The day I picked up my daughter from kindergarten and found her sobbing was the day I realized just how massive a storm my simple refusal had caused in the parents' group chat. The day before, a notification had popped up in the class WhatsApp group. A mother I had never even spoken to tagged me directly, demanding that I pack a daily lunch for her son. She generously offered to pay me twenty dollars a day for my trouble. I found the entire proposition absurd. Charity suffered from severe food allergies and a highly sensitive stomach. Every single ingredient in her bento box was flown in directly from specific organic farms. A single meal cost me well over five hundred dollars to prepare. Faced with this insulting twenty-dollar charity offer, I didn't hesitate. I typed a flat refusal into the group. I never expected things to escalate the very next day. My daughter's lunchbox was snatched away by her classmate, and the teacher actually had the nerve to scold her for being selfish. Since they had decided to rip off the mask of civility, I saw no reason to play nice anymore. This ridiculous farce needed to be completely dismantled. 1 Staring at the constant stream of notifications popping up on my phone, I let out a cold laugh. The sender's profile picture was a selfie with her son. Her display name was Toby's Mom. Seeing that I hadn't replied, she fired off several more messages in rapid succession. "Charity's mom, are you seeing this? My Toby hasn't had much of an appetite the last couple of days, but he really liked the look of Charity's lunch." "You're already cooking anyway. Making one extra portion won't kill you." "Twenty dollars a day is plenty. That's what a meal costs at a fast-food joint. I know it's not easy being a single mom, so just treat it as some extra grocery money to help out your household." The condescending, charitable tone dripping from her words made my stomach turn. I had no idea where she heard the rumor that I was a single mother. It was true that I always did the school run alone, and I usually dressed in casual loungewear. She had clearly pegged me as an easy target. My daughter Charity was born with a hyper-sensitive digestive system and severe allergies to many common ingredients. Because of this, I personally handled every single aspect of her diet. Her food was sourced from exclusive private farms. Just a small cut of the premium Wagyu beef I used cost hundreds of dollars, not to mention the meticulously selected organic vegetables. Twenty dollars? That wouldn't even cover the cost of her custom lunchbox. I couldn't be bothered to entertain her delusions. I simply typed a response into the group. "Sorry, I don't have the time. Furthermore, the ingredients for my daughter's meals are very expensive. Twenty dollars won't cover it." I assumed such a blunt rejection would shut her up. Instead, she immediately sent a long string of voice memos. "Oh come on, Charity's mom. We're all parents in the same class. What's wrong with helping each other out?" "It's just a few pieces of meat and some leaves. How expensive could it possibly be? Do you really think you're feeding her Michelin-star truffles?" "Besides, what's the point of feeding a little girl so extravagantly? My Toby is a growing boy and needs the nutrition. How can you be so selfish and clueless?" Listening to those voice notes, a white-hot rage flared in my chest. What century were we living in? I couldn't believe this toxic garbage was coming out of another woman's mouth. I was just typing out a furious retort when the homeroom teacher, Ms. Harper, chimed in. "Charity's mom, Toby's mom is just looking out for her child. Our class has always encouraged the kids to learn how to share." "Since Toby likes Charity's food so much, it wouldn't hurt for you to put in a little extra effort. It will help the children bond and build a good relationship." Seeing Ms. Harper so blatantly take her side, my expression turned ice-cold. I had just transferred Charity to this supposedly prestigious bilingual preschool. I thought a high-end academy would have a higher caliber of staff. I was clearly mistaken. I ignored the rest of the buzzing notifications and tossed my phone onto the passenger seat. They could say whatever they wanted. There was absolutely no way I was cooking for that brat. 2 The next afternoon, I arrived at the school to pick up Charity. The moment I stepped into the hallway, I saw my little girl standing completely alone in a corner. Her eyes were red and swollen. She had obviously been crying. My heart twisted violently. I rushed over and pulled her into my arms. "Charity, sweetheart, what's wrong? Did someone hurt you?" Seeing me, Charity burst into loud sobs, her tiny hands gripping my sweater like a lifeline. "Mommy, I'm so hungry. Toby took my lunch away." Hearing those words, a loud buzzing filled my ears. I packed exactly enough food for her nutritional needs. If she didn't eat her lunch, she had been starving for the entire day! More importantly, her delicate constitution meant that missing a meal could easily trigger severe hypoglycemia and stomach cramps. Suppressing the fury boiling in my veins, I turned and marched straight toward Ms. Harper. The teacher was chatting and laughing with a group of other parents. When she saw me approaching, her smile vanished. "Charity's mom, you're right on time. I was just about to look for you." "Charity was very unreasonable during lunchtime today. Toby just wanted a little taste of her food, and she threw a massive tantrum and refused to share. She even made Toby cry." "I've already reprimanded Charity. I suggest you take her home and teach her some manners. A child shouldn't be so terribly selfish." I couldn't believe what I was hearing. My daughter's food was stolen from her, and somehow she was the one in the wrong? "Ms. Harper, the lunch my daughter brought belongs to her. Why on earth should she be forced to give it to someone else? Is this how you run a classroom?" I didn't bother lowering my voice. The surrounding parents all turned to stare. Feeling humiliated in front of her audience, Ms. Harper puffed up her chest and hardened her tone. "Excuse me? What kind of attitude is that? It is completely normal for children to share food!" "Besides, Toby's mom already reached out to you in the group chat yesterday. You refused to cook an extra portion, fine. But what's the big deal if Toby takes a couple of bites today?" "Do you have no sense of community spirit whatsoever?" I was shaking with anger. I pointed a finger directly at Ms. Harper's face. "Don't you dare try to lecture me about community spirit! My daughter's lunch is a specially customized allergy-safe meal. That boy stole her food, you did absolutely nothing to stop him, and now you have the nerve to call my daughter selfish?" "Let me make this perfectly clear. This is not over!" Without waiting for a response, I picked Charity up and walked straight out the door. When we got home, I immediately cooked Charity a fresh meal. Watching her devour the food like she was starving brought tears to my eyes. I pulled out my phone and tagged Toby's mom and Ms. Harper directly in the class group. "I expect a full explanation for what happened at lunch today! Since when is it acceptable to steal another child's food?" "I will be waiting at the school tomorrow morning. If I don't get a formal apology for my daughter, there will be hell to pay!" The response was instantaneous. "Wow, look who's playing the victim now!" "My Toby eating a few bites of your kid's food is a blessing. Don't push your luck, you ungrateful witch!" "Tomorrow morning it is. You think I'm scared of a nobody like you?" 3 The parents' group chat was exceptionally lively that night. Following her arrogant outburst, Toby's mom, Brenda, began aggressively rallying the mob against me. "Everyone, judge for yourselves. This woman couldn't even keep a man, so now she's a bitter single mother with a twisted personality." "My Toby just felt sorry for her daughter. He was trying to be friendly by sharing her food, and now she's screaming and throwing a fit in the group." "A kid raised in a broken home like that is definitely going to have psychological issues. You all better keep your kids away from her daughter before they catch her bad habits." A few mothers who usually sucked up to Brenda immediately jumped in to agree. "Exactly! Acting all high and mighty all day long. Does she think her food is sprinkled with gold dust?" "Kids from single-parent homes are always so greedy and defensive. I think Ms. Harper was totally right to discipline her." "Don't waste your breath on her, Brenda. Your husband is an executive at a massive corporation. You don't need to stoop to the level of some lower-class trash." I stared coldly at the screen, reading those nauseating comments. My fingers flew across the keyboard. "Lower-class trash? A corporate executive?" "So that's what gives you the confidence to steal from little girls?" "Since you all think thievery is perfectly justified, we will settle this face-to-face tomorrow. We will see exactly who doesn't deserve to be at this school!" After sending that message, I closed WhatsApp. Rage was churning wildly in my chest, but I forced myself to remain perfectly calm. This Brenda woman was throwing her weight around the preschool just because her husband had a decent job title. Even the teachers were bending over backwards to kiss her ring. Did she really think her pathetic little background made her untouchable in this city? I walked out to the balcony and dialed my assistant's number. "Sarah. Get me the security camera access codes for Oakridge Elite Prep for tomorrow morning. And look into a parent named Brenda. Find out everything there is to know about her husband's corporate background." "I want every single detail. Pull all their cards." Hanging up the phone, I took a deep breath of the crisp night air. I had purposely kept a low profile to give Charity a quiet, normal childhood. I even had my driver attend the parent-teacher conferences so I wouldn't draw attention. I never expected my restraint to become a stepping stone for these arrogant fools to walk all over me. Since they were so determined to step on my head, they couldn't blame me for tearing their entire world down. Early the next morning, I arrived at the preschool with Charity exactly on time. Instead of heading to the classroom, I led Charity straight toward the principal's office. I was going to have the director pull the security footage right then and there to expose exactly what happened yesterday. But halfway down the hall, Charity suddenly tugged on my sleeve. "Mommy, I left my sketchbook in the classroom. Can I go get it real quick?" I nodded, letting her run ahead while I waited in the corridor. Less than two minutes later, a piercing, terrified scream echoed from the classroom. It was Charity. My heart stopped. I sprinted toward the door as fast as I could. The moment I burst into the room, my vision went red. 4 Charity was collapsed on the floor, her pale little face stained with tears. That overweight boy, Toby, was violently tearing pages out of Charity's sketchbook, making ugly faces at her as he ripped her drawings to shreds. And standing right beside him was his mother, Brenda. She held a dry, cheap piece of grocery store bread in her hand, ruthlessly shoving it toward Charity's mouth. "Eat it! You love protecting your food so much, you little brat? I'll make sure you get plenty to eat today!" "My Toby wanting your things is an honor! Don't you dare hide from me!" Charity was struggling frantically, coughing and choking on the dry crumbs. Her face was flushed bright red, and she could barely breathe. Seeing Charity trying to push away, Brenda lifted her foot and brought the sharp heel of her stiletto crashing down squarely on Charity's tiny hand as it rested on the floor! "Ahhh!" Charity let out an agonizing shriek. In that split second, the blood rushed to my head. My sanity completely snapped. I charged in like a wild animal. I kicked a desk out of my way, the massive crash startling everyone in the room. I grabbed a fistful of Brenda's hair, violently slamming her back against the nearest wall. I pulled my arm back and delivered a vicious, echoing slap across her face! Smack! I put every ounce of my strength into that strike. Brenda was completely stunned, a trickle of blood instantly appearing at the corner of her mouth. I didn't stop. I immediately followed up with a second brutal slap to the other side of her face. "If you ever touch my daughter again, I will kill you!" I screamed like a madwoman, my eyes bloodshot. Brenda finally snapped out of her daze. She shrieked like a banshee and lunged at me. "You psychotic bitch! How dare you hit me! Do you have any idea who my husband is!" She grabbed a heavy glass tumbler from the teacher's desk and hurled it directly at my head. I dodged to the side. The glass shattered against the wall, sending shards flying everywhere. Brenda snatched up a large, jagged piece of broken glass and pointed it at me, her eyes venomous like a coiled snake. "My husband is Greg, the Regional Director of Apex Capital! You dare lay a hand on me? I'll have you and your little bastard completely destroyed! I'll make sure you can never show your faces in Chicago again!" Just then, Ms. Harper and two security guards rushed into the classroom, drawn by the commotion. Seeing the chaos, Ms. Harper didn't even ask what happened. She immediately pointed an accusing finger at me. "Charity's mom, have you lost your mind?! How dare you assault another parent on school grounds!" "Grab her, quick! If Toby's mom gets hurt, you'll never be able to afford the medical bills!" The security guards instantly closed in on me. Holding the jagged glass, Brenda let out a twisted, incredibly arrogant laugh. "Scared now? Too late! I'm going to make you and your brat get on your knees and lick my shoes clean!" Looking at her sickening, entitled face, I pulled Charity tightly into my arms. The coldness in my eyes could have frozen hell over.
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