My superiors had warned me countless times: my strength was unforgiving. Against enemies, it was fine. Against ordinary civilians, it could mean death.
I was not to lash out lightly.
Chloe saw my hesitation and smirked triumphantly, thrusting her face toward mine in provocation.
“Go on, hit me! Let’s see if you’ve got the guts to strike the billionaire’s wife!”
Ignoring her taunts, I crouched down, tearing a strip from my clothes to wrap Emma’s bleeding foot.
“Coward!” she spat.
“You don’t dare hit me—but I can teach you a lesson.”
She turned sharply to the crowd of parents.
“Give her the beating she deserves! Whoever impresses me the most will be rewarded as a long-term partner of the Brooks family!”
The parents, who had always looked at me with disdain, surged forward eagerly. Blows rained down—kicks, punches, even a belt whipping across my body.
“You dare raise a hand to Chloe? She’s the billionaire’s wife—how dare a mistress like you even think of it?”
“Exactly. It was just one of your brat’s toes. She’s still alive, isn’t she? Why act like it’s the end of the world?”
“Getting disciplined by young Ethan is an honor for trash like her. With a mother this worthless, what good could that kid ever turn out to be? Even if she were beaten to death, she’d deserve it.”
Even the homeroom teacher sneered and gave me a vicious kick.
Shielding Emma tightly in my arms, I endured the blows, desperate to keep her safe from their madness.
“Don’t hurt my mommy!” Emma cried out, her sobs tearing at my heart.
Her plea was answered by a fat boy’s mocking shout:
“Garbage like you two deserves every beating you get!”
The teacher ruffled the boy’s hair proudly, beaming.
“Ethan, you’ve been brave since you were young, punishing evil and promoting justice. Tomorrow I’ll praise you in front of the whole school and give you an award!”
Ethan’s eyes narrowed in smug delight.
“Hmph, it’s what I should do. I’ll beat that trash every time I see her!”
Taking the kicks and punches, I clutched Emma tighter, my eyes blazing.
“You will regret this.”
The words made the parents erupt in laughter, as though I had told the funniest joke in the world.
“Did I hear that right? A pathetic mistress daring to make threats?”
“Unbelievable—she actually thinks she matters! Chloe is the billionaire’s wife, backed by Adrian Brooks himself. Crushing her would be as easy as stepping on an ant!”
