Chapter 181
Harrison’s brow furrowed. “The butler never mentioned any of this to me.”
The homeroom teacher looked at him, exasperated. In the past, whenever Dames or Daph had an issue at school, a quick call to Selene would have it sorted in no time. But now, Dames had become a problem student, and after several calls to the Vaughn family’s butler, all she ever got was polite brush-offs.
Felicity piped up, “Isn’t this a bit much for such a minor issue?”
The teacher felt her patience snap. She turned to Felicity. “The moment I saw you claim to be Damien’s father, I understood exactly where his confusion about gender identity is coming from.”
‘What did you say? Watch it, or I’ll smack you so hard you’ll spin!” Felicity’s whole demeanor shifted in an instant-her face twisted, and she ooked ready to roll up her sleeves and brawl right there.
The teacher flinched at Felicity’s sudden aggression, but Dames leapt up and clapped, cheering, “Yeah! Smack her good!”
He was at that age where copying adult behavior felt powerful. Swearing and mouthing off made him think he was a big kid, someone who could hold his own and shock his classmates.
“Felicity!” Harrison’s voice cut through the commotion, sharp and commanding. He turned to the teacher. “If Damien has done something wrong at school, I’ll see to it that he’s properly disciplined.”
The teacher pressed her lips together. “Mr. Vaughn, the environment a child grows up in is crucial to their development. I hope you’ll be more careful about the people who spend time around Damien.”
Felicity scoffed loudly. “Oh, what, now you’re competing with me for his attention?”
The teacher stared at her, bewildered by Felicity’s logic. This Miss Felicity
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had the strangest way of thinking!
“Miss Thompson, you-” Out of professional courtesy, the teacher averted her gaze from Felicity and handed Harrison a card. “This is the first challenge for today’s parent-child event. I hope you and Damien have a wonderful time together.”
Felicity clenched her fists, her eyes fixed on the teacher with open disdain and defiance. When the teacher handed Harrison the card, she even stuck her hips out, trying to get his attention-she was definitely interested in him! Just wait. If a mere teacher dared to suggest she was a bad influence on Dames in front of Harrison, she’d make sure this
insignificant nursery school teacher paid a heavy price.
Felicity said coolly, “Even if you don’t like me, I’m still here as Damien’s family for this event.”
Dames quickly jumped to defend her. “That’s right! Flick is my family.”
The teacher ignored Felicity and went off to greet other children and
parents.
Felicity watched her go, convinced the avoidance was just the teacher’s cowardice. She scoffed and cast a casual glance in Selene’s direction.
Meanwhile, Luke Holloway was inspecting a row of three-seater bikes, finally picking out one with a nearly pristine chain and tires.
To accommodate the little ones, all the bikes were much shorter than normal, making them awkward for adults to ride.
Luke studied the challenge card, then quickly laid out a plan. “We need to decide who’s guarding the carrots and cabbage in the bucket, who’s up front pedaling, and who’ll keep the alpaca away from our team.”
Selene nodded, “Only you and I are big enough to shield the bucket. I’ll protect the carrots, you take point and keep our speed up.”
She glanced at Daph, who eagerly raised her hand. “I’ll chase off the alpaca!”
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As long as Luke pedaled fast enough, Selene would be able to keep the veggies safe and stay out of the alpaca’s reach, so Daph’s job would be a
breeze.
Selene assigned the easiest role to Daph without a second thought.
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