Chapter 2

The fake smile Mia always wore shattered into pieces.

She always fancied she was the most elegant young lady in the school, carrying herself like a princess.

But underneath it all, she was a bundle of nerves, unable to handle even the slightest jab.

Mia glared and snapped, "Do you know who my dad is? You're new here, and you dare talk to me like that?"

I wagged a warning finger at Mia. "Mia, your threats don't work on me."

I sneered at her, "Maybe modern medicine worked a little too well. It brought a failure like you into the world. The only thing you're halfway decent at is singing and dancing.

"I know there's a grand ceremony this Friday. The media's even coming to cover it.

"You're dying to use the stage to show off, aren't you?

"Well, tough luck. As long as I'm around, you're not getting anywhere near the mic."

So she wanted to see whose connections ran deeper? We'd just have to see about that.

Sure enough, Mia lost it after I left. But honestly, she had it coming.

I'd earned my PhD abroad. After coming back, I planned to form an education group, merging several private schools under our family's name.

But before I took that leap, I decided to go undercover as a teacher to see things for myself.

Crestwood High was just a random choice.

Yet I uncovered more than I expected.

In Crestwood High, Mia and the resident bully Logan Yates led a vicious gang, tormenting fellow students and even teachers.

Three years ago, Mia hired someone to develop an app for rating faculty and students.

It ranked everyone based on looks and family wealth.

Each month, teachers and students were voted "Prettiest" or "Ugliest."

This month's "Ugliest" was Sophie Carter.

They wrote nasty stuff all over Sophie's desk and snapped photos of her family and home, passing them around the whole class to mock her.

Later, they even lured her grandmother, who had dementia, to the school and threw water bottles at her.

The poor woman, who made a living collecting recyclables, scrambled around trying to grab every bottle.

The whole class laughed.

Sophie had no choice but to swallow her pride. With tears in her eyes, she agreed to perform a humiliating act at the school anniversary celebration.

Mia stood in the crowd, laughing the most gleefully.

She even acted self-righteous. "Guys, that's going too far. Don't bully an old lady like that."

After that, Sophie dropped out.

I asked around. No one knew where she went.

I went back to the office.

A chubby male teacher came by to gloat.

He sneered, "Ms. Lawrence, you've messed with the wrong kid; you're in deep shit now.

"My advice? Quit while you still can."

I glanced at the calendar—Friday was circled, and underneath it said: [Principal's Inauguration.]

I smiled. "Thanks for the heads-up. I'll resign right away."

And then I'd step right into the principal's office.

I always kept my promises.

As the coordinator of Friday's event, I crossed Mia's name off the performance list without hesitation.

No one could figure out how I had such authority.

Simple—I was the principal.

Mia was furious and skipped class when she found out.

I found her in the equipment room and dragged her into the classroom like a Thanksgiving turkey.

Then I got a call from Mia's mother, Tracy Whitman.

As a member of the PTA, she certainly wielded some influence.

She put on her best "rich lady" act and spoke down to me with a soft and pretentious voice, "Ms. Lawrence, you're still young and inexperienced, so you probably don't know who my husband is.

"Mia enjoys certain privileges at school.

"She has trouble sleeping. You mustn't disturb her if she nods off in class.

"She's quite sensitive and insecure; you should encourage her more.

"And she has a very delicate stomach. Don't make a fuss if she wastes a little food sometimes."

I could barely hold back my laughter.

She snapped, "What's so funny?"

I replied, "Honestly, you never should've let her go to high school. A special ed school might be a better fit. She's barely capable of basic self-care."

I glanced at Mia hiding in the corner, eavesdropping.

She clearly thought her mom would put me in my place. Too bad she was dead wrong.

Tracy was struggling to maintain her composure. She said, "Ms. Lawrence, I don't get it. Everyone loves Mia. Teachers and students always say she's polite and adorable. Why don't you like her?"

She added, "Maybe there's something wrong with you."

I said with mock concern, "Ma'am, you're far too confident. The truth is, no one likes your daughter, especially when she can't even do the bare minimum of being a student."

She retorted, "My daughter is brilliant. She has been getting praise from teachers since kindergarten. If she actually tried, she could be top of her grade.

"But let's be real; we have more money than we'll ever need. Why would we push her into that academic rat race?"

I replied calmly, "Exactly. Sometimes you've gotta give it your all, just to confirm you really don't have it."

Tracy went mad. Then I hung up before she had the chance to curse at me.