Selene stood frozen on the stage, momentarily stunned.
Clarissa’s eyes went wide with disbelief. Her trembling hand flew up to her face, desperate to wipe away the burning sensation.
The moment her fingers pressed against her swollen cheek, it felt as though a thousand tiny needles were stabbing beneath her skin, threatening to tear it apart.
Only then did Clarissa realize—she’d been slapped.
“What’s wrong with you? Why did you hit me?!” she shrieked.
Gwyneth only smiled, her eyes narrowing mischievously. Her lashes curled upward, framing her gaze like the wings of a swallowtail butterfly poised for flight.
“Oh, I’m just getting started. I could punch a hole right through your head if it would help clear out that sewer stench spewing from your mouth.”
Standing at nearly six feet tall in her stilettos, Gwyneth towered over Clarissa, who suddenly felt like a child caught misbehaving.
Gwyneth jabbed a finger toward Clarissa’s head, and Clarissa instinctively shielded herself, arms wrapped protectively over her hair in fear of another slap.
“Whatever filth you’re plotting in that brain of yours—don’t think you can hide behind veiled accusations and come out clean. Throwing shade? Please. If you’re going to spread rumors about Selene and Director White from the Department of Education, you’d better be ready for the consequences. Is the Vaughn family looking to get blacklisted from every major business circle?”
“I did not!” Clarissa shouted, but the denial barely left her lips before Gwyneth’s palm landed hard against her head.
Clarissa screamed in pain, only for Gwyneth to smack her on the other cheek, as if determined to make her face evenly swollen.
Her slaps were brutal—Clarissa’s cheeks ballooned with perfect symmetry.
“Who the hell are you?! I was talking about Selene! Why do you care?” Clarissa whimpered, hands shielding her face as she tried to get a better look at Gwyneth.
Could this woman be Director White’s wife?
No, that didn’t make sense. She’d met the Director’s wife before and this wasn’t her.
“Stop! That’s enough!” voices called from the crowd of parents, trying to quell the escalating chaos. Abbey, the dance teacher, hurried down from the stage.
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