Though uneasy, my worry for Lily outweighed everything else. After thanking her, I hurried toward Lily’s classroom.
At the door, I heard harsh curses. Following the crowd’s gaze, I saw Lily standing drenched beside a bucket, her face and clothes smeared with black ink.
A woman in a purple dress was yanking Lily’s hair viciously, demanding that she kneel and apologize to her son.
Fury surged through me. I rushed over and shielded Lily in my arms.
Seeing me, Lily finally broke down in sobs, clinging to me, unable to speak.
I stroked her back gently, soothing her, then turned to the woman in purple.
“What did my daughter do that you would treat her like this? If you don’t give me a reasonable explanation, I’ll sue you for bullying and intentional harm!”
The woman spat at me.
“Like mother, like daughter. Both of you are stubborn and sharp-tongued.”
“Sue me? Your daughter stole from my son, and I haven’t even settled that with you yet. And now you dare put on an act?”
Laughter rippled through the classroom. Lily raised her tearful eyes.
“Mom, this pen was clearly a gift from Dad. He’s saying I stole it.”
I saw the pen Lily clutched tightly in her hands and immediately understood what was happening.
“This pen is indeed my daughter’s. Her father gave it to her as a gift to celebrate her enrollment. I still have the purchase record.”
I pulled up the receipt on my phone—an expense of $100,000.
The woman in purple burst out laughing.
“Don’t know whether to call you uneducated or a fraud. You can’t even read the zeros properly. This pen costs $10,000, but you’re showing $100,000?”
“Pathetic. You’ve probably never seen that much money in your life. You can’t even fake it convincingly.”
Her ignorance made me laugh bitterly.
“This pen’s nibs are custom-made with gemstones. Prices vary depending on the gem’s type, color, and clarity. The one in my hand is crafted with a Colombian emerald, the only one of its kind in the country.”
I pulled off the cap, revealing the glistening green nib.
The crowd began whispering.
“My husband told me about this Hepburn pen—it has three tiers, and the highest does go for about $100,000.”
“I don’t know much about gems, but the way that emerald shines doesn’t look fake.”
The woman’s face flickered with doubt, but she quickly sneered again.
“You can’t even afford a $200 jump rope. You expect me to believe you bought a $100,000 luxury Italian pen?”