Looking into her mother's warm, gentle eyes, Charlie's earlier unease melted away.
He had never really cared about the head teacher. What worried him was that his mother might be disappointed. But now, seeing her reaction, he realized he had been overthinking.
"It was Jordan who insisted on switching seats with a girl. He said he needed the sunlight by the window. But doesn't that girl deserve sunshine too? So she refused, and Jordan hit her. Leo and I couldn't just stand by, so we taught him a lesson. I didn't expect his nose to bleed, and then he ran off crying to the teacher."
After recounting the incident, Charlie wore a look of utter disapproval. If it weren't for the teacher's presence, Emma would have laughed out loud.
"That's right, Charlie isn't lying. The teacher just wouldn't listen to us at all."
As if to back Charlie up, Leo immediately chimed in. Charlie then flashed Leo a friendly smile. It seemed the two boys were good friends.
"Ms. Miller, I'd like to meet the boy named Jordan and the girl he bullied. Is that alright?"
Emma stood up, her eyes still soft, a gentle smile on her lips. Ms. Rose Miller was furious but had no choice but to agree. She called for Jordan and the girl, Sarah Evans. The moment Jordan saw Charlie, he wore a look of impatience. Arrogant words spilled from his mouth—threats about having his father pay them off, break Charlie's legs, and so on. Emma hadn't expected a child to speak with such venom. Her face slowly darkened.
Seeing that Ms. Miller made no move to stop him, a flicker of displeasure stirred in Emma's heart.
How could a teacher like this guide children properly?
"Mom, you see that?"
Charlie shrugged, unfazed. On the other hand, the girl named Sarah stepped forward to sincerely thank him.
"Thank you, Charlie. If it weren't for you, Jordan would have hit me just now. You might not have seen it clearly."
Once the girl finished speaking, everything became crystal clear. Emma turned to Ms. Miller, whose face had changed color, and her voice lost its earlier warmth.
"Ms. Miller, the situation is perfectly clear. My son was simply standing up against injustice. You should know who truly needs to be disciplined. Now, I'm taking my son home."
"Going home? You haven't met Jordan's parents yet, and your son hasn't apologized to Jordan. How can you leave?"
Despite her discomfort, Ms. Miller couldn't help but mention Jordan's father.
Jordan shot Charlie a smug look, his face practically begging for a punch. Charlie couldn't help but frown. Seeing Charlie's expression, Jordan involuntarily shrank back. Charlie's gaze was too intimidating, so even Jordan, who was usually so arrogant, only dared to curse rather than actually step forward.
"Apologize? Why should my son apologize?"
Emma turned around and looked coolly at Ms. Miller. Her expression was icy. Ms. Miller was momentarily speechless.
"I'm going to speak with the principal. A teacher like you truly worries me as a parent."
With those words, Emma didn't spare Ms. Miller another glance. She took her son's hand and left the office.
"Mom, are you really not angry?"
Charlie sat in the car, studying Emma's face with a hint of uncertainty.
"My Charlie did the right thing. When something is wrong, you have to stand up. Would you rather have waited until Jordan actually hit that girl in the eye before you stepped in?"
Emma didn't spoil Charlie, but she wasn't overly strict either. Especially when he hadn't done anything wrong, she truly wasn't angry. What angered her was that Charlie hadn't been blessed with a good teacher. A wave of frustration washed over her. She regretted not having come to the school herself sooner.
Even if it was one of the best schools in the country, if the teachers weren't good, the children wouldn't be properly educated. She was relieved that her own child was fine. She could only blame Liam for this.
Although she had mentioned speaking to the principal, Emma didn't plan to handle it personally. Instead, she dialed Liam's number. She told him about the afternoon's events and asked him to take care of it. If he couldn't solve a problem like this, then he wasn't much of a father.
As it turned out, Liam not only solved the problem but did so exceptionally well. A few days later, when Emma saw on the news that the director of the City Education Bureau had been detained for corruption, she couldn't help but feel that she might have gone a bit too far. But on second thought, Liam had simply exposed the truth. There was nothing wrong with replacing a corrupt official with a better one.
Ms. Miller was fired from the school. Judging by Charlie's mood in the following days, he was quite satisfied with his new teacher. Emma felt a great sense of relief.
A full month had passed since Isabella Miller had been bombarded with scandals by the media. Just when everyone thought she would give up on the entertainment industry, she held a press conference and announced the official establishment of her own personal studio. The media was in an uproar. An artist who had been blacklisted from the country had the audacity to open her own studio. Perhaps she had found a new backer.
When Emma saw the news, she didn't react. Isabella had learned her lesson. As for the future, whether she could make a comeback was entirely up to her.
When Liam came to pick up Charlie, he hesitated for a moment before speaking to Emma.
"Don't worry about Isabella. I'll handle it."
What he meant was that he wouldn't let her come back. For Liam, this was a simple matter.
"Let it go. She didn't really hurt me. And Barry's crisis is over. We should learn to forgive."
After all, Isabella was still her cousin. For the sake of her aunt, Emma didn't plan to push Isabella into a corner. She didn't think it was necessary. Liam knew she had a soft heart. If he truly cut off Isabella's future, he was afraid Emma would blame herself.
After a moment's thought, he nodded. Everything would be based on Emma's wishes.
Besides, Isabella had been exposed to so many scandals that her status as a top-tier star was no longer what it used to be. The entertainment industry was a cruel place. Once the public turned against you, even if you worked hard, it was difficult to return to your former glory. For Isabella, that was punishment enough.