The car was waiting at the curb when I stepped out. I slid into the back seat.
"Winslow Academy. Fast."
Stuart didn't ask questions. He never did. That's why I paid him what I paid him. The car pulled into traffic, and I stared out the window, seeing nothing. Someone had intentionally chosen to hurt my daughter. Someone at a school I paid fifty thousand dollars a year to keep her safe.
I flexed my jaw. There was a dull ache there. I realized I'd been clenching it and forced myself to stop. I would make whoever did this pay. I didn’t care who their father was, or who they thought they were. I would make sure they’d regret the moment they enrolled their child in the same school as my daughter.
We pulled up to the entrance, and I was out before the car even fully stopped. I walked toward the administrative building, eyes fixed on my target. I pushed through Dr. Warren's door without knocking.
He scrambled to his feet. Small, balding, sweating visibly. His hands spread in front of him, palms out, like he was trying to calm a wild animal.
"Mr. Dubois. Thank you for coming so quickly. Please, if you'll have a seat…"
I didn’t. "Where is my daughter?"
"With the nurse. I assure you, it was just a small cut…"
I took a slow step toward him. It was meant to intimidate. "What happened?"
Warren's throat bobbed. "There was an incident during health class. She bumped into another student, fell, and struck her head on a desk."
I tilted my head to get a better look at him. "Shebumped into another student?”
"Yes. We're still clarifying the exact sequence of events…"
"Are you saying this was her fault?"
His mouth fell open, eyes darted around the room. “No… I…”
“Who was the other student?”
He hesitated. That hesitation told me everything. "The other student," he said carefully, "comes from a prominent family. They’re significant donors to the school. I'm sure you understand these situations require delicate handling."
“Hmmm…” I crossed the room and finally took a seat. I leaned back in the chair but kept my eyes fixed on him. "I want the student who hurt Evie expelled."
"I understand you're upset, but…"
I didn’t listen to a word he said. "I want the teacher who was supposed to be supervising terminated."
"The teacher is actually a substitute. A volunteer. And she's also a significant donor, which complicates…"
"I want documentation of every safety protocol your school failed to follow. On my desk by nine tomorrow morning."
Warren's face had gone gray. "Mr. Dubois. Please. I'm doing everything I can here. The school takes these matters very seriously. We're conducting a full investigation, and I assure you…"
"You assure me." I leaned in and folded my hands on the table. "Let me tell you what I'm going to do, Dr. Warren. I'm going to have my lawyers file a negligence claim against this institution by the end of business tomorrow. I'm going to contact every media outlet in this city and explain exactly how Winslow Academy protects bullies when their parents write large enoughchecks. And I'm going to call every member of your board of trustees, several of whom owe me favors, and ensure they understand the full scope of your failure."
Warren gripped the edge of his desk. His knuckles had gone white. "I'm sorry," he said. "I'm truly sorry. We will get to the bottom of this, I promise you. Whatever you need, whatever it takes… I just… the situation is complicated, and I'm trying to… "
"The situation is simple. My daughter was hurt. Someone is responsible. Expel them."
"Yes. Absolutely. I just need time to…"
The door opened behind me.
3ARIA
The door swung open,and I stepped into Dr. Warren's office.