Chapter 244
Jack was stunned by George's reaction.
But then, that spoiled willfulness and unwillingness surged up inside him.
He lifted his little face, tears welling in his eyes as he looked at George, his voice choked with sobs, "Daddy, I didn't do anything wrong! Milly hit me first, and she broke my favourite toy car-the one you bought me"
Sarah immediately stepped forward, positioning herself half a step in front of Jack, her face full of distress, "George, this clearly isn't Jack's fault. Jack is such a good boy, you know how well-behaved he is at home. He has no reason to hit anyone. It must have been Milly who started it. You can't just listen to one side of the story and be so biased!"
As she spoke,she casually turned her head, secretly shooting me several fierce glares, her eyes filledwith grievance and accusation.
George acted as if he hadn't heard Sarah's words or seen her little performance.
He walked around Sarah, went straight to Jack, and crouched down to meet the boy's eyes at the same level.
This position didn't make him seem gentle. Instead, the closer proximity made that invisible pressure even stronger.
He stared into Jack's eyes and asked coldly, "Tell me the truth."
He paused, then added, "You know I hate liars the most."
Jack's little face went pale instantly, his lips trembling uncontrollably.
During my years with the Smith family, I'd seen it all too clearly.
What Jack feared most in the Smith family was George.
His feelings toward George were incredibly complicated—he longed for his father's approval and attention, yet feared George's strictness and coldness.
George had drawn a clear line for him.
He could be smart, he could be lively, but he couldn't be unreasonable, couldn't bully others, and especially, absolutely could not lie.
Once, Jack had lied about having a stomachache to avoid piano practice, and George saw through it.
That time, George didn't hit him, but simply didn't speak a single word to him for an entire week, ignoring him no matter how much he cried or tried to please him.
That experience left a scar on Jack's mind.
Now, looking at George's emotionless eyes so close to him, Jack's pitiful courage quickly crumbled.
His eyes began to dart around, not daring to meet George's gaze, his small hands nervously clutching at his clothes.
I stood at the side, watching coldly.
I knew Jack's defenses were about to collapse.
George clearly saw it too.
He didn't give Jack more time to weave lies, asking directly, "You bullied her first, didn't you?"
It was a statement, not a question.
Jack's body trembled violently, his head dropping lower, his voice barely audible as he made one last attempt, "I'm telling the truth. She broke my toy first, so I pushed her."
The excuse was feeble and unconvincing, not even convincing himself.
George stood up, his tall figure looming over them again.
He no longer looked at Jack, but turned toward me, his gaze sweeping over the bandage on Milly's hand, his tone flat, "Then apologize."
"If you hadn't bullied her first, she probably wouldn't have broken your toy."
Sarah was completely stunned. She stared at George wide-eyed, her face full of disbelief.
She probably never dreamed that this time, George wouldn't automatically take her and Jack's side without asking questions, as he had in the past.
She wanted to say something, her lips moving, but found she couldn't get a word in.
At this moment, the cold, hard aura emanating from George made it clear.
He was disciplining his son, and no one, including the boy's birth mother, had any right to interfere.
Sarah actually knew Jack was in the wrong.
Boys are naughty, competitive—she understood that.
But she couldn't accept, and absolutely wouldn't tolerate, seeing her son have to bow his head and apologize to my daughter.
This wasn't just an apology—it was a symbol of status, a defeat she couldn't bear.
Jack's stubbornness kicked in.
He bit his lip, his eyes red, glaring at the floor, refusing to speak.
That look made it obvious to anyone how unwilling and resistant he was.
The office fell silent, the atmosphere oppressively stifling.
George didn't rush him, just watched him with those cold eyes.
There was no anger in that gaze, no reproach, only a suffocating pressure.
Under that stare, Jack's pitiful stubbornness melted away like ice in the sun.
His shoulders slumped, and extremely reluctantly, in a voice barely audible, he mumbled, "Sorry."
Milly had been clinging tightly to me the whole time, her small hand gripping mine as she watched everything unfold.
Hearing Jack's apology, she didn't accept it or feel relieved like an ordinary child would. Instead, she straightened her little chest even more, her voice clear and firm, "You also need to apologize to my mom!"
She pointed at Jack, her little face flushed with emotion, "You said my mom is a bad woman, that she broke up your family, but it was your mom who broke up my family first. Your mom is the bad woman!"
Children speak without filter, but her words were like a sharp knife, cutting straight through the layer of false pretense.
Sarah's face turned deathly pale, her lips trembling as she tried to argue back but couldn't get a single word out, only clenching her fists so tightly her nails dug into her palms.
Jack became very angry, his forced apologetic posture completely gone.
He jerked his head up, his little face full of hostility, clenched his small fists, and shouted at Milly, "Milly! Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
A child only a few years old, yet such vicious words came from his mouth.
George didn't even furrow his brow. He raised his hand and gave Jack a light tap on the back of his head, his voice still cold and hard, "Jack, apologize."
Not to Milly—to me.
Jack completely broke down. He burst into tears, not from hurt feelings but from anger and confusion.
He cried and shouted, "I won't! Why should I apologize to a bad woman! I won't! Dad, you're playing favorites! You're all playing favorites! I hate you all!"
Watching Jack's little face twisted with anger and jealousy, hearing his hate-filled crying and shouting.
The last bit of reluctance and sadness in my heart, born from six years of raising him, finally disappeared completely, leaving only a cold numbness.
A child who's been taught wrong isn't worth any of my energy, and certainly not worth my Milly's sadness.
I looked up at George, my voice calm without a ripple, "If he won't apologize, forget it."
George looked at me, his eyes deep and unreadable.
I continued, "Since he won't admit his mistake and shows no remorse, then this matter isn't just kids fighting anymore."
"Jack has repeatedly led others in isolating, insulting, and shoving Milly at kindergarten. Today it escalated to physical violence and property damage. This constitutes school bullying."
I looked at the principal, whose face had instantly turned ugly, then glanced at the frozen Sarah and Jack, who had stopped crying and was staring at me wide-eyed. I said word by word, "I will report this truthfully to the education department and request an investigation."
"Pull the recent surveillance footage. I believe even if some is damaged, other public areas should have captured something."
"Also, I'll hire a lawyer to formally negotiate with the school and Jack's guardians."
My gaze finally landed on Jack's pale little face, my tone flat but decisive, "If the investigation confirms that Jack's behavior constitutes bullying, then according to regulations, he's not qualified to stay at this kindergarten. I will demand that the school expel him."
"I didn't!" Jack panicked. He shrieked, fear finally overtaking anger, "I didn't bully anyone! I didn't!"
"You did!" Milly poked her head out from my arms, shouting back fearlessly, her little face flushed with emotion.
"You did! You got other kids not to play with me."
"You took my things and threw them in the trash. You called my mom names. Today you tore up my drawing. The cameras caught it all—once they're fixed, everyone will see."
"A lot of teachers and classmates saw. They all dislike you! You're a bad kid!"
Milly's voice was clear and loud, echoing through the quiet office.
Jack was speechless, just standing there with his mouth open, eyes wide, looking at us.
Expulsion.
He probably never imagined things would become this serious.