Chapter 2171

Charlotte had only meant to teach Felix—the little tyrant—a lesson. She never expected his mother to burst in and accuse her of trying to hurt him.

“Ms. Miranda, you’ve got it wrong. Your son was bullying another child. I stepped in, he cursed at me, and that’s why I—”

As she spoke, Charlotte gently lowered Felix until his shoes touched the floor. Her grip loosened, but her gaze remained firm.

She wasn’t afraid of Miranda herself. What worried her was the trouble this incident might cause Cecilia later.

She hadn’t even finished half her explanation when Miranda cut her off, her words sharp as ice.

“That’s your excuse? He’s a child—he doesn’t know any better. You’re an adult, and you laid hands on him. Don’t you think you went too far?”

Charlotte’s jaw tightened. These little monsters get away with everything, and somehow I’m the villain?

“If you think I went too far,” she said coolly, “then you should start by teaching your son some manners.”

Miranda had expected remorse—maybe even tears. Instead, she got calm defiance, and it poured gasoline on her anger.

Her nostrils flared. “Ha. Fine!”

She yanked out her phone, thumb flying as she dialed. “Let’s see what the police say about an adult assaulting a child.”

Charlotte stayed where she was, arms relaxed at her sides, making no move to stop her. She knew the optics already looked bad.

On the surface, I’m in the wrong. This won’t be easy to explain later.

Down the hall, Elliot sprinted into the room where Cecilia was working on her laptop, words tumbling out faster than his breath.

“Mommy, Ms. Talbot’s in trouble!”

Cecilia shot to her feet, her chair rolling back as her expression flipped from concentration to alarm. She strode straight for the door.

By the time she reached the play area, Miranda had already ended the call. The faint echo of a dispatcher’s voice still seemed to hang in the air like smoke.

Miranda knelt beside Felix, inspecting him from head to toe—his designer shirt, his tiny limbs. “Felix, sweetie, does it hurt anywhere? Tell the doctor when they arrive, okay?”

Felix knew exactly what to do. He pressed both palms to his stomach, his face twisting in exaggerated pain.

“Mom, everything hurts. My head’s spinning too.”

“I barely touched you,” Charlotte blurted, irritation breaking through her control.

Felix burst into loud, hiccupping sobs. “You hit me! And you said next time you see me, you’ll kill me!”

Framing people came as naturally to him as breathing.

“I never said that—stop lying!” Charlotte shot back. Her voice trembled, not with fear, but with disbelief at how easily a child could twist the truth.

Felix cried harder, his sobs coming in ragged waves, shoulders jerking as he struggled for air. Tears streaked down his flushed cheeks as he buried half his face in his mother’s skirt, trembling.

“Mom… look. I’m scared,” he whispered, the words bumping into each other like frightened birds.

Miranda rose and stepped in front of him, heels grinding against the gravel as she planted herself between Felix and Charlotte. Her eyes flashed.

“What—do you really think you can lay a hand on my child while I’m standing right here?”

Charlotte’s jaw clenched, but she forced herself to stay still, even as the sting of the accusation burned hotter than sun-baked stone.

A short distance away, Cecilia listened as Jonathan hurriedly recounted everything that had happened.

From an adult’s perspective, she knew Charlotte wasn’t wrong. Someone had needed to stop Felix before he hurt the other children.

Cecilia squared her shoulders and walked toward the confrontation, each step measured and deliberate. Beneath her calm exterior, a fierce, protective heat coiled tight.

She stopped beside Miranda and gave a slight nod. “Miranda.”

Miranda turned, her voice dripping with false warmth. “Oh, Ceci. I thought you weren’t home.”

“I was in my study, working,” Cecilia replied evenly. “Jon just told me what happened.”

Miranda’s smile vanished. Her words dropped like stones. “Really? Your subordinate hits my son, and you’re nowhere to be found—but the moment I demand accountability, you show up? Felix is a Rainsworth. Siding with your staff doesn’t look good, does it?”

Cecilia drew a slow breath. “I’m sure you’ve heard the whole story, Miranda. Felix bullied the other children first, and Charlotte stepped in before things escalated. And she didn’t actually hurt him.”

“She dangled my boy upside down and smacked his backside,” Miranda snapped. “How is that not harm? If it were your son being swung around like a rag doll, would you stand there and do nothing?”

Her narrowed gaze locked onto Cecilia.

Guilt curled in Charlotte’s chest as she watched Cecilia take the brunt of it for her. She stepped forward, chin lifted.

“Jon and Eli aren’t spoiled brats,” she said steadily. “They don’t bully others—and they don’t lie the way your son just did.”