Chapter 104
The children who attended this kindergarten either came from families with immense wealth or wielded significant power.
Born with silver spoons in their mouths, they lived cushioned lives, many of them spoiled to the point of being utterly lawless. Young as they were, they already carried the haughty airs of little princes and princesses, looking down on the world with unblinking arrogance.
And yet, among all these miniature royals, Theo and Matty stood out-for being the most polite, the most well-mannered.
Theo, now and then, still showed signs of pride. But Matty? There wasn’t an ounce of pretense in him.
Nearly every teacher at the kindergarten liked Matty.
When they heard he didn’t have a mother, their affection only deepened into quiet sympathy. To them, Matty was an obedient, thoughtful, and unusually bright child-hardly the kind who would lie.
So if someone like Matty cared enough to stand up for someone… that person probably wasn’t all bad.
What’s more, everyone knew Theo’s father treated his mother coldly. Of the few words he ever said about her, most were tinged
with blame.
And Theo himself… he had gone so far as to call his own mother a nanny, like she was someone to be embarrassed about.
That thought left everyone exchanging odd, uneasy glances in Carter and Kelly’s direction. 1
Had he really chased the boy’s biological mother away… just to make room for a mistress in front of the child? And if little Theo had been exposed to that mistress early on-poisoned by her presence and fed on resentment-it would explain why he treated his real mother so poorly.
Kelly could feel those looks falling on her like soft but cutting rain. The shame came instantly. And with it, her resentment toward Sharon only deepened.
When Matty spoke, tears blurred Sharon’s eyes. She’d only looked after the boy for a few days, and already he was trying to
defend her.
She thought about Theo, the son she had raised all these years. His response to her now? Cold stares and sharp words.
Carter’s gaze was dark and deep, like the surface of a frozen lake.
“Sharon,” he said, his voice measured, low, “didn’t you hear what Theo said? That boy’s been bullying him for a while- sending him mocking photos and messages. I know my son. He wouldn’t hate someone without a reason.”
His cold stare drifted slowly toward Matty.
“That child,” he said, “is not as innocent as you think.”
A faint flicker passed through Sharon’s brow.
She had raised Theo herself. She knew his temper. He came from a strict upbringing, and it was rare for him to speak so crudely in public.
She lowered her gaze to Matty.
“Matty, can you tell me what really happened?”
Matty looked aggrieved. “I didn’t send Theo any photos. I just posted them on the kindergarten app.”
Sharon frowned. “Kindergarten app?”
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leachers quickly chimed in, “It’s our internal platform. We use it to share announcements or updates about school events. Each child has their own account. They can post little updates to help build social interaction. But it’s a closed network. Only our teachers and students can see it. It’s not open to the public.”
So it was basically a private version of social media-built for preschoolers.
Sharon turned back to Matty. “Matty, can I take a look at your phone?”
Matty obediently handed it over.
Sharon flipped through the feed casually.
Sure enough, Matty had been posting updates every day. Underneath each post, other children had commented:
[I’m so jealous!]
[I want to eat that too!]
[Your mom is amazing!]
One comment stood out to her. [Did your mom make all that?]
Matty had replied: [Yes, my mom made it all!]
His voice was quiet as he tried to explain, “The other kids always post photos of the food their moms make for them. I’ve never even seen what my mom looks like. I just… I didn’t want them to know I don’t have one. So I posted those photos.”
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