Daddy's Secret Empire

The next day, I deliberately dressed Kyrie in a more understated suit. He even left his favorite figurine at home.

This time, I wanted to see what they could possibly find to complain about.

Right after I dropped him off and got to the office, the parent group chat exploded.

Adam posted a photo. In it, Kyrie was half-kneeling on the floor playing with a toy, while Sarah stood right in front of him.

Adam followed up with a barrage of voice messages.

"Everyone, take a look. Kyrie is acting like Sarah's dog again. He is just a boy with no backbone at all, kneeling the moment he sees a girl."

Several parents quickly chimed in below.

"Oh my. He is only five and already such a shameless suck-up. Did he learn this from his dad?"

Another laughed and said, "You had better watch what you say. What if his sugar mommy comes after you?"

"This kind of boy is going to grow up to be a freeloader for sure."

I was fuming and immediately sent a voice message in the group. "Mr. O'Neil, you secretly photographed Kyrie and publicly insulted a minor. I have already screenshotted this as evidence, so expect a letter from my lawyer."

That was when the homeroom teacher, Kenneth, spoke up in the group. His profile picture was a selfie showing off a Rolex watch.

I thought, 'Wait a second… That watch looks suspiciously like the one I could not find last month.'

Kenneth tagged me in the chat and wrote:

[Mr. Stone, please calm down. Mr. O'Neil only wants the best for the class. Where there is smoke, there is fire. If Kyrie kept a lower profile, people would not talk.

[As his teacher, I have to be frank with you. This is not the real world, and you cannot bring that kind of attitude into a school setting. Also, to avoid affecting the other students, please come to the school tomorrow. Kyrie is suspended for three days of reflection.]

I could not believe my eyes.

Was this really the kind of thing an educator should be saying?

"Where there is smoke, there is fire"? Since when did blaming the victim become the standard?

I fired back at Kenneth in the group without hesitation.

[Mr. Griffin, what right do you have to suspend Kyrie? Mr. O'Neil insulted Kyrie in the group, and as the homeroom teacher, you did not stop him but instead took his side.]

Kenneth quickly called me, his tone dripping with arrogance. "Mr. Stone, know your place and delete what you posted in the group. This is an elite preschool, not a place where new money like you can run wild. Let me be clear with you. My fiancée is a major shareholder of this preschool, so do not push me. I can make your son pay for this."

When he said that his fiancée was a major shareholder at the preschool, I was puzzled.

I suddenly remembered how Nadine had been coming home late and leaving early recently, always smelling of unfamiliar men's cologne. Moreover, there were those designer watches and suits that had mysteriously disappeared from our house.

An absurd suspicion began to form in my mind.

Just then, my phone rang, interrupting my thoughts. It was a call from Kyrie's smartwatch. However, the moment I answered, it was abruptly cut off.

Kyrie never hung up on me for no reason.

Thinking back to Kenneth's threats, my expression hardened. I rushed out of the office, jumped into my car, and sped toward the preschool.

When I reached the classroom door, I heard Kyrie's muffled sobbing.

I burst into the classroom, and the scene before me made my blood boil.