The Billionaire And His Son Want Me Back (Paisley)

Chapter

18

The sterile scent of disinfectant lingered in the air of the school's medical room, mingling with the quiet rustle of papers and the faint hurn of fluorescent lights overhead

The atmosphere was tense, punctuated only by the sound of the school nurse moving carefully around her patients. She was delicately tending to the wounds of Stella and Grayson, her hands gentle but precise as she cleaned their injuries. Stella's scrape was on

her hand, a small but painful abrasion, while Grayson's injury seemed more concerning, a few scratches along his neck.

The scuffle had happened just moments before and there had been hardly enough time for anyone to react before it escalated. Teachers had rushed in as

quickly as they could, but even their speed couldn't prevent the slap Serena had aimed at Grayson

It seemed clear that Serena had intended to strike his face, but thue to her small stature, her hand only reached his neck. Still, the slap was hard enough to leave several deep, angry red lines on his skin with oozing blood

"You're supposed to be warching the children. How could one of your little ones wander all the way to the elementary school section?" Grayson's teacher, a stern woman with an air of authority, scolded Sophia Johnson, the teacher responsible for Serena's class Her voice was sharp, cutting through the tension in the room

Sophia flushed red, guilt flooding her chest. She didn't even try to argue while getting yelled at

She also felt that this was her mistake. When the free time had begun, she hadn't made sure to keep a close eye on her students. Serena had slipped away from the group and wandered off.

The schoolyard was small-

she had figured she could keep an eye on them from a distance, but the moment she'd stepped away to use the restroom, things had gotten out of hand.

Sophia had asked the new intern to watch the children, but the intern had been too absorbed in her phone to notice what was going on, paying attention only to the children directly in front of her, completely unaware of Serena sneaking off in the other direction. "She pushed me, and my hand is all scraped up" Stella cried dramatically, lifting her finger to show the tiny scratch. Her voice was a pitiful wail, filled with exaggerated distress, "She even hit Sonny. Just get rid of her. Don't let her bully us anymore.

The teachers around her exchanged shocked glances. Even Michelle Cooper, the principal, had been drawn into the commotion. Her brow furrowed deeply as she glanced over at Stella and Grayson, her eyes full of concem.

In the entire school, the last children anyone wanted to upset were Grayson and Stella Both came from families with deep influence, and if anything happened to them, it could spell the end of Michelle's tenure as principal. "Have you contacted Serena's parents!" Michelle's voice was tight with authority, her gaze sharp

as she fixed it on Sophia.

"I called her mom. She's on her way, Sophia replied, nodding quickly, desperate to avoid further reprimands.

But Michelle's stem expressionnoveldrama

didn't soften. In fact, it deepened as she gave a single, tight nod. "Good. When Grayson's father and Stella's aunt get here, you all need to be on the same page. Make sure you know what to say." Michelle's mind raced as she formulated her next steps. "There's no other choice. The only thing we can do now is place all the blame on Serena

"Yes, there was some neglect on our part, but if we portray her as a terribly unruly child, we can deflect some of the criticism from the Vanderbilt and Prescott families. As for Serena...

Hereyes drifted to the corner, where Serena stood, disheveled and alone, her small figure shrinking under the weight

of the room's judgment. Michelle's gaze lurdened with disgust. Too bad for her. She's the scapegoat now.