Chapter 1

Fall break had just ended when the board of the elite private academy called me.

"Mrs. Wray, your daughter failed to get her scholarship and retaliated by bullying a classmate. Please come to the school immediately."

When I rushed to the school, I found my daughter, Riley, tied to a dumpster. Her hair was soaked in filth, and her mouth was taped shut.

Meanwhile, the so-called victim only had two strands of hair pulled out.

After questioning Riley's classmates, I learned the truth. The other girl was jealous of Riley's top grades and had been looking for a chance to attack her.

I demanded an apology from the other mother, but she exploded in rage.

"A lowlife without even a proper social security record? Being taught a lesson by my daughter is the greatest blessing she'll ever have!"

"Expel her right now! My husband is a director at the Department of Education. If she doesn't kneel and apologize to my daughter today, she can forget about the SATs!"

She was arrogant, convinced that Riley and I would crawl for forgiveness to avoid expulsion.

Too bad for her, she picked the wrong target.

Riley's grandfather is a world-renowned nuclear weapons physicist.

Because the whole family works in high-level national security, her records were classified to protect her safety.

I pulled out my phone and dialed the Specialized Intelligence Division.

"The granddaughter of Arthur Wray is a victim of severe school bullying. Send a team to the academy to handle this right now!"

1.

Yvonne Young stood in front of her daughter, her eyes full of contempt.

"Go ahead, call. Call as many of your sugar daddies as you want to protect you and this brat."

"It's better if everyone knows about this scandal. Let the whole school see this illegitimate child for who she is!"

She screamed at the top of her lungs, intentionally attracting a crowd of students.

Riley shrank behind me, her voice so raspy it broke my heart.

"Mom, I'm scared..."

My throat tightened. I gripped her hand to comfort her.

"Don't be scared, baby. I'm here. I'm going to get you justice today."

Yvonne's daughter, Halle Harrison, was just as arrogant as her mother.

"Oh, calling her mom? Are you feeling guilty?"

"I'm doing the world a favor by hitting a nameless stray like you! You don't even have a legal residency file!"

Riley's family are national security heroes.

Her grandfather is under military protection.

To keep her safe, her records were hidden under my name as Arthur Wray's protégé.

But these two women thought I was a mistress and Riley was a secret child with no legal standing.

I looked at the homeroom teacher and questioned him coldly.

"Mr. Miller, did you hear Halle Harrison? She just admitted to hitting my daughter!"

"Call the school board here now, or the consequences for this school will be devastating!"

I wasn't bluffing.

The Agency is responsible for the safety of the Wray family. Once they found out Riley was hurt, they would arrive with federal authority.

At that point, a simple apology wouldn't fix anything.

Before the teacher could move, Halle grabbed an application form from a desk and sneered.

"No one talks to a Harrison like that!"

Riley's pupils shrank, and she cried out in panic.

"Mom! That's my early admission form for the University of Agriculture!"

I knew how hard Riley had worked for that admission.

She had spent countless nights studying for competitions. That form represented years of blood and sweat.

If it was destroyed, her high school efforts would be gone.

I lunged forward to grab it, but Halle was faster. She ripped the form into tiny pieces.

"You want my things? The scholarship is mine, and you're never going to college!"

"My mom says if I don't like something, I should destroy it!"

Yvonne laughed and clapped.

"That's my girl! So young and already knows how to put people in their place. You're going to be a star!"

Looking at the shredded paper on the floor, my eyes turned cold.

"Yvonne Young, is this how you raise your child?"

I had heard of her husband. He used his position at the Department of Education to let his daughter run wild.

I hadn't cared before because they hadn't bothered us.

But today, I was going to finish this.

Just as I was about to call the Department of Justice, Riley suddenly screamed and collapsed.

She turned pale, looking down at her body.

I rushed to help her, reaching down to check her.

My vision went red with fury.

Halle had shoved several pieces of chalk into Riley's private parts!