Chapter 3

Ava stood on the podium. Her once beautiful tutu was hacked into shreds and hung off her like rags. Her calves were streaked with red cuts from the scissors, while her leggings had been stripped off and tossed into the trash.

Georgina stood holding a pair of scissors and smugly addressed the class. "Look, everyone! This is what happens when you have no morals!

"Girls should know shame. Wearing such outrageous outfits means you're trying to seduce boys, and that makes you a bad girl.

"From now on, don't play with Ava. Understood?"

The kids below the podium barely understood a word she said, but they echoed her anyway. "Ava is a bad girl! Shame on her!"

Oliver sat in the front row, pulling faces at Ava. "Hussy! Shameless hussy!"

Ava clutched the tattered remains of her skirt and cried so hard she was almost convulsing. Her eyes were full of terror and helplessness.

"Stop!" I roared and rushed forward to shove Georgina aside. Clad in high heels, she stumbled and slammed into the blackboard.

"How dare you push me!" she shrieked. "Security! Where are the guards?"

I took off my coat and wrapped it tightly around the shaking Ava. Seeing the bloody scratches on her legs hurt me so much that it felt like my heart was bleeding and dripping with blood.

"The skirt's ruined, Mommy… Am I a bad girl?" she whimpered in a hoarse voice as she curled into my arms.

"No. You're the best, Ava. They're the evil ones, and I'm going to make them pay."

Turning around, I fixed my sharp, menacing gaze on Georgina. "What right did you have to cut Ava's skirt and strip off her leggings?

"This is abuse and a crime!"

Georgina smoothed her hair and shot me a look of disdain. "I was correcting her bad behavior. School rules forbid inappropriate clothing, and since she wouldn't listen, I helped her trim it.

"As for the leggings, they were so tight, so what if they hurt her? I was just doing her a favor.

"Besides, that skirt must be cheap. I'll just give you 20 dollars to make up for it."

She pulled out a 20-dollar note from her bag and flicked it in my face like she was dismissing a beggar. "Take the money and get out with your mini hussy."

In that instant, my blood boiled over. But as I noticed the other teachers gathering around, I knew I was at a disadvantage.

I had always kept a low profile. Aside from the dean of the kindergarten, with whom I had always worked alongside, no one else knew my identity. So, clearly, they were all on Georgina's side.

After a few deep breaths, I forced down my rage and began saying, "Georgina, that outfit you're wearing is Chanel's spring limited edition, worth 50 thousand dollars.

"The necklace around your neck is a full-diamond Cartier, worth 150 thousand dollars. That bag you're holding is Hermès' current seasonal limited, worth a million dollars."

I stepped closer, one pace at a time. "You're a kindergarten teacher earning 4,000 dollars a month, so where did you get the money for everything?

"Or perhaps… were these stolen in the first place?"

Georgina's expression fell, and she shrieked, "They were gifts from my fiance! He's a big-shot businessman!"

Right then, Candice stormed in with over a dozen parents. She pointed at me and yelled, "She's the one! Ms. Davies was kindly disciplining Ava, and she assaulted Ms. Davies!

"Grab her! Uncivilized women like her don't belong in our elite kindergarten!"

They closed in at once, surrounding Ava and me.