Of course, there were always exceptions to this. Some of the children hailed from ordinary families, but managed to get their children enrolled into the Guiding Star School with connections. Having a child who attended the Guiding Star School was no doubt a great networking opportunity, because the parents of these children would be able to meet other wealthy, influential parents at school events and in turn expand their networking. Clearly, Liam and Jovie fell into the latter category, which meant that they did not truly possess any powerful connections or influence at all. Therefore, Sophie did not even want to give them the time of day. She read the forms once more, then turned to Liam and said, "Mr. Cole, I am in no position to tell you this, but I'd like to remind you that the Guiding Star School is one of the best, and thus, most expensive, schools in this city. The tuition fee alone costs upwards of fifty thousand dollars, and according to the information you've given, you a
Sophie smiled at Lara. "Well, I'll leave her in your hands now, Ms. Lara."Lara smiled back. "Thank you, Ms. Devens."Sophie nodded and decided not to keep Lara's class on hold any longer, so she gestured to Liam, signaling him to leave with her. Jovie quickly waved at her father and called out, "Bye, Dad!"Liam grinned and waved back at her. "Be a good girl, Jovie, and I'll come pick you up later!"Once Liam and Sophie left, Lara squatted down and squeezed Jovie's hand reassuringly, then whispered, "Is your name Jovie, my dear?"Jovie nodded. "Yes, Miss, my name is Jovie Cole. My Dad's name is Liam Cole, and he's a very powerful bodyguard!"The entire classroom erupted into a chorus of laughter."What? Did she say her father is a bodyguard?""Did you hear how proud she is? What's there to be proud of? He's just a stupid bodyguard! How embarrassing!""I wouldn't even have dared to tell anyone if my Dad is a bodyguard! My Dad has a few bodyguards of his own, and he always cal
Jovie was on the brink of tears at this point, but when she heard these mean children teasing her father, she knew she had to stand up for him. She shrieked at the top of her lungs, "No, my father isn't a pig, and I'm not a poor man's child! My Dad is a powerful fighter, and he's rich, too! You're all stupid for not believing me! My Dad can fight dozens of bad guys at the same time, and he's also friends with Mr. Reath, the richest man in town! He's also friends with the police and the soldiers…"Tears flowed down Jovie's cheeks as she tried desperately to prove that she was worthy of standing here in the classroom alongside her peers, but at this point, she was beginning to wonder if this was all a mistake.She did not want to go to school anymore! The children here were mean, and she did not like them! She wanted to go home!"Lies! You're not only poor, but you're a liar as well!" The first boy cackled, then sneered knowingly as continued, "All you do is tell lies! You're a big, f
Liam had the nerve to brag right in front of his kid, claiming he rubbed elbows with the high and mighty. How could someone like that even be a parent, teaching their kid such lies?Lara, with a look of sheer exasperation, whispered some comforting words to Jovie before asking her to hang tight in the hallway for a bit.She then headed back into the classroom, showered the students with compliments, and finally got them back in good spirits.Those kids were the coddled offspring of Drunham City's elite, each treated like a little treasure. No matter how outrageous their behavior, Lara would not dare scold them and would always opt for gentle persuasion.Luckily, Lara had a knack for that, and she quickly got them all calmed down again. Her ability to handle those situations was one of the reasons she managed to keep her teaching job at Guiding Star School.After the dust settled, Lara brought Jovie back into the classroom. To avoid any more drama, she skipped the usual stand-and-i
Lara knew exactly what was swirling around in Jovie's young mind. It was because she understood so well that she felt so upset with Liam for feeding Jovie lies.Lara's eyes followed Jovie's petite figure until it vanished at the end of the hallway. Only then did she turn and head back into the classroom to gather her things.Outside the school building, Jovie was quickly cornered by a group of kids, two boys and three girls. The ringleader was the same boy who had been the first to hurl insults at Jovie in the classroom.Dressed in a snazzy little suit, the boy stood there with his arms folded, mimicking an adult's posture. He looked down at Jovie with a sneer. "Liar, you claimed you weren't from a poor family, right? You said your dad knows the richest guy in Drunham City, and that he even bought a big shopping center?"Well, we'll all be at the parent-teacher meeting tomorrow. Let's see what kind of car your so-called rich dad drives. If he shows up on some dinky electric scooter
None of that mattered to Liam, though, not until he caught sight of Jovie's small frame. His face broke into a wide grin as he waved and called out, "Jovie, Daddy's here!"Jovie saw him too, the man with the beaming smile waving just for her. She clutched her backpack strap and, with a pout, made her way over to him.Liam could see she was not her usual cheery self, but nothing else seemed amiss. He figured she had not been bullied, maybe it was just the new-school jitters.He slipped her backpack off her shoulders and hoisted her onto the scooter, giving her nose a playful squeeze. "Time to head home, Jovie. Daddy's got you."Just as they were about to zip away, the window of a nearby Ferrari rolled down with a smooth whir.A little boy in a pint-sized suit pressed his face against the window, sticking his tongue out at Jovie. With a sneer, he jeered, "Hey, fibber, did your big ol' bear of a dad come to get you from school? Ha-ha-ha...""That's not true! I'm no fibber, and my da
Jovie kept her head down, pushing her food around the plate, tight-lipped as ever.Celena's own appetite vanished at the sight. She set her utensils aside and exchanged a look with Liam, who let out a resigned sigh. "I'm just as in the dark as you are. She's been like this since she got home."Celena's worry deepened, her brows knitting together. "What on earth happened? Do you think... maybe she got bullied by the other kids at school?"Celena's worry was not unfounded. Since she had decided Jovie would start school, she had been glued to any news about schools, especially the stories about bullying that seemed to pop up too often.Jovie was usually a bundle of energy, but today, after her first day at school, something was off. Celena's heart tightened with concern."Jovie, honey, did someone at school pick on you?? Or is there something else bothering you? Can you talk to Mommy about it?" Celena asked, her voice a mix of warmth and worry.Jovie's thoughts flashed to the taunts
Lara relayed to Liam everything Jovie had told her. As Liam listened, the pieces fell into place, and he grasped the full scope of the situation. On the other end of the line, Lara was met with silence. She mistook Liam's quiet for a sign of guilt. Before Liam could say a word in his defense, Lara pressed on, "Mr. Cole, as Jovie's teacher, I have to say, the way you're handling this isn't right. You can't just tell fibs around a child. She's young, and she believes what you say."I get it, you want to be her hero and make her proud. However, that doesn't mean you should mislead her. Honestly, this approach to parenting isn't working." Lara paused, taking a deep breath before she continued with heartfelt concern, "Mr. Cole, you really can't go on like this. You've got to set the right example. Teaching her to lie? That's going to hurt her, now and down the road." Liam cut in before she could say more, his voice calm and steady, "Ms. Lara, I appreciate your good intentions, but I as