Whenever he made a mistake before, his mother would gently point it out and tell him to do better next time.
She never scolded him, let alone raised a hand against him.
The more Healy thought about it, the more upset he became. Exhausted from his fit, he plopped down on the floor and burst into tears.
He just wanted his mother to come and comfort him.
"Does anyone have any objections to expelling this girl?" Blanche couldn't be bothered to look at his theatrics as she addressed the group.
"No objections," came the unanimous reply.
The principal and teachers could only shrug helplessly.
"I object!"
A sharp, commanding voice rang out from the entrance. Supported by a housekeeper, Jeannette strode into the preschool. "No one is expelling Lara."
Lara, hearing Jeannette's voice, ran out and flung herself into her arms, sobbing miserably.
Every child attending this elite preschool came from a wealthy or powerful family. The parents present couldn't quite place which high society matron Jeannette was, but wary of revealing their own ignorance, they all watched in silence.
Hedwig recognized Jeannette. The last time they'd spoken had been over the phone, when Hedwig had given her some money and directed her to the funeral home to find her brother. Jeannette had gone at once.
Hedwig had kept her own identity secret.
Jeannette had no idea it was Hedwig who'd orchestrated the whole affair with Eddy at the funeral home.
Could this child really be her brother's and Jeannette's daughter?
The girl was already so big!
Shock rippled through Hedwig. Had her brother been cheating on her sister-in-law for years?
And now, the child of the other woman dared to bully her precious Tia?
Without hesitation, Hedwig strode forward and slapped Jeannette across the face. "Where did this trashy woman come from? Your kid hits someone and you have the nerve to make a scene here!"
A collective gasp swept through the room. Jeannette clutched her stinging cheek and demanded, "How dare you hit me?"
Just last night, Jeannette had argued with Blanche. She'd expected Eddy to be furious with her, but to her surprise, he'd come home in the middle of the night, said nothing about it, and had even been tender with her until morning.
The encounter only strengthened Jeannette's belief that she was becoming more important to Eddy—soon she'd eclipse Blanche entirely.
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