CHAPTER 58
LILY’S POV
The school hallway buzzed with loud giggles, animated chatters and hurried footsteps of children rushing to their various classrooms as I made my way in with my kids. But all that seemed to evaporate as I entered their classroom.
The other kids stared at me like I was breaking a sacred rule, probably wondering why I was bringing Liam and Lila directly into the classroom instead of leaving them at the usual drop-off spot outside the school building like other parents. I also noticed some of them casting me curious, almost judgmental glances, saying some things in low voices amongst themselves I couldn’t quite make meaning of. But I couldn’t care less. I was here today on a mission and I’m not living until I accomplish it.
Once Liam and Lila were settled in their seats, I leaned down and asked Liam where their class teacher was.
“There, Mummy,” he said, pointing confidently toward a door with a sign above it that read Form Teacher’s Staff Room, just before the exit. “That’s her office.”
“Good lad,” I treated him with a smile and held him close to kiss his cheeks which he tried to avoid obviously because his classmates were watching, and he wanted to act cool and not play the mummy’s boy.
With furious but cautious strides, I made my way to the teacher’s office. With the kids watching closely, I didn’t want to cause a scene. The matter will be handled urgently. I just hoped I wouldn’t lose my temper and go ballistic on her because, from the looks of it, I just might. No one messes with my kids and gets away with it.
Without bothering to knock, I opened the door and let myself in. I spotted the teacher at her desk, calmly flipping through papers and humming to herself.
Gently, I shut the door behind me. The squeaking of the locks divulged my intrusion.
The teacher, Miss Thomas, lifted her gaze in my direction. Upon seeing me, a bright but surprised smile crossed her lips, and she rose immediately to acknowledge my presence.
“Good morning, Mrs. Jones,” she greeted in a sing-song voice, seeming to be in a very cheerful mood this morning. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?”
Miss Thomas was a woman in her late twenties or perhaps early thirties with a calm and approachable demeanour. She usually wore neatly pressed clothes and glasses that rested on the bridge of her nose, giving her a studious look. For as long as I have known her, her hair was always tied back in a tidy bun and she always wore light purple lipstick. In the recent past, I had no problems or complaints about her-until yesterday, when she chose to be a negligent, spineless bystander.
“And what’s so good about the morning?” I asked coldly as I approached her with a stern look on my face.
“Excuse me?” Her once pleasant features wrinkled with confusion. “Is something wrong?”
“Wrong?” I let out a sharp bitter scoff. “You tell me, Mrs Thomas because I don’t get how someone who calls herself a responsible teacher will sit back and watch her students get bullied and be made fun of over something very sensitive and personal.”
“Mrs. Jones, I can assure you there is no case of…”
“Don’t you dare assure me on anything!” I cut her off, slamming my clenched fist on her desk.
She flinched in fright and looked at me with eyes so wide they could pop out of her head, shocked at my sudden outburst. But she brought this on herself. I wouldn’t be acting this way if only she did her job right and protected my kids in school like she was supposed to.
“My twins came crying and complaining to me bitterly yesterday about how the other kids constantly made fun of them, saying they don’t have a father. One of the students even went as far as saying I slept with so many men I can’t tell which is their father. Can you imagine such nonsense?” I said, feeling deeply insulted.
My words hit her like a punch. She gasped in shock, bewilderment marring her face almost beyond recognition.
“All of these are happening right under your nose yet you sit here, doing nothing about it! What kind of teacher are you?”
“I…I’m so sorry about that,” she stammered in apology. Her face paled and her contrite expression showed how deeply she meant it. “The kids never mentioned the matter to me. I wasn’t aware…”
“You weren’t aware?” A baffled expression crossed my face. How could she not be aware when this was happening in her class, right under her nose? “These kids were entrusted in your care. You’re supposed to be their teacher for crying out loud. Their guardian, their protector, the only person close to being their parent while they’re here. You and the rest of the school are meant to be on the lookout for this kind of thing and stop it before it even starts. You, of all people, should understand the damage this can do to a child’s mental health. I won’t stand by and let that happen to my kids.”
She sighed deeply, her expression so bitter and sympathetic it seemed like she was on the verge of tears. But that didn’t move me at all. When it comes to my kids, I’m willing to do anything, even burn the fucking world to ashes to keep them safe and prevent anyone from messing with them.
I leaned closer to her and, with an emotionlessly cold expression, said, “Listen, Miss Thomas, I’m not an ‘easy woman,’ and when it comes to keeping my kids safe, I’m more than willing to go the extra mile to make that happen. If they come crying to me again because of this, I’ll not only make sure you lose your job and license as a teacher, I’ll take serious legal action against this school as a whole and make sure it shuts down for good because I can’t be paying such huge amounts of money for my kids to be bullied and made fun of. You understand?”
She nodded and lowered her gaze, mumbling, “I’m so sorry this happened, Mrs. Thomas. Now that I’m aware of it, I’ll address the issue as quickly as possible. I’ll talk to the other students and make sure this never happens again.”
“You’d better,” I said and stormed out the door, not bothering to look back.
Stepping back into the classroom, I surveyed the surroundings for my kids. Lila was engrossed in chatting with friends. She waved her hands happily at me when our gazes met and I waved back at her. But I couldn’t see Liam. He must have gone out to pee.
Feeling lighter as I deflated with a sigh of huge relief, a satisfied smile elongated my lips knowing I had managed to handle the situation and protect them. No one at school will make fun of them about not having a father again and hopefully, they’ll stop asking me questions about him. I couldn’t take any more of those questions and lie to them about it.
I was so exhausted. Nana Mae was right. I really did need a lot of rest but I still had to go bring my car from the mechanic since using taxis wasn’t safe at the moment. After that, I’ll call my best friend, Jane and let her know how I was almost killed yesterday and if there was any chance Robert found out about me and the kids. Not forgetting Noah said the taxi driver that tried to kill me will be interrogated this morning to know who sent him. I also needed to keep in touch with Noah for that.
As I walked down the hallway, trying to figure out how to go about all that, I spotted Liam near the exit. But he wasn’t alone. Standing next to him was one annoying-looking kid, much taller and bigger than him, with short dark hair. From the looks of it, he seemed to be bothering Liam because he was poking Liam’s shoulder and snickering at him, while Liam glared back, clearly annoyed. At that moment, I knew exactly who it was one of the kids who had been bullying him.
My jaw clenched, my mood veering sharply to anger as I stared at the boy. Surely, I won’t let this one slide but then I saw Scarface and Hawk eyes approaching them with menacing steps.