffles, perfectly normal.” I started to doubt my own ears. “But my son’s backpack was deliberately soaked, and his stationery was hidden. You call that ‘minor scuffles’?” Ms. Albright waved a hand. “Ugh, why are you parents so sensitive these days? Tiffany is such a lively kid, and she even chooses to play with your son! That’s a blessing for him!” “Her dad is the CEO of Maxwell Group. You should be thanking her for even *acknowledging* your son.” My fists clenched instantly. “A ‘blessing’? My son is being bullied, and you, as a teacher, not only do nothing but call it a blessing?” Ms. Albright was clearly annoyed. “Stella, you’re being unreasonable. Andrew, Tiffany’s dad, donated so much money to our school. It’s normal for a child to be a bit spirited. Don’t make a big deal out of nothing.” “Besides, isn’t this all just kids playing?” “Playing? My voice couldn’t hide my fury anymore. He comes home crying every day, sometimes his clothes are torn and tattered. You call that playing?” “Oh, kids these days are just too sensitive,” Ms. Albright scoffed, curling her lip. “Tiffany is so excellent. Her dad is a CEO, and her mom is a respectable lady. It’s an honor for your son to be friends with her.” “I advise you to go home and properly educate your son. Tell him to learn how to fit in and stop being so petty.” Fine. Just fine! Is this the respect I earned by stepping back for my family? Is this the teaching ethics I earned by anonymously donating millions in scholarships to the school every year?
After leaving the teacher’s office, I walked to the parking lot to drive Leo home. But I found the road blocked. I leaned out to look and saw a group of people gathered in the middle of the road, completely obstructing traffic. I got out of the car and walked closer. It turned out to be a few flamboyantly dressed parents chatting animatedly around Bianca. I walked up and said, “Excuse me, could you please move aside?” The group of parents immediately turned their heads, giving me a disdainful look. A plump woman wearing a gold chain rudely said, “We’re talking to Ms. Bianca here. Who the hell do you think you are to interrupt?” Bianca noticed me then. She glanced at me, then at my car, and scoffed, “Oh, a pauper dares to act all high and mighty here?” The other parents chimed in: “Exactly! Doesn’t even know her place, daring to lecture Ms. Bianca?” “Ms. Bianca is Mr. Andrew Maxwell’s wife, the CEO of Maxwell Group! She’s worth hundreds of millions! What gives a broke person like you, driving a junk car, the right to shout here?” “If you know what’s good for you, get lost and stop being an eyesore!” Ten years ago, for my husband and son, I chose to step back, dedicating all my love to them. Maxwell Group? That was just a little company I casually bought to keep my husband happy back then. But now, this little toy I used to amuse my husband had become an object of worship for these people. I looked at Bianca, then at the familiar luxury car behind her – the very car I’d given Andrew for his birthday last year. Bianca noticed my gaze, thinking I was admiring her car. She patted the car door even more proudly. “See this? Never seen one, huh? This is a global limited edition, you can’t buy it even if you have the money!” I spoke calmly, “Indeed, I haven’t seen one.” “Of course not!” Bianca said, her face full of superiority. “This level of car isn’t something people like you can even come close to.” I continued, “I just haven’t seen anyone dare to drive *my* car.” The air suddenly went silent for a second. Bianca froze. “What did you say?” “I said, I bought this car,” my voice was calm. “The last digits of the license plate are Andrew’s birthday.” Bianca first froze, then burst into laughter. “Hahaha! Did you hear that? This pauper says this car is hers!” The surrounding parents joined in the laughter: “Is this person crazy?” “Ms. Bianca, don’t mind a delusional patient like her!” “Seriously, people these days, shamelessly trying to take credit for something that isn’t yours!” Bianca wiped away tears from laughing. “Sweetie, do you know how much this car costs? Three million! Look at that junk car you’re driving, it’s not even worth thirty thousand secondhand! And you dare say this Maserati is yours?” “And you just said the license plate ends with Andrew’s birthday? Bianca grew even more smug. My husband’s birthday can be found on any public website if you bother to look. You think you can fool me with such a pathetic trick?” Bianca pulled out her phone, triumphantly saying, “Come on, let this hick see what real high society life looks like!” She opened her photo gallery, and the screen showed a picture of her and Andrew together. In the photo, Andrew was wearing a custom suit I’d bought him, worth hundreds of thousands, his arm around Bianca’s, leaning intimately together. “This one, this is our photo under the Eiffel Tower in Paris.” I looked at the photos on the screen, my heart felt like it had been hit by a lightning bolt. During that time, Andrew had told me he was going on an important business trip for a week. “And this!” Bianca opened a video. “This is our daily life at home last weekend.” In the video, Andrew was busy in the kitchen, wearing an apron, meticulously chopping vegetables and stir-frying. Bianca hugged him from behind, and they interacted sweetly. I was stunned. Andrew never cooked. In our ten years of marriage, he always said he couldn’t cook, either ordering takeout or having the housekeeper prepare meals. Even when I was sick and wanted a bowl of congee, he would say he was too busy and told me to order takeout myself. But now, he was cooking for another woman, with a gentle smile I had never seen on his face. Just then, a sharp voice cut through the crowd: “Mommy!”
I turned my head and saw Bianca’s daughter, Tiffany, running from the school gate. She was wearing a branded school uniform, her face sporting a cocky expression. Bianca stroked her daughter’s head. “Tiffany, you’re just in time. Someone here says our car is hers. What do you think?” Tiffany sneered, speaking in an unnervingly mature tone, “Mom, I’ve seen plenty of people like her. There’s a kid in my class who’s always bragging about how rich his family is, but he can’t even afford a decent toy.” She glanced at me. “Auntie, do you know how much this car costs? My dad said it’s enough to buy a whole house. Look at yourself, do you look like someone who could afford it?” Then she pointed at my clothes. “Your entire outfit probably doesn’t even cost as much as one of my shoes, and you dare to say our car is yours?” “Just a pauper!” Tiffany made a face. “My dad said poor people like her should just get lost and not stain our eyes!” Bianca laughed heartily. “My daughter’s right! If you know what’s good for you, get out of here before you embarrass yourself even more!” I looked at the mother and daughter, my anger boiling. What kind of child had this girl been raised to be? Just then, my son, Leo, also got out of the car. He ran to my side anxiously. “Mom, why aren’t we leaving yet?” The moment Tiffany saw Leo, her eyes lit up. “Oh, if it isn’t the poor kid!” She walked up to Leo, deliberately blocking his path. “I heard your mom says our car is hers? Like mother, like son, both love to lie!” “Poor kids should know their place!” With that, she pulled a utility knife from her backpack. “If you don’t apologize, I’ll show you what happens when you mess with me!” Leo recoiled in fear, tripped over his own feet, and fell to the ground, crying hysterically. I didn’t hesitate. I rushed forward, grabbed Tiffany’s wrist, and snatched the utility knife from her hand. “Ah! It hurts! Let go of me!” Tiffany shrieked. I put the knife away and released her hand. Tiffany immediately sat on the ground and wailed, “Mom! She took my stuff! And she squeezed my hand!” Bianca immediately rushed over, pointing at me furiously. “You dared to lay a hand on her? Do you know how precious my daughter is?” “She was threatening my son with a knife!” I said, pointing to the utility knife in my hand. Bianca glanced at the utility knife and said disdainfully, “That’s just art supplies the school provides, kids just play with it! Why are you making such a big fuss?” The surrounding parents chimed in: “Kids roughhousing is normal, adults shouldn’t interfere!” “And if your son was a good kid, Tiffany wouldn’t have pulled out a knife!” “Ultimately, you were the ones who started it, that’s why Tiffany got angry!” “Look at your son, crying like that, he must be spoiled. A little thing like this and he can’t handle it!” “At the end of the day, it’s your mother and son’s problem!” Bianca sneered, “Poor people are just poor people, they don’t even know how to raise kids. No wonder others bully them!” I smiled, watching these people twist the truth. No matter what Tiffany did, in their eyes, we were always the ones in the wrong.
Bianca pulled out her phone and quickly dialed a number. The phone rang once and was immediately picked up. “Honey!” My heart sank. Every time I called Andrew, it would go straight to voicemail. He always said he was in a meeting, busy, no time to answer the phone. But now, Bianca’s call was answered instantly. Bianca said a few words into the phone, and in less than a minute, she hung up. “My husband will be here any minute!” Bianca looked at me and said, “If you’ve got guts, don’t run.” Not long after, a white BMW X7 pulled up to the side of the road. The car door opened, and Andrew, with a stern expression, stepped out. Bianca immediately rushed to him, her face full of grievance. “Honey, you’re finally here! There’s a lunatic here causing trouble, she not only said our car is hers, but she also hit Tiffany!” Tiffany also cooperated, raising her wrist, which indeed had a red mark. “Daddy, this auntie is so mean, she took my knife and squeezed my hand!” He patted Tiffany’s back reassuringly. “Don’t worry, Tiffany, Daddy will make sure you get justice!” “Honey, it’s that mother and son!” Bianca pointed at me and Leo, gritting her teeth. “That woman is a psycho, and the kid isn’t any good either! You have to make them pay, make them disappear from here!” The surrounding parents, seeing the ‘main character’ arrive, started adding fuel to the fire, chattering excitedly: “Mr. Maxwell, it’s this person! She not only insulted Ms. Bianca but also laid hands on Tiffany!” “Exactly! I bet she’s just jealous of Ms. Bianca’s happy family and successful career, deliberately looking for trouble!” “Yeah, this person is too arrogant, she clearly doesn’t respect you!” The surrounding parents started to stir up trouble again. Andrew looked in the direction everyone was pointing. When his eyes landed on my face, the anger on his face instantly solidified, and a flicker of guilt darted through his eyes. He walked up to me and said coldly, “Madam, there might be some misunderstanding here. But no matter what, laying hands on my daughter is wrong.” “And so?” I retorted calmly. “So, I hope you can apologize, and we’ll leave it at that,” he said, his eyes uncontrollably flickering, unable to meet mine. Bianca saw Andrew handling the matter so lightly and immediately interrupted, dissatisfied. “Honey, how can an apology fix this? This person made me lose face in front of so many people today! She not only said our car was hers but also humiliated me in front of everyone, and then she laid hands on Tiffany! I can’t let this go!” Bianca grew more agitated as she spoke, pointing at me furiously. “Look at all these parents watching! If you let her off so easily, how will I, Bianca, ever fit in this circle again? What will everyone think of me?” A few parents immediately nodded in agreement: “Ms. Bianca is right! Mr. Maxwell, you’re too kind-hearted!” “Exactly, someone like this needs to be taught a lesson, or more people will come to cause trouble later!” “Mr. Maxwell, you’re too merciful, people will take advantage of you!” Bianca’s face grew even uglier when she heard these voices. She looked at Andrew anxiously: “Honey, did you hear that? If we let this go today, tomorrow all the parents in the school will know that Bianca was bullied and didn’t dare fight back! My reputation, our family’s reputation, have you considered that?” “Shut up!” Andrew suddenly exploded, his voice so sharp it stunned everyone present. Bianca was startled by the sudden roar and took a step back, looking at Andrew in disbelief. “Honey, what… what’s wrong with you?” I smiled. “Apologize? Sure.” Andrew and Bianca both froze, seemingly surprised that I agreed so easily. Bianca’s face immediately showed a triumphant expression. “Smart move!” I pulled out my phone and dialed a number. “Chief Miller? It’s me, Stella.” “I’m at my son’s school. Someone stole my car and is claiming it’s theirs in front of all these people. Could you send a few officers to handle this?” After hanging up, I looked at Bianca. “Ms. Bianca, don’t worry. My apology will be here any minute.” Bianca sneered, “Heh, still faking calls? Do you think we’ll believe you just because you found a friend to back you up?” The surrounding parents also chimed in, “Seriously, people these days. ‘Chief Miller,’ what a joke!” Five minutes later, three police cars sped up, sirens wailing. A middle-aged police officer, leading the group, walked quickly toward me. Seeing me, he immediately saluted. “Ms. Stella, are you alright? Who dared to steal your car?”
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