Tedmond glared at Neil, who began fidgeting nervously. He hadn’t meant it that way. He didn’t intend for things to escalate like this. He had just been joking with Hino and was now in deep trouble.“I seriously didn’t mean it that way,” Neil said hurriedly. “I just wanted to joke around with Hino since he kept pestering me to leave without consulting you.”Hino flinched at the accusation. Of course, he had said nothing of the sort. Neil was trying to use him as an excuse to get out of trouble. That was what Neil always did back when they were a boss and an employee.“I’ll be going now, brother,” Bianca said, her beaming smile making it seem like she hadn’t just caused trouble. “Good night.” She kissed him on the cheek and hurried out of the room.Tedmond watched the door close before turning his sharp gaze back to Neil. “Max called, and you decided not to tell me about it? Really?”Neil shook his head rapidly. “No! I didn’t mean to! Hino was the one who asked me not to. Isn’t that rig

Neil peered at Max, considering his next words. Max had said “years,” as though he and Lisa had been married for a long time. If Tedmond hadn’t told him about Max beforehand, he might have thought Max got married at 14, the way he emphasized the word.After a few seconds of deliberation, Neil placed a hand on his chin. “If she caused so much damage to the company, why doesn’t she take responsibility and fix it?” Neil questioned.Max's eyes widened, clearly unprepared for the question. He tilted his head slightly, as though trying to mask his surprise.“I know she should take responsibility,” Max began, “but she’s so weird she can’t even undo what she’s already done.” He looked back at Neil. “If only you knew what she did, you’d understand.”Neil resisted the urge to grin and instead wore a concerned expression. Max was a smooth talker, but he’d just said the one thing that would prompt Neil to dig deeper into the company’s situation.Seeing no way out, Neil finally asked the question

As soon as the pencil dug into the boy’s thigh, he let out a piercing scream that sent shivers through the classroom. The other children froze, their wide eyes filled with shock, before bursting into terrified wails, throwing the room into chaos.The teacher shoved Bianca aside, panic etched across her face as she rushed to Henry’s side and pulled him into her arms.Bianca stumbled backward, landing hard on her butt. She immediately scrambled to her feet, the pencil she had stabbed him with still clutched in her hand, its tip glistening with blood.“Henry!” the teacher cried desperately, her voice rising.Blood seeped through Henry’s thigh, staining his white socks in thin red streaks. The sight drained the color from the teacher’s face.Henry was making it worse, bawling at the top of his lungs. His teary eyes locked on Bianca, and she grinned at him—a wide, unsettling smile that sent a shiver down his spine. Trembling, he squeezed his eyes shut and screamed even louder.The teacher

As everyone turned toward the door, the teacher's head snapped in the same direction, her eyes widening in surprise. Walking into the room was one hell of a fine man, and at that moment, she was certain she had just seen her soulmate.If he was here dressed as expensively as he was, he had to be here for Henry. As long as she put in a good word for Henry, she might have a chance to go out with him.She had no idea there was someone like that in the Hudson family. However, when she turned to look at the Hudsons, they had terrified expressions on their faces.That was definitely not the look one should have for someone who came to support them. Or so she thought—until he spoke.“What did you just say to my daughter?” he demanded, his icy voice sending shivers down her spine. “Did you just call her lowly?!”Without a second thought, Bianca hurried over to the man like it was something she did every day.“Daddy!”Daddy? The word made the teacher’s world come crashing down. She had thought

Mrs. Hudson turned to her husband, her eyes flashing with a silent plea for help. Even though she knew he couldn’t do anything, she still hoped he would try to support their son.“Bullying isn’t a trivial matter,” Mr. Hudson said, withdrawing his support from their son, making his wife’s eyes widen in shock. “Our son has committed a grave crime, and so have we. We are also to blame for not listening to what he had done before jumping to conclusions—”Tedmond tilted his head slightly, his hand raised to his chin, eyes widening softly.“You mean you had no idea he was bullying my daughter?” Tedmond demanded. “Didn’t she tell you? And didn’t you dismiss it as something trivial?”Mr. Hudson flinched. He had thought he could find a way to get himself and his family out of this situation, but it seemed there was no easy escape. Nothing had prepared him for the revelation that the girl they had allowed their son to bully was a member of the Washington family.“That was my fault. I apologize,