Chapter 10

Grace pulled over a stool and gently placed Clara on it. Then, she handed her the hot dog and milk. She smiled and said softly, "Sit right here, okay? I'm going to teach her a lesson." "Mommy, use this so your hand won't hurt." Clara handed Grace a short stick. She was worried her mother's hand might hurt while hitting Amelia. "Oh, my sweet girl's looking out for me." Grace beamed, her heart melting at how thoughtful her daughter was. She locked the door and advanced on Amelia and the other girls with the stick in hand. "Grace, what do you think you're doing?" "Jesse and Nina might not have time to teach you manners, but I do!" Amelia tried to dart away, but Grace snatched her back. She yanked down her pants and smacked her backside with the stick. The other girls who had helped bully Clara didn't escape either. Each one got her butt whooped. Before long, the supply closet rang with wailing cries from the kids. Meanwhile, Clara took bites of her hot dog, washing them down with sips of milk, her eyes bright and amazed. Her mother was so cool! A teacher was outside, anxiously pounding on the door. When Grace finally opened the door, the teacher froze, staring at several sobbing kids on the floor. Their butts were covered in red welts, especially Amelia's, which looked as swollen and bright red as a baboon's rear. "What on earth are you doing?" the teacher demanded. Grace lifted the stick so it was pointing right at the teacher's face. "What am I doing? I'm doing your job, since someone has to discipline these brats who don't know how to behave." "That's too extreme! They were just fooling around. You can't hit them!" "Oh, so they were just fooling around? Then, I was fooling around too. But I guess they couldn't handle it. What about you? Are you trying to fool me now?" Grace gave her a bright smile, but the stick was already pressed against the teacher's throat. In a moment of panic, the teacher instinctively covered her backside. Soon after, Jesse and Nina, along with the other parents of the beaten kids, got the call and rushed over. Nina lost it at the sight of Amelia's bruised bottom and lunged at Grace. The other parents joined in, thinking they had the upper hand in numbers. They were sure they could take Grace down in a fight. After all, she was just one person. ... Meanwhile, Adrian was in a meeting when Travis burst in. "Bad news, Mr. Donovan! Mrs. Donovan's gotten into a fight at the kindergarten. It's at least six people against her..." Adrian's expression turned frigid. He grabbed his suit jacket and walked out. "Bring the car around." Soon, he arrived at the teacher's office, his face as cold as ice. He'd expected to find Grace getting mobbed by a bunch of furious parents. Instead, what he saw was the complete opposite—parents, teachers, and children huddled in the corner, crying and shaking with fear. "What are you crying about? Zip it," Grace commanded with a glare. The second she glowered at them, they immediately fell silent, stifling their tears in sheer terror. The scene was almost comical. Clara was massaging Grace's wrist, looking worried. "Mommy, does that hurt?" Adrian approached, hiding his concern behind a cool tone. "What happened to your wrist?" Grace glanced at the whimpering group in the corner and answered, "It hurts." Beating that bunch of losers had made her hand sore. At her words, Adrian's face went ominously dark.