Chapter 92 B*stards
Courtney immediately drove to the kindergarten. As it was almost time to return home, many fancy cars stopped at the gate with a group of butlers and maids flocking at the front door. She finally managed to squeeze through them until she arrived at the door where the person in charge of Sapphire Kindergarten, Nora, had been waiting for her. As soon as she saw Courtney, she immediately escorted her into the kindergarten.
“How’s Tina?”
“It’s not a huge issue. Dr. Ishiguro has already attended to her. Luckily we discovered it early, so there are no signs of cardiogenic shock. However, she wasn’t doing too well before, which was why I called you earlier. We thought you might be worried about her.”
They immediately rushed to the medicine bay. As soon as Courtney saw Tina, tears immediately welled up in her eyes. She stood by the bed, unsure of what she could do. “Tina, Mommy’s here.”
Tina lay on the bed with a haggard look on her face. Her usual joyful and playful demeanour was gone and it was replaced by bruises on her forehead. However, she still forced a smile. “Mommy, I’m fine now!”
Courtney tentatively grabbed Tina’s hand. She did not want to be too harsh on her daughter, yet she could not help herself from gently chastising her. “What did you promise me before we started school? You said you won’t get into trouble and you will behave yourself. Did you forget about those? I’m getting angry now.”
Tina looked reproachful. “But, Mommy, they bullied me!”
While they were chatting, Dr. Ishiguro, who had been taking care of Tina, entered the room. “Are you Tina’s mom?”
“Yes, I am.” Courtney quickly turned.
Dr. Ishigura was an older lady whose hair had turned gray. Wearing a white robe and a pair of gold-rim round glasses, she looked kind. After gesturing to Courtney with her eyes, the former quickly walked out of the room with her.
“Doctor, are there any problems with Tina’s condition?”
“I saw her previous medical history. This child has congenital asthma. Usually, we would use medicine to control it. However, she would develop dependency on the medicine after using it for a long time and it’s not good for her as well. I would like to suggest acupuncture treatment. Would you consider it?”
“Can it be cured? If it’s possible, of course we’ll agree to that.”
“There’s no rush because this treatment is not a short one. Once you start on it, you cannot stop it. I’ll find another time to talk about the specifics with you. I’m afraid you have to settle today’s incident first.”
Dr. Ishiguro’s words reminded Courtney that the way Tina looked today was not because of her asthma attack. After all, she did not suffer from a relapse for such a long time. When Courtney looked at her face earlier, there were many injuries. It’s obvious that Tina has fought with other kids.
Nora had initially asked Courtney to relieve her worries by visiting Tina first. Once that was done, Courtney had to follow Nora to her office. Upon recalling that, Courtney quickly thanked Dr. Ishiguro before walking back to the ward and went to the office after asking Tina about the entire situation.
In Nora’s office, a young mother with a darkened expression was holding a small boy whose face had sustained bruises.
As soon as she walked to the door, Courtney heard loud accusations from inside.
“What’s wrong with your kindergarten? How can you enrol a kid like this? Can you afford to pay compensation if Charles sustains any serious injuries?”
Nora tentatively smiled at her apologetically. “There’s a reason for this. Mrs. Everett, please calm down first.”
“What reason is—”
Courtney knocked the door just in time and interrupted their argument.
As soon as Nora saw her, she quickly stood up to introduce both mothers. “This is Charles and his mother, Mrs. Everett. This is Tina’s mother, Miss Hunter.”
Mrs. Everett glanced at Courtney. “So, you’re Tina Hunter’s mother? Why is it that I have never seen you before? Are you originally from Melrose City?”
Courtney frowned. The kids just had a fight, yet the first thing she asks is whether I’m from this city? What is her reasoning?
Although she was slightly confused, she nodded. “Yes, I am.”
Mrs. Everett laughed coldly. “So, you’re a local then? I heard from Nora that you’re a hotel manager?”
Courtney nodded once more.
“How is it possible for a hotel manager to enroll her kids here? I bet you must have done some sneaky things and your kid learned from you. Your entire family is up to no good!”
The woman’s voice was shrill with a sharp and sarcastic tone.
Courtney’s ears buzzed after hearing her accusations. Then, she clenched her fists and retorted, “Mrs. Everett, I know that Tina is wrong in this matter, but you shouldn’t speak like this, should you? Just because I’m a hotel manager means I can’t send my kids here? What logic is this?”
“Do you want me to say it out loud?” Mrs. Everett looked at her in contempt. “I’m sure everyone here knows about having an easy job when you are young.”
Courtney’s face darkened, but she could not be bothered to argue. Through gritted teeth, she responded, “They are different matters. Why don’t you just tell me how you would like to resolve this? Whether it’s medical bills or mental health compensation, I can afford it.”
“Money?” Mrs. Everett burst out in laughter as if she had heard a joke. “Do you think we lack money? Let me tell you this—for today’s incident, I want your daughter to personally apologize to Charles and from tomorrow onwards, she can’t come here anymore.”
Courtney’s expression immediately changed as she could hardly believe what she had just heard. This is just a small fight between kids and it also stems from a valid reason. Because of this, she wants Tina to leave this school? This is outrageous!
“Impossible.” She calmed down and looked at Mrs. Everett with a dark expression. “I don’t think the situation warrants that.”
“Impossible? In that case, you shall see how possible it can be. The injuries on my son’s face is the greatest reason and you still think that it’s not serious? I bet you are fine with going to the police station with your daughter.”
With that, she glanced arrogantly at Nora, who was caught between a rock and a hard place as she stood beside them.
“You are the person in charge of this kindergarten, so you should settle this. If Charles still sees that girl tomorrow at school, the Everett Group will retract all our investments next year.”
Upon hearing that, Nora’s expression changed immediately.
Gritting her teeth, Courtney had tightly clenched her fists until her knuckles cracked as blood boiled in her as she could not wait to give Mrs. Everett a punch. How can there be such an arrogant person who looks down on others like this?
“After the Everett Group withdraws their investment, the Sunhill Enterprise will invest twice the amount in this kindergarten for the infrastructure.”
A tall figure loomed at the office door while the low voice rang from a corner, breaking the awkward atmosphere in the room.
Alexander held Jordan’s hands as he nonchalantly walked toward them. When he looked at Mrs. Everett, he slightly raised his chin with eyes that were full of apathy and arrogance. “The Everett Group doesn’t have such a huge influence on Sapphire Kindergarten, does it, Mrs. Everett?”
As soon as Mrs. Everett saw Alexander, her expression immediately changed. “P-P-President Duncan, w-w-why are you here today?”
“I heard that my son landed himself in trouble, so I’m here to have a look. After all, I have to apologize for his mishap. Isn’t that so?”
“He landed himself into trouble?” She gave an apologetic smile. “Your son is so obedient. How could he have gotten into trouble?”
Jordan raised his head to glare at her before he moved toward Courtney’s side.
“You have been here for so long and scolded others for the same amount of time. Mrs. Everett, don’t you know why your son was beaten up today?” Alexander coldly looked at Mrs. Everett. “I wonder who taught him to say that ‘kids who have no mothers are b*stards’ in front of Jordan.”
