CHAPTER 56: CHAPTER 56: FRAMING

Ivana Monroe found the second-grade class and saw Timmy sitting alone in the classroom. She felt relieved and gently patted Timmy’s little head.

"Why is Timmy still here? All the other kids have left."

Timmy hesitated for a moment, then said in his childlike voice, "Mrs. Alden didn’t let me go home. She wants Mommy to go to her office."

Ivana was stunned. Seeing the tears welling up in Timmy’s clear eyes, as if he had been wronged at school, she frowned but didn’t ask more questions. She softly said, "Mommy seems to not know Mrs. Alden’s office. Can Timmy take Mommy there?"

Timmy nodded, hoisted his little Minion backpack, and led Ivana to Mrs. Alden’s office.

There was a knock on the door.

Robin Alden’s voice came from inside: "Come in."

Robin Alden was playing on her phone, sending a message to someone, and slowly looked up. The moment she saw Ivana, she was taken aback, unable to hide her amazement.

So, this is Timmy’s mom? So beautiful?

Robin Alden’s eyes turned envious, lamenting why she didn’t have such good looks.

Putting on a teacher’s demeanor, Robin Alden said, "Are you Timmy’s parent? Why are you so late picking him up? It’s been nearly half an hour since school ended, and Derway doesn’t have an after-school program."

Ivana frowned: "Mrs. Alden kept Timmy. Is there something you need from me?"

Even though Timmy was only six years old, the education abroad was very independent. In the small classes, he had learned to recognize his class and didn’t need to be escorted by a parent, even if today was the first day of school.

Mrs. Alden was clearly picking a fight.

Robin Alden was surprised by Ivana’s tone, as if she was blaming her for keeping Timmy behind?

Robin Alden changed her tone: "I heard Timmy is from a single-parent family. Who is his father? Did you have him out of wedlock, or did you divorce, getting custody of the child? Can you tell me the details?"

Seeing the color drain from Ivana’s beautiful face, turning ashen, Robin Alden felt a dark satisfaction, pretending to be sincere, "Oh, don’t misunderstand me. I’m asking these for your child’s benefit. I’ve found issues with his personality and wanted to understand more about his original family environment."

She had already received the information from the office manager, that a famous star... Stacy Floyd had used connections to forcibly place Timmy in Derway.

As for Timmy’s parent, Ivana, the information showed she was a designer, and the father’s details were unknown.

The information also indicated that for the past six years, Ivana had been alone with Timmy abroad.

Robin Alden thought to herself, Ivana was either a mistress kept abroad after having the child, or she was abandoned by a man six years ago, forced to leave Ravenswood and raise the child alone abroad.

Either way, it was good news for Robin Alden because Ivana had no backing. Even if there was backing, it wouldn’t dare stand up for Ivana.

And as for Stacy Floyd, she was a big star, a public figure, hence wouldn’t defend Ivana due to the pressure of public opinion.

"There’s nothing wrong with my child’s character," Ivana said coldly, protecting Timmy like an eagle shielding its eaglet, "As a teacher, Mrs. Alden, you should set an example with your words and actions. Digging into someone’s most vulnerable privacy and gravely hurting a six-year-old child goes against your professional ethics, doesn’t it?"

Robin Alden was enraged at the accusation of lacking professional ethics.

She immediately stood up and pointed at Ivana, shouting furiously, "I lack professional ethics? Watch your words! No wonder Timmy is so disobedient in class, breaking the classroom toys on his first day. Turns out he has a spoiled parent backing him up."

Broke the toy?

Ivana frowned. Timmy cherished toys. She firmly didn’t believe that Timmy broke the toy on purpose. There had to be another reason.

"Mommy, I didn’t break the toy. It was Franklin Young who broke it and blamed me." Timmy’s eyes reddened. He hadn’t told Ivana what happened that morning.

He helped Joy, which made Franklin Young hold a grudge against him and deliberately set him up.

Mrs. Alden only believed Franklin Young and refused to believe him, forcing him to admit he broke the toy. He wouldn’t admit it, so Mrs. Alden kept him behind.

Mrs. Alden said she would call his mommy to the office and wanted her to pay for the broken toy.

"Listen to your son, so little and already knows how to shift the blame? Does he take everyone else for fools? The toy got broken in his hands. Franklin Young merely took the broken toy to tell me. He now twists it to say someone else framed him?" The more Mrs. Alden spoke, the angrier she became, "Let me tell you, Ivana. Your son has a serious character problem, continuing like this when he reaches middle or high school, he’ll become a troubled child, possibly even expelled."

"All because of your excessive indulgence, making him a societal failure."

"Mommy, I didn’t frame Franklin Young. Timmy isn’t a bad child." Timmy’s eyes were red, and large tears fell silently, as he looked up in utter grievance, trying hard to prove himself, that he was Mommy’s good child.

Ivana suppressed the flame of anger in her heart, reached out to wipe the tear marks off the young boy’s face, and gently said, "Mommy believes in you. Timmy is a good child."

Mrs. Alden laughed angrily, "Seems like all I’ve said is in vain. Some mothers just don’t get it. They insist on waiting until their kids make a grave mistake, get sent to jail, to realize their own mistakes."

Ivana suddenly looked up, her gaze sharp, staring at Mrs. Alden: "Have you said enough?"

Mrs. Alden was startled by Ivana’s sudden burst of aura. She clutched her trembling chest, wanting to retort, but Ivana’s gaze was too sharp, like a knife, making Mrs. Alden a bit afraid.

"I am just reminding you, take it or leave it. You can take the child and leave." Mrs. Alden suddenly remembered the broken toy and said to Ivana, "Your child deliberately broke the toy. It’s worth three thousand bucks. As the child’s mother, you’ll need to cover that cost. I mentioned in front of all the children in class that you’d pay for it. From now on, if any other kid deliberately breaks a toy, they too must repay the toy’s original price."

Ivana took out the three thousand bucks she had on her, threw it in front of Mrs. Alden, picked up Timmy, and left the office.

Timmy hugged Ivana’s neck tightly, burying his little face in Ivana’s shoulder, softly saying, "Mommy, it’s all Timmy’s fault for making Mommy waste three thousand bucks. Timmy won’t play with toys in the classroom anymore."

"It’s not a waste. That three thousand bucks is just temporarily with Mrs. Alden. Mommy will get it all back soon."