Chapter 2

"What's going on here? Who's been yelling in the swimming arena?" Lionel demanded, scowling as he headed through the doors.

I was about to tell Lionel about the cruel torment Damian had endured, but he unexpectedly brushed past us without sparing us a sidelong glance. He made a beeline for Timothy, a sycophantic smile plastered on his face.

"Goodness, Timothy, is everything alright? Were you frightened?"

Timothy lifted his chin high in the air as he jabbed an accusing finger at Damian and me. "Mr. Hall, you got here just in time! This freeloader didn't know his place and insisted on using my private pool!

"I kicked him out, but now, he's come back here with his poor loser of a dad to make his case! The guy even said he paid for the construction of this pool! Can you believe him?"

Tears welled up in Damian's eyes again at the word "freeloader". The education he'd had since he was young meant he had no tolerance for such crass insults.

With red-rimmed eyes, he argued, "I'm not a freeloader… Dad had this pool constructed to begin with—"

"Quiet!" Lionel cut Damian off before he could finish his sentence. Whirling to look at Damian with contempt, he snapped, "Why can't you be a little more mature, Damian? Your health is delicate, to begin with.

"What if something bad happened after you got into the water? How would the school make up for it? Timothy was kind enough to let you look at the pool, but that's no excuse for you to push his boundaries.

"Leave now before the other children catch whatever disease you have! You're spoiling everyone's fun!"

My gaze hardened when I heard Lionel's words. How could a public educator say such horrible things?

Lionel spun and looked down his nose at me. "Mr. Stone, I suggest you take Damian and leave the pool right now. We don't want to embarrass ourselves further now, do we?

"Do you have any idea who Timothy's mother is? She's the famous CEO of Starsea Group! The construction of this swimming pool was approved and commissioned by them!

"A word from her is all it'll take to ruin your life in Kingsdale! If both of you apologize to Timothy now, we can forget that this incident ever happened, or else…"

I went still. The CEO of Starsea Group? Wouldn't that be me?

"Are you sure Timothy's mother is the CEO of Starsea Group?" I prompted, doubt creeping into my voice. "I happen to know the CEO of Starsea Group. From what I know, the CEO is a man."

Timothy's expression contorted into a grimace when he heard my question. "You bumpkin! Who are you trying to bluff? How many Starsea Groups are there in Kingsdale?

"My Mom's the boss at the company, and she's worth billions! A peasant like you doesn't even know which way the doors open at the company, let alone the woman who runs it!"

Damian had sensed something amiss, too. He might be young, but even he knew what my company's called. Taking a deep breath, he protested loudly, "You're all wrong! Dad's the real—"

"That's enough!" Lionel interrupted Damian again, taking long strides toward him and reaching to grab him by the arm. "From what I've seen, you and your dad are nothing more than troublemakers!

"You're only throwing a fit here because you can't afford tickets to the local swimming pool. Security security! Where are they? Come drag them out!"

Just as Lionel's hand was inches from grazing against Damian's, I raised my hand and grabbed his wrist. "Don't you dare touch him."

Stumped by my intimidating tone, Lionel froze, but didn't pull his hand away.

Timothy noted my unbudging stance, but it did little to temper his hubris. If anything, it spurred him on. "Fine, then! You won't give up until we back you into the corner!"

He wasted no time in dialing a phone number. "Dad! Dad, a crazy man's fighting with me over the pool! Come here, and bring backup!"