All Chapters of The Ten-Dollar Lunch: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

The next afternoon, I went to pick Theo up from school.The moment I reached the classroom door, I saw him standing alone in the corner, his eyes red and swollen like he had been crying.My heart clenched. I rushed over and pulled him into my arms."Theo, what happened? Who hurt you?"As soon as he saw me, he burst into tears. His small hands clutched the front of my shirt."Daddy, I'm hungry... Mia took my lunch..."My head buzzed.I prepared Theo's portions carefully every day. They were exactly what he needed. If he had not eaten lunch, that meant he had gone hungry for an entire day.More importantly, with his condition, skipping meals could trigger low blood sugar and stomach cramps.Holding back my anger, I turned to look for Ms. Walker.She was chatting and laughing with a few parents. When she saw me coming, her face immediately hardened."Ethan, good. I was just about to talk to you."During lunch today, Theo behaved very poorly. Mia only wanted to taste his food,

I did not stop.I slapped him across the other side of his face."You touched my son! I'll kill you!"My voice came out raw, my eyes burning red.Mark finally reacted. Like a street thug, he shrieked and lunged at me."You bastard, you dare hit me? Do you know who my wife is?"He grabbed a glass cup from a desk and hurled it at me.I dodged sideways. The cup smashed against the wall, scattering shards across the floor.Mark picked up a sharp piece of broken glass and pointed it at me. His eyes were venomous."My wife is Karen Blake, regional director at Apex Capital! Hit me again and I'll destroy you and your son. I'll make sure you can't live in this city!"At that moment, Ms. Walker and several security guards rushed in after hearing the commotion.Ms. Walker took one look at the scene and immediately pointed at me."Ethan, have you lost your mind? How dare you attack someone inside the preschool?"Grab him! If anything happens to Mark, can you afford the consequences?"

The moment Mark saw Karen, he rushed toward her like a drowning man grabbing a rope. He cried so hard his face twisted."Honey, you're finally here! If you had come any later, this bastard would have bullied me and our daughter to death!"He hit me and even made some fake video to frame me. You have to destroy him!"Karen saw Mark's swollen face and exploded in rage.She whirled around and glared at me, her finger nearly jabbing my nose."So you're the blind fool who dared to hit my husband?"Do you even know who I am in this city? One word from me and you'll disappear."As she shouted, she pulled a stack of business cards from her holder and flung them at me."Open your eyes and read. I'm a regional director at Apex Capital. I can crush ants like you with one finger."I looked down at the business cards scattered across the floor, my gaze resting on the words Apex Capital.I was not even angry anymore. She was too stupid to be worth it."Apex Capital?" I gave a cold laugh.

That afternoon, the Department of Education issued a shutdown and investigation order to Bright Horizons Bilingual Preschool.The director and Ms. Walker lost their teaching credentials for illegal operations and for covering up an assault on a child. Legal repercussions were also waiting for them.At Apex Capital, Mr. Lewis handled the matter swiftly and thoroughly to calm my anger.Karen's dirty accounts were dug up in full. The total involved ran into the millions. She would be facing at least ten years in prison.As for Mark, he received a three-year prison sentence for intentionally injuring a child. Once Karen fell, the people the couple had bullied in the past came forward one after another to add their own complaints.All of their assets were seized by the court to pay debts and damages. Their arrogant daughter, Mia, was eventually sent back to a small hometown to be raised by her elderly grandfather.The parent chat was dissolved after that day.I heard the parents who