Looking at the bandages wrapped around Irene's small body, the hatred inside me grew.
The next morning, my phone rang again.
It was the homeroom teacher.
Her tone was curt:
"Ms. Fox, you need to bring Irene to the school immediately."
"Blanche has reported that Irene stole a valuable item from her. We need you here to sort this out."
Stealing?
How bold—filing a complaint before I could.
I took Irene to the school.
The moment we stepped into the office, I saw Blanche lounging on the sofa, surrounded by several teachers fussing over her like she was royalty.
She clutched a tissue in her hand, eyes red-rimmed, playing the victim for all she was worth.
Vincent was there too, standing beside Blanche, speaking to the homeroom teacher with a grave expression.
The moment we walked in, Blanche flinched and ducked behind Vincent.
"Daddy... I'm scared..."
Vincent immediately stepped in front of her like a guard dog, shooting me a vicious glare.
"Margot, you've got some nerve showing up here."
"Look at the daughter you raised—stealing at her age!"
The homeroom teacher was a woman in her forties named Ivy Lambert. She pushed her glasses up and looked at me with undisguised contempt.
"Ms. Fox, I understand you're a busy executive, always chasing the next dollar."
"But you can't neglect your child's upbringing."
"Blanche says Irene stole her diamond necklace—worth fifty thousand dollars."
"We have witnesses and evidence. What do you have to say for yourself?"
I looked around the room at this little circus.
"Witnesses? Evidence? Where?"
Ms. Lambert gestured to a group of girls standing nearby.
They wore their uniforms hemmed short, faces touched with makeup—clearly Blanche's crew.
One of them stepped forward and pointed at Irene.
"I saw it with my own eyes! Irene went through Blanche's bag while she was at PE!"
"Yeah! I saw it too!"
"Irene's always been jealous of Blanche. She says Blanche stole her mom—this is obviously revenge!"
They piled on, one after another, throwing accusations like mud.
Irene gripped my hand tight, trembling, shaking her head desperately.
"I didn't... I didn't steal anything..."
"Shut up!" Vincent bellowed. "Nobody asked you!"
"Rotten to the core, just like your mother!"
I pulled Irene behind me and shielded her.
My gaze swept across every person in the room.
Then settled on Ms. Lambert.
"Ms. Lambert, you're convicting my daughter based on the word of a few students?"