Chapter 27

Every single head snapped toward the door.

And there, in all her radiant, extravagant glory, stood Carolyn. She strode into the room like she was walking onto a red carpet.

She was draped in an elegant designer coat, her jewelry glittering under the artificial lights. A pair of glamorous sunglasses sat atop her head, and her expensive perfume trailed behind her like a signature. Her heels clicked loudly against the tiled floor as she entered, flipping her wavy hair over her shoulder with a dramatic flick of her wrist.

Every woman in the room stiffened, their eyes dark with jealousy. The men? Their jaws nearly hit the floor, ready to drool. 

Carolyn owned the attention.

With a dazzling smile, she stretched her arms open and sauntered over to Sam.

"My darling, my poor baby, how dare they stress you out like this?" She cupped his face, inspecting him dramatically. "Look at you—oh, this is just tragic. If they cause you any more stress, I swear, I'll sue."

Sam, for once, actually smiled. "I'm fine, Carolyn."

But Carolyn wasn't listening. Her eyes flickered across the room and the moment they landed on Hunter, they lit up.

"Oh. My. God." Her voice echoed loudly and Hunter already regretted existing. "Isn't that my sweetheart from that night?!"

Carolyn, grinning like she just won the lottery, lunged forward. "Come here, darling!"

Hunter leaned back immediately, his eyes darkening as he looked up and down at him. "Old woman, stay away from me." 

Sam barked out a laugh. "Auntie, don't bother him."

Carolyn froze mid-step. Slowly, she turned, her eyes narrowing at him. "What. Did. You. Just. Say?"

Sam grinned teasingly. "Auntie."

Carolyn snapped at him. "I AM NOT OLD!" She whipped around and smacked his shoulder. "I'm young! Beautiful! A goddess!"

Sam was laughing too hard to care.

"Who the hell is she?" The rest of the parents stared in shock, not knowing what the hell they were witnessing. And just when they thought things couldn't get more chaotic. 

The door swung open again and Aiden's mother walked in. Everyone's attention instantly turned towards her. She walked confidently, exuding a sense of authority that couldn't be ignored. Her eyes scanned the room with the sharpness of a hawk, missing nothing.

"I'm sorry for appearing without any notice. But I assume this involves my son too," she told everyone. 

The principal swallowed. "Yes, well no. Mrs. Harvey it's–"

She cut him off as her sharp glare landed on the old man. "I'm here because this case involves Aiden, an eyewitness to the bullying done to that poor child."

The parents exchanged looks, suddenly feeling uncomfortable.

The principal cleared his throat for the nth time. "Well, let's first resolve the issue at hand, which is Hunter's actions and what punishment he should—"

"No." The word slammed into him like a hammer. Aiden's mother tilted her head, her gaze piercing into everyone present in the room. "Let's start again with the root of the problem."

She let the words sink to everyone. Then, she stepped forward, her heels echoing sharply in the silence. 

"Why was Casen bullied?"

The room went dead silent and the principal looked trapped. 

Aiden's mother smirked. "Oh? Cat got your tongue?"

One of the mothers snapped. "This isn't about that boy! We are here because—"

"This is exactly about that boy," Mrs. Harvey shuts her up effortlessly. Her gaze swept across the room coldly. "You all scream about punishment when it's your kids who got hurt. But where was this energy when your kids were the ones causing harm to that poor kid?"

She let the words hang heavily. "Casen tried to end his life. If you want to talk about justice, let's start there."

The parents, once arrogant and loud, now sat in silence but their faces were twisted in frustration. They weren't used to being questioned, let alone being forced into a corner.

But Aiden's mother wasn't just questioning them. She was destroying their confidence. 

A father, still fuming, slammed his hand on the table. "Why are we even talking about that boy? Our sons are the victims here! That disgusting kid was always bothering them, doing inappropriate things!"

His words sent a ripple of agreement through the other parents.

One of the bullies, his face still heavily bandaged, nodded. "Yeah! He would touch us and follow us around! We told him to stop, but he wouldn't! Everyone knows he's gay and likes guys. That's why we need to scare him sometimes to stop him from getting close to us–"

"Oh!" Carolyn let out a sharp laugh. Not a humorous one but a mocking one. she drawled, arching a perfectly sculpted brow at him. "And where exactly are your formal complaints? Surely, if Casen was harassing you kids, you must have reported it to the school?"

The parents froze as they looked around to see if any parent was willing to speak. No one dared to. 

Carolyn turned to the sweating principal, smiling sweetly. "Well, Principal? Surely you have records of such complaints?"

The principal swallowed hard. His forehead gleamed with sweat. "W-Well, I…I don't believe—"

"You don't believe?" Aiden's mother's voice was cold, making the principal flinch. "Let me make it simple for you," she continued, her eyes piercing into his soul. "If Casen had actually harassed these boys, then there should have been multiple reports against him. There should be documentation. There should have been disciplinary action. And yet…There's nothing."

The parents squirmed in anger, feeling furious now that they couldn't come up with any more excuses. 

Carolyn leaned forward on the principal's desk, her voice dripping with venomous amusement. "It almost sounds like you're all making things up to put the blame on that poor child."

"Lies!" one of the mothers hissed. "You think our sons would just—"

"Yes." Carolyn cut in without hesitation. The woman's mouth snapped shut. Carolyn's smile widened. "I do think that. Because that's exactly what happened."

The parents were seething. Aiden's mother took a slow, controlled step forward the parents making them unconsciously take a step back. 

"This is what is going to happen," she announced to everyone. "The school will transfer these bullies to another institution. Immediately."

The principal strengthened at that. "T-Transfer—"

"You will also issue a formal apology to Casen and ensure a case like this never happens again. If it does—" She walked up to the principal and leaned in slightly. Her next words were a quiet threat. "I will make sure this school never sees another student walk through its doors."

The principal's face was drained of color.

Carolyn crossed her arms, smirking. "Oh, don't worry. If you think this is an empty threat, allow me to clarify." She tapped her manicured fingers against the desk. "I have contacts in the media. I can have every major news outlet running stories about how this prestigious school harbors bullies and pushes students into suicidal situations."

The principal looked like he was about to collapse. The parents were enraged too. "You can't do that!"

Carolyn's smile turned sharp. "Oh, honey, I can. And I will if it's needed."

"You have no proof!" one of the bullies spat out. 

"I have proof," A voice spoke from the doorway. Everyone turned to see Aiden standing there with a serious expression. "I have seen it. I saw them bullying Casen." 

Before the parents could react, another voice rang out. "So have I." Sophia appeared beside him. Aiden looked at her but she avoided his gaze. "And so have a lot of other students."

The principal tugged at his collar, swallowing hard as he felt trapped and cornered. There was no way he would be able to shut down all these proves. 

"I... I suppose..." he stammered. "Given the new testimonies, it would be best if we...revoke Hunter and Casen's suspension and issue disciplinary action against the bullies."

The parents erupted in anger. "This is unfair!" "We'll take this to the school board!"

Aiden's mother simply smiled. "Go ahead. And we'll take it to the police and the media. Let's see which one the public sides with."

The parents went pale but they realised they had lost. With furious glares, they grabbed their kids and stormed out, their pride in shambles.

One of the fathers turned at the door. "We will not forget this insult."

Carolyn waved him off. "And yet, you'll still be irrelevant."

With one last seething look, the parents were gone.

The principal looked exhausted. "I will...arrange for the official documents to be processed. Hunter and Casen's suspensions will be lifted immediately."

Carolyn clapped her hands together. "Splendid!"

She turned to Hunter and winked. "You owe me, sweetheart."

Hunter glared at her and rolled his eyes. "I owe you nothing."

Carolyn grinned. "Say that after I save your ass again."

Aiden let out a heavy breath, turning to his mother. "Thank you."

She smiled softly, brushing a hand through his hair. "I'm so proud of you, baby." 

Maybe late and not sufficient enough but the justice was finally served.