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
Liam hung up and glanced at the untouched dinner on the table, letting out a weary sigh.He's the Commander-in-chief of Pendragon. Why should he have to play pretend?Recalling what a man said at the school gate when he picked up Jovie, Liam let out a disdainful laugh. If it was a show they wanted at that parent-teacher conference, he would give them one they would not forget.Celena had spent the previous evening comforting Jovie, and it had taken a while to lift her spirits.The following morning, after a family breakfast, Celena left early for the office. She mentioned the company was swamped lately, with several well-running projects abruptly halted by their partners for reasons unknown.So, for the past few days, Celena had been buried in work, heading to the office early and staying late into the night.After waving goodbye to Celena, Liam turned to see Jovie, her little backpack on, sitting quietly on the couch, her mood still downcast.With a smile, Liam said, "Come on,
Calum stepped out of the vehicle as Liam and Jovie appeared. He was decked out in his dark uniform, looking every bit the upright soldier."Sir!" he said with a salute.Knowing Liam had a parent-teacher conference at Jovie's school, Calum had donned his uniform for the occasion, though he had left off the epaulets to keep things low-key.Jovie beamed at the sight of Calum, waving enthusiastically. "Uncle Calum, good morning!"Calum's stern face melted into a warm smile at the sight of Jovie. "Good morning, Jovie!" he greeted her with the same affection.Liam cradled Jovie in his arms as he approached the car, turning to Calum with a question, "Is everything set?" Calum swung open the back door of the vehicle, answering, "All set. Five hundred of Drunham City's finest are ready and waiting. Kolten has been alerted too. He's dropped everything and can head to the school on a moment's notice." Liam gave a nod, settled Jovie into the car, and declared, "Alright, let's roll out."
Then, the boy who had knocked Jovie down and laughed at her yesterday stepped forward with a chilling smirk. "No need to keep calling, sir. Jovie's a big fat liar. She's probably too chicken to show up today."The moment the words were out, peals of laughter echoed through Jovie's classroom."Seriously, hahaha, the so-called King of Bragging must be too chicken to show his face at school now.""I can't even, they're still at it with their tall tales, claiming her dad's some kind of hero. More like a bumbling bear, if you ask me.""Spot on, Jovie's nothing but a fibber, and her dad's just a plain old bodyguard.""Hahahaha..."Before long, the whole room was buzzing with kids poking fun at Jovie, and their parents, catching wind of the gossip, started to see Jovie in a different light, chiming in with their own two cents."I got it straight from my son—the kid's dad is nothing more than a bodyguard, and he's been strutting around school, puffing his chest out.""Yeah, my kid told