Chapter 441
A young teacher with a ponytail and a shy smile approached him. “Excuse me, sir. May I ask which child’s parent you are?”
“Averi Hudson,” Noah answered simply.
“Averi…” The teacher, Betsey Vargas, was stunned for a moment, then said, “Please, follow me.”
She led Noah toward a corner of the playground.
From a distance, Noah saw a small figure engaged in a heated argument with another child.
“Why didn’t your dad come? Do you even have a dad?” taunted a chubby boy, arms akimbo.
“My dad… My dad is just busy,” Averi insisted, his face flushing red as he stood his ground.
“Hah! I bet you don’t even have a dad. Maybe your mom…” The chubby boy’s taunt was cut off by his mother, a woman clad in a fur coat and dripping with jewelry, who said with a sharp, disparaging tone, “Maybe your mom had you with some random man. You’re nothing but a bastard.”
Averi’s fists clenched tightly, his eyes brimming with tears he refused to shed. “You’re lying! My mom isn’t like that,” he burst out, shoving the chubby boy with all his might.
The boy stumbled and fell, bursting into dramatic sobs.
“How dare you lay a hand on my son!” the woman in the fur coat shrieked, advancing towards Averi.
At that moment, Betsey intervened, quickly stepping between the two children. “What’s going on here? Why are you fighting?” Betsey asked, her voice filled with urgency.
“Ms. Vargas, he started it. He insulted my mom,” Averi explained, his voice trembling.
“I didn’t. He hit me first,” the chubby boy countered, his wails growing louder. Caught in the middle, Betsey struggled to determine who was at fault. It was then that Noah stepped forward.
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When Averi saw him, his resolve crumbled. He ran to Noah and threw his arms around him, clinging desperately.
Noah’s heart melted. He gently rubbed Averi’s back, asking softly, “What happened, Averi?”
Between sobs, Averi managed to say, “They… they said awful things about Mommy…”
Noah’s face hardened, his eyes narrowing sharply as he turned towards the chubby boy and his mother.
“What did they say about your mother?” Noah’s voice was quiet but carried a commanding presence that seemed to weigh down the atmosphere around him.noveldrama
The chubby boy was so scared by Noah’s imposing presence that he scampered behind his mother with a whimper.
The woman herself froze in her luxurious fur coat the moment she caught sight of Noah, her earlier arrogance dissipating into the air. She recognized him—her company had business dealings with the Wall Group. She knew she couldn’t afford to offend the business tycoon before her.
Just then, the chubby boy’s father also arrived at the scene. He had been furious on the way, and was all too ready to berate the boy who had attacked his son. Predictably enough, he froze at the sight of Noah, color draining from his face.
“M—Mr. Wall…” the father stammered, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
Noah drew Averi closer in his arms and swept a cold glance over the family of three. He said nothing, and the atmosphere only grew thick with tension and a keen sense of impending danger.
After a long beat of silence, Noah finally spoke. “I am Averi’s father.”
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