Chapter 4

It had happened so fast that I didn't even have time to dodge.

I turned around on instinct and shielded Harry, who was right behind me. I took the blow squarely on my back.

There was a thud, and I felt searing pain spreading from my shoulder. I let out a grunt, and my right arm instantly turned numb.

"Dad!" Harry screamed in terror, his hands tightly gripping the fabric of my clothes.

Trying my best to endure the pain, I pulled Harry into my arms and swept a cold glance at everyone at the scene. "You keep saying I can't afford anything and accusing me of stealing, huh? Well, here's the whole truth. I'm the husband of the owner behind Fairytale Toys and the entire Aura Mall! This mall belongs to my family!"

The place went quiet for two seconds before erupting into uncontrollable mocking laughter.

Someone asked, "Is he out of his mind? Did he really just say that he's the husband of the owner of Aura Group?"

Another responded, "He must've been so shocked that he lost his mind. He's spouting nonsense now!"

Someone else said, "Exactly! Ms. Ruth Turner from Aura Group is a woman worth hundreds of billions of dollars! If he really is Ms. Turner's husband, he wouldn't be arguing about a few hundred dollars in class funds, nor would he be wearing such cheap clothes."

Shaking his head, Kevin scoffed and said, "Jordan, I was kind enough to cover for you and save you some embarrassment, but I had no idea that on top of your misconduct, you'd lose your marbles as well. Given your dishonest and violent behavior, I don't think the kindergarten can handle your son, either. I hereby announce that Harry is expelled from kindergarten!"

What a joke. Kevin was just a class teacher, so he didn't have the right to expel Harry at all.

If I weren't reeling from the pain of the injury on my back, I would've called the principal of the kindergarten, who also happened to be an old classmate of mine.

I would like to ask her how exactly she ran her staff training.

Realizing that I wasn't saying anything, and that I had a look of stubborn resentment on my face, Darren was back at it in no time.

Leaning close to me, he said in a voice only the two of us could hear, "Quite the stubborn one, aren't you? I almost admire you. But you see, I love watching arrogant people like you get crushed underfoot until you're begging for mercy!"

Suddenly, he reached out and grabbed Harry's thin arm.

"What are you doing? Let go of him!" Shocked, I instinctively tried to pull Harry back toward me.

But due to my injured shoulders, I couldn't exert any strength at all. I could only watch as Darren forcefully dragged Harry over to him.

While I was struggling, Darren yanked my arm and sent me crashing down on one knee.

I could somewhat feel that my shoulder was dislocated.

"Dad! I want my dad! You evil guy, let go of me!" Harry struggled with all his might, crying at the top of his lungs as he tried to pry Darren's fingers off him.

But Darren kept a death grip on Harry's arm, his nails almost sinking into the child's flesh.

I could even see Harry flinching from the pain.

"Everyone saw that, right? Jordan isn't just a thief, but he also beats people up and has even lost his mind. He thinks he's the husband of the owner of Aura Group!" Darren looked at me in my miserable state, smiling in smug satisfaction. "He's a violent criminal who lies all the time. He's not worthy to be a father! If the kid stays with him, he'll ruin the kid's future!"

Darren patted Harry on the head, but his voice was filled with bone-chilling viciousness as he said, "Don't worry, Jordan. After the police take you away, as the PTA representative of the class, I won't just sit by and watch this kid end up on the streets. I'll do you a favor and take 'good' care of Harry for you."

When he finished speaking, hurried, chaotic footsteps rang out at the entrance to the toy store.

Then, a familiar and intimidating voice coldly rang out. "I don't need any outsiders taking care of my husband and son!"