Chapter 1

For Children's Day, I help source and purchase gifts for my son's class.

I not only keep the budget to a minimum, but I also manage to get expensive toys that are way over budget for them.

During checkout, because my son, Harry Chandler, has grabbed a limited edition toy robot, the PTA representative, Darren Larson, shouts at me, "Jordan Chandler, are you trying to tell me that you didn't embezzle the class funds for that 500-dollar toy robot?"

The class teacher, Kevin Brown, and the manager of the toy store, Florence Young, immediately pause in their footsteps. I feel dozens of pairs of eyes staring at me in the mall.

Darren complains animatedly, "You were trying to pay for that 500-dollar toy with the class funds, basically using everyone's money to spoil your son, weren't you?

"Both Mr. Brown and the manager are right here, but you still dare to pocket our money? I can't imagine how much of the class funds you must've used to line your own pockets behind our backs! I daresay, for someone with no morals like you, the children you raise will be thieves in the future too!"

Darren glares maliciously at me, looking me up and down. Even Kevin is giving me a look of suspicion and disdain.

Instead of arguing with him, I turn to the cashier and ask in a calm tone, "My family owns this mall. Do I need to pay for a toy I just grabbed off the shelf?"

Chapter 1

The young clerk at the register was stunned for a moment before putting on a practiced smile. "Sir, may I know if you're registered as an Aura Mall Onyx Tier Member? If you're an Onyx Tier Member, we'd be happy to arrange a private billing and delivery service for you."

He was very considerate and professional, but unfortunately, he wasn't a familiar face.

I rarely visited the toy store, so it only made sense that he didn't recognize me.

But in Darren Larson's view, the clerk's response was an utter slap in the face for me.

"Hah! Well, Jordan Chandler, do you hear that? He's asking you if you're an Onyx Tier Member!" He let out an exaggerated laugh. "And you're telling me your family owns this mall? As if! Why don't you take a good look in the mirror? That stupid shirt you're wearing isn't even branded! You tried to act like a big shot, and now you got a reality check. How's that feel?"

Several parents who had always taken Darren's side were joining in the mockery.

Other customers at Fairytale Toys were also pausing in their tracks to see what was going on.

Noticing that, Darren got even more arrogant.

He walked up to my son's class teacher, Kevin Brown, putting on a holier-than-thou attitude. "Mr. Brown, I'm really sorry you had to see this. The PTA also shares the blame for overlooking this. Having such a terrible parent in our midst is ruining the reputation of our entire class.

"But don't worry. Most parents in our class are classy and ethical like me. Jordan is just an exception. I promise you that I will never allow another suspicious person like him to touch a single penny in the class fund again. We have to set a good example for the other kids."

Darren had always been good at twisting the truth.

Back when the PTA was being established, Darren had been the most enthusiastic participant.

His wife was a department manager at some medium-sized company, and he was also close friends with Kevin, so he was naturally appointed the PTA representative.

Ever since then, he had been throwing his weight around in the parents' group chat.

He never cared about the kids' actual needs. Instead, he was always planning some sort of flashy, exclusive event and forcing other parents to split the cost.

For Children's Day this time, he actually had the nerve to suggest that each parent chip in 70 dollars to buy a bunch of cheap stationery from the dollar store.

I couldn't just stand by and watch everyone get ripped off. So, with each parent chipping in 50 dollars, I managed to score authentic brand-name toys that would normally cost 100 dollars each at the finest toy store in the whole city.

By doing so, I had stepped on his toes and ruined his kickback operation.

So now that he had found an opening, it was only natural that he wouldn't let me off so easily. With just a few words, he had managed to frame me for embezzling the class funds.

I looked at Kevin, thinking that he would handle the matter without bias.

But to my disappointment, he put on a troubled look and sighed. "Mr. Chandler, please calm down. Thanks to your connections, our kids managed to get wonderful gifts at a great price, and everyone is really grateful to you. But that's a different matter altogether. Your actions just now were indeed not quite appropriate."

Chapter 2

After a pause, Kevin continued in a stern and warning tone, "How about this? You can pay for the toy robot out of your own pocket right now, then apologize to Mr. Larson. Just tell him that you didn't make yourself clear enough, and that was how the misunderstanding came about.

"Let's sweep this under the rug and let bygones be bygones, even if it's just to keep the peace for the class. You wouldn't want the other kids in the class to talk behind Harry's back because of a trivial matter like this, would you?"

When I heard Kevin's hypocritical speech, I just found the whole thing ridiculous. I thought, "Sweep this under the rug? Keep the peace for the class? Hah!"

For the sake of those 30 gifts, I personally made comparisons between a dozen suppliers and had to stay up two nights just to get the list set in stone.

Also, the amount the parents had to pay was merely half the cost.

I was definitely losing money on this deal.

Moreover, I even gave every child a year's warranty for free. This package deal was something people normally had to pay for.

Also, all of us had been in the same group for three years, but I had never taken advantage of anyone.

In fact, I was always the first to pay the class fees and help organize events.

But now, just because of a misunderstanding I didn't have the chance to explain, these people were already all too eager to hurl insults at me.

The more I thought about it, the more disappointed I felt.

Taking a deep breath, I said angrily, "Mr. Brown, I didn't do anything wrong. Why should I be the one apologizing? I had intended to bill the toy robot separately, anyway."

After a pause, I looked at Darren. "But Mr. Larson, you didn't even think twice before labeling me as a cheapskate. Is this normal in your family? Of course I'll pay for my son's toy. Did you forget that I was the one who fronted the cash for all 30 gifts? Have you ever met a cheapskate who would take the initiative to do that?"

Realizing that even Kevin's involvement didn't faze me, and I was even getting a little too stubborn, Darren instantly felt insulted. "And you think talking back to the class teacher and ruining the peace makes you innocent? You were caught red-handed, but you're still spouting nonsense! Quit acting like you're all that!"

He suddenly shoved me and slapped the toy robot out of my hands.

As the exquisite packaging crashed onto the floor, the 500-dollar limited edition toy robot instantly shattered into pieces.

Everyone was stunned by the sudden turn of events.

"Ah!" My son, Harry Chandler, had been hiding behind me. He was so startled that his face went pale, and tears immediately rolled down his cheeks. "My robot… Dad, the robot broke…"

Staring at the mess on the floor, the clerk shouted in a panicked tone, "What the hell? This is a globally limited collector's edition, and you haven't even paid for it! No one leaves this place! Security! Security! Lock the doors! Someone just broke a high-end item in the store!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the uniformed security guards at the entrance of the toy store immediately surrounded us. The air instantly turned heavy with hostility.

Darren panicked for a moment, but soon enough, he pointed at me and claimed, "Everyone saw what he did, right? His scheme backfired, and even when the teacher tried to give him a chance, he refused it. He was so mad that he even broke an expensive toy in the store! It cost 500 dollars, for goodness' sake! He's trying to shift the blame onto the parents and Mr. Brown!"

Returning to his senses from the shock of seeing the toy broken, Kevin immediately took a few steps back. "Mr. Chandler, you should've just apologized when I advised you to. Now look at what happened. The kindergarten is not getting involved in this mess. This is a personal dispute between you guys, so you should sort it out yourself!"

I was so furious at their despicable behavior that I was at a loss for words.

Darren was the one who broke the toy, but now, they were forcing me to handle the consequences.

I was about to say something when Florence Young, the manager of the toy store, pushed through the crowd and entered the scene.

She had been silent all this while, but now, she finally said, "The person who broke the toy must be the one to pay for the damages. Even kids in kindergarten understand that."

Chapter 3

Darren's and Kevin's expressions froze on their faces. For a moment, they couldn't register what they were hearing.

A while later, Darren seemed to have thought of something. He immediately retrieved a golden card from his wallet and slapped it onto the register. "Look here, Ms. Young. I'm an Onyx Tier Member at Aura Mall, and my wife is Lily Smith, general manager of Millenia Trading.

"But this Jordan guy is just a loser who didn't stop at embezzling kindergarten funds, and has now destroyed a limited edition item in your store on purpose! Can't you see who's responsible for this?"

With that, he looked at Florence with absolute confidence.

However, instead of going along with it, Florence said, "I saw what happened, and it was as clear as day. You were the one who broke the toy robot. If that's still not enough for you, we have surveillance cameras installed in the store, so I'm sure everything was caught on tape."

When Darren heard that, he widened his eyes in disbelief. He wanted to argue, but something seemed to be stuck in his throat, and he couldn't utter a sound.

Just then, Harry sniffled a little, for he couldn't suppress his disappointment.

Darren immediately turned on the child and shouted at him, "What are you crying for? The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. If you're so intent on stealing things at such a young age, you'll grow up to be nothing but scum!"

When I heard that vicious cursing, I completely lost it.

I suddenly dashed forward and raised my fist.

With a heavy thud, the punch connected squarely with Darren's face.

I used all my strength on that punch, which sent Darren staggering. Half of his face visibly turned red and swollen.

"How… How dare you hit me!" Darren screamed in disbelief. "Security! Ms. Young! Have you all gone blind? He just hit me!"

Florence's expression darkened. She was about to speak up when an alarm suddenly blared on her walkie-talkie.

"Ms. Young! Ms. Young! Ms. Turner's private car has pulled into the underground parking lot, but her usual VIP elevator just malfunctioned and is now stuck on the first floor! All members of security gather on the first floor immediately to check for safety hazards! Hurry!" The voice on the other end of the line was loud and filled with immense panic.

When Florence heard that, her expression shifted, and she broke out in a cold sweat.

She subconsciously glanced at me, and I could see that she was asking for permission through her fearful gaze.

I was well aware that safety in a mall was no small matter. Moreover, I was also quite worried now that my wife's usual elevator had malfunctioned.

I nodded at Florence, gesturing for her to deal with that first.

Florence looked like a weight had suddenly been lifted off her shoulders. Turning to the security guards, she shouted, "Hey, you guys! Stay here and keep watch over this man, and don't you dare make any mistakes! I'll be right back!"

With that, she hurriedly pushed through the crowd and rushed toward the elevators.

But Florence's orders sounded completely different to Darren and Kevin.

"Haha! Jordan, you're done for!" Darren laughed arrogantly. "Ms. Young told the security guards to keep watch over you because she's worried that you'd escape! Once she wraps things up, you'll be dead meat!"

The security guards didn't seem familiar to me, so they probably didn't know who I was.

So, influenced by Darren's words, they actually stepped forward and formed a loose circle around Harry and me.

"What are you doing? Step aside!" I commanded in a cold voice.

"Step aside? In your dreams! Never in my life have I been beaten up before, but you dare punch me? I swear I'll rip you to shreds!" As Darren spoke, his gaze turned cold and vicious.

He went to a nearby shelf and grabbed a heavy box of solid-wood building blocks. Then, he brought it down on my head.

Chapter 4

It had happened so fast that I didn't even have time to dodge.

I turned around on instinct and shielded Harry, who was right behind me. I took the blow squarely on my back.

There was a thud, and I felt searing pain spreading from my shoulder. I let out a grunt, and my right arm instantly turned numb.

"Dad!" Harry screamed in terror, his hands tightly gripping the fabric of my clothes.

Trying my best to endure the pain, I pulled Harry into my arms and swept a cold glance at everyone at the scene. "You keep saying I can't afford anything and accusing me of stealing, huh? Well, here's the whole truth. I'm the husband of the owner behind Fairytale Toys and the entire Aura Mall! This mall belongs to my family!"

The place went quiet for two seconds before erupting into uncontrollable mocking laughter.

Someone asked, "Is he out of his mind? Did he really just say that he's the husband of the owner of Aura Group?"

Another responded, "He must've been so shocked that he lost his mind. He's spouting nonsense now!"

Someone else said, "Exactly! Ms. Ruth Turner from Aura Group is a woman worth hundreds of billions of dollars! If he really is Ms. Turner's husband, he wouldn't be arguing about a few hundred dollars in class funds, nor would he be wearing such cheap clothes."

Shaking his head, Kevin scoffed and said, "Jordan, I was kind enough to cover for you and save you some embarrassment, but I had no idea that on top of your misconduct, you'd lose your marbles as well. Given your dishonest and violent behavior, I don't think the kindergarten can handle your son, either. I hereby announce that Harry is expelled from kindergarten!"

What a joke. Kevin was just a class teacher, so he didn't have the right to expel Harry at all.

If I weren't reeling from the pain of the injury on my back, I would've called the principal of the kindergarten, who also happened to be an old classmate of mine.

I would like to ask her how exactly she ran her staff training.

Realizing that I wasn't saying anything, and that I had a look of stubborn resentment on my face, Darren was back at it in no time.

Leaning close to me, he said in a voice only the two of us could hear, "Quite the stubborn one, aren't you? I almost admire you. But you see, I love watching arrogant people like you get crushed underfoot until you're begging for mercy!"

Suddenly, he reached out and grabbed Harry's thin arm.

"What are you doing? Let go of him!" Shocked, I instinctively tried to pull Harry back toward me.

But due to my injured shoulders, I couldn't exert any strength at all. I could only watch as Darren forcefully dragged Harry over to him.

While I was struggling, Darren yanked my arm and sent me crashing down on one knee.

I could somewhat feel that my shoulder was dislocated.

"Dad! I want my dad! You evil guy, let go of me!" Harry struggled with all his might, crying at the top of his lungs as he tried to pry Darren's fingers off him.

But Darren kept a death grip on Harry's arm, his nails almost sinking into the child's flesh.

I could even see Harry flinching from the pain.

"Everyone saw that, right? Jordan isn't just a thief, but he also beats people up and has even lost his mind. He thinks he's the husband of the owner of Aura Group!" Darren looked at me in my miserable state, smiling in smug satisfaction. "He's a violent criminal who lies all the time. He's not worthy to be a father! If the kid stays with him, he'll ruin the kid's future!"

Darren patted Harry on the head, but his voice was filled with bone-chilling viciousness as he said, "Don't worry, Jordan. After the police take you away, as the PTA representative of the class, I won't just sit by and watch this kid end up on the streets. I'll do you a favor and take 'good' care of Harry for you."

When he finished speaking, hurried, chaotic footsteps rang out at the entrance to the toy store.

Then, a familiar and intimidating voice coldly rang out. "I don't need any outsiders taking care of my husband and son!"