An Ex-Wife Who Never Changes Her Spots

1
A notification pinged from the parents' group chat for my daughter's elementary school. The teacher, Ms. Albright, had posted a photo and tagged me.
Mr. Green, Sophia was attacked by another student. You need to come to the school immediately!
I clicked open the image. My daughter's face was a mess of bruises, her clothes torn to shreds.
My blood ran cold. "Who did this?" I typed, my fingers trembling with rage.
A contact saved as 'Leo's Dad' replied with blatant arrogance.
"I told my son to do it."
Then, he posted two more pictures.
The first was a wedding photo of him and my wife, Claire.
The second was a family portrait: me, my daughter, and Claire.
"You shameless leech," he wrote. "You think you can steal my wife and raise your bastard daughter on my dime? I should have had my son beat the little mongrel to death!"
The group chat erupted. A flood of messages poured in, all of them condemning me and my daughter.
I floored it, racing toward the school while firing off a text to my companys legal department.
"Draft the divorce papers. Enforce the pre-nup. Claire leaves with nothing."
"And one more thing," I added. "My daughter was assaulted at her school. Get a team over there now. I want them to pay."
To think she'd use my money to support her lover and his son. She's got some nerve.
When I pulled up to the elementary school, I saw him immediately: Leo's dad, Ethan, standing by the gate. A circle of other parents from our class surrounded him, fawning over him.
"Ethan, you're so modest! If it weren't for this, we'd never have known the Apex Group was your family's company."
"Exactly! I knew there was something different about you. It's the natural confidence of the truly wealthy!"
"We're here to support you today. We're decent people. We can't let some low-life home-wrecker bully you."
"Right! What good can come from a freeloader's genes? Leo is a true credit to the Apex Group. He's already doing a public service at his age! A real chip off the old block!"
Even Sophia's teacher, Ms. Albright, was bowing and scraping before him.
"Mr. Hayes, I had no idea your wife was the CEO of the Apex Group. I almost blamed Leo for this You have my deepest apologies. Rest assured, I will handle this to your complete satisfaction."
Ethan puffed out his chest like a proud rooster, basking in the praise.
After Claire and I married, she told me she wanted to build a career of her own. I funded a luxury boutique for her, then a beauty salon, a yoga studio one after another, they all failed. But each failure only fueled her ambition. When the shops went under, she declared she wanted to be an entrepreneur, a CEO.
So I handed her the reins to the Apex Group, the smallest of my corporations.
I never imagined it would become the source of this man's pride and the reason for this sycophantic display.
The moment the parents saw me, their fawning smiles vanished, replaced by glares of pure disgust, as if I were something vile theyd scraped off their shoe.
Ms. Albright marched straight up to me, her face a cold mask. "Mr. Green, the principal has asked me to inform you that, effective immediately, Sophia is expelled."
I stared at her, my voice dangerously low. "My daughter was beaten in your school, and instead of finding her justice, you're expelling her?"
She scoffed. "This is an elite academy. Every child who studies here comes from a family of wealth and influence. To allow an illegitimate child like Sophia to remain would only tarnish our reputation!"
My expression darkened. "I suggest you do your homework before you start throwing around words like 'illegitimate'."
Before she could respond, Ethan stepped in front of me and a fist slammed into my face.
"You think a kept man, a home-wrecker, has the right to stand here and talk tough to me?" he snarled. "Did you really think having a bastard daughter would give you a claim on my family's fortune?"
The blow stunned me for a second. The other parents seized the opportunity to hurl insults.
"Look at him, all dressed up, but he's just a parasite. Couldn't you find a better way to make a living than latching onto a rich woman?"
"Some guys look so clean-cut, but deep down, they're just scum. The second they see a wealthy woman, they're ready to get on their knees."
"Men like him are a disgrace. His kid deserves even worse!"
A crowd had started to gather, drawn by the commotion. People were pointing, whispering. Some pulled out their phones, recording, while others spat in my direction.
I took off my jacketa custom piece worth a small fortuneand tossed it into a nearby trash can. Then I faced Ethan.
"First, you incite your son to attack my daughter. Now, you assault me. Do you have no fear of the law?"
Ethan sneered, his arrogance boundless. "The law? The only one who should be punished here is a low-life leech like you! I'm serving justice. What's there to be afraid of? You only seduced my wife because you knew she was the CEO of the Apex Group. But I am her husband! I could beat you and your bastard daughter to a pulp, and she wouldn't even bat an eye!"
The other parents chimed in.
"If you hadn't wrecked their marriage, would any of this have happened? You brought this on yourself."
"A kept man like you should know his place. When you see the real husband, you're supposed to tuck your tail between your legs, not provoke him. You're lucky all you got was a punch."
"He's probably addicted to seducing women. Look at him, playing the victim. Who does he think he's fooling? We're not as naive as the women he preys on!"
Even the onlookers were shouting insults, each crueler than the last.
Their support only fueled Ethans rage. He pointed a trembling finger at my car parked by the curb. "You animal! Spending my wife's money without a second thought, huh? A Rolls-Royce? Is a freeloader like you worthy of driving this car?"
He spat on the ground. "I despise home-wreckers more than anything in this world. They all deserve to die!"
With that, he pulled out a key and dragged it viciously across the glossy black paint, carving a single word into the door.
LEECH.
My eyes narrowed at the ugly scratch. "You're going to realize very soon," I said, my voice ice, "just how ironic that word is."
My calm defiance sent him over the edge. "You bastard! You live off my wife's money and you still have the gall to act high and mighty? I'm going to make you spit out every penny you've scammed from her!"
He snatched a loose brick from the edge of the sidewalk and began smashing my car with frenzied rage. The headlights shattered, the windshield spiderwebbed, the hood crumpled under the repeated blows.
Inspired, the other parents grabbed whatever they could findrocks, branchesand joined the demolition. After breaking the windows, they climbed inside, slashing the leather seats and destroying the interior.
In moments, my pristine luxury car was a mangled wreck.
I watched the mob, my gaze hardening. "I hope you all find this just as satisfying when the bill comes."
No one paid me any mind.
Suddenly, one of the parents pried open the trunk. "Hey, look at this! He's got a bunch of fancy stuff in here!"
Ethan strode over and pulled out a rolled-up canvas. "A leech who lives by kissing up to a woman dares to play the part of a refined art collector? How pathetic."
A warning bell went off in my head. "Be careful," I said, my tone sharp. "Everything in there is worth far more than the car. That painting especially. I wouldn't touch it if I were you."
I had just come from an auction. Ms. Albrights message had arrived before Id even had a chance to drop off my new acquisitions.
Ethan sneered. "For a piece of art to be in the hands of a low-life animal like you is a desecration," he declared. "Trash like you only deserves trash!"
And with a savage rip, he tore the ancient canvas in two. Not satisfied, he threw the pieces to the ground and stomped on them with his muddy shoes.
An onlooker who knew something about art gasped. "Was that was that a genuine Rembrandt? I heard one of those went for over a hundred million at auction!"
Ethan was unfazed. "A hundred million? So what? It was all bought with my wife's money! And my wife's money is my money. What's wrong with me destroying my own property?"
The sheer stupidity of his statement left me speechless. Claire was a spendthrift who bled money. Her failed businesses were one thing, but since taking over the Apex Group, her mismanagement had nearly halved the company's market value. If she weren't my wife, I would have fired her long ago. Yet here were these fools, worshipping her as some brilliant CEO.
With Ethan setting the example, the other parents descended on the trunk like vultures, tearing, smashing, and destroying everything inside.
It's no use reasoning with fools bent on their own destruction. Right now, my only concern was my daughter.
Ignoring the frenzy, I turned and walked toward the school entrance.
The principal stepped out, blocking my path. His face was twisted in contempt. "Do you really think a parasite like you is worthy of setting foot in our school?"
"I want to see my daughter," I said, my voice flat and cold.
He snorted. "Your daughter has been expelled. A teacher will bring her out shortly."
Just as he spoke, the school gates opened and Sophia was thrown out, her and her backpack tumbling onto the pavement. She landed hard, the air knocked out of her, and burst into terrified sobs.
I rushed forward and swept her into my arms, my eyes blazing as I turned back to the principal. "Is this how your school treats its students?"
He looked at me with utter disdain. "A freeloader's bastard child? She's not a student here. We were simply disposing of a piece of social garbage. Is there a problem?"
The other parents applauded.
"Well said, Principal! Fair and just, straight to the point!"
"Exactly. This is an elite academy, not a place for any riff-raff to sneak into."
One of them turned to me, a cruel smirk on her face. "Does a home-wrecker's daughter even need an education? Just teach her how to sell her body and seduce men. That's how you make a living, right? Maybe she'll be even better at it than you and land an even richer target!"
Ethan was practically glowing with triumph. "See that? This is the fate of a kept man. You and your bastard daughter are destined to live at the bottom of society, despised by everyone!"
The air was thick with insults, the crowd jeering and taunting. The more they vilified me, the wider Ethan's smile grew.
The principal seized the moment to curry favor. "Mr. Hayes, if my handling of this situation meets your approval, I was hoping you might do us a small favor. As you know, we're planning to expand, but the surrounding land is owned by the Apex Group. Perhaps you could..."
Ethan crossed his arms, looking down his nose at the world. "Don't worry. I was very pleased with your performance today. I'll have a word with my wife. She'll gift the land to the school."
The principal beamed. "Thank you, Mr. Hayes! Thank you!"
This set off another wave of sycophancy.
"Ethan, my husband has done business with Apex Group before. Perhaps you could give our bids preferential consideration in the future?"
"My company is looking to pivot. I would be honored to explore a partnership with Apex."
"Mr. Hayes, please, take this. It's an unlimited gift card for my family's department store. A small token, in the hopes that our families can become closer..."
They swarmed him, showering him with praise and gifts, some even stuffing credit cards into his pockets. Ethan savored every moment, his arrogance swelling. He swaggered over to me.
"You see this?" he gloated. "This is the power of money and influence. A low-life like you will spend his entire life serving women, waiting for them to toss you scraps. Meanwhile, I, her true husband, enjoy a status you can only dream of." He leaned in closer, his voice a venomous whisper. "You have twenty-four hours. Take your little mongrel and get the hell out of this city. If I ever see you near my wife again, I'll bury that little bastard of yours alive."
At his words, Sophia burrowed deeper into my arms, trembling. "Daddy," she whimpered, "I'm scared... It hurts..."
Her voice was choked with terror and pain. I looked closer and saw something that made my blood freeze. Peeking from under the torn collar of her shirt were thin, red linesa dense network of cuts, clearly made by a small blade.
The sight of those vicious wounds sent a surge of pure fury through me. My vision went red. I glared at Ethan, my voice shaking with rage.
"Did your son do this too?"
He glanced over, indifferent. "What's the big deal? You should be grateful I didn't have him kill the little mutt."
The moment the words left his mouth, I snapped. My fist connected with his jaw, powered by all the rage and pain coiling in my gut. He staggered back, stunned. Before I could strike again, another parent kicked me from the side. Then they were all on me, a frenzied mob of fists and feet.
"You worthless leech! You dare touch Mr. Hayes? You must have a death wish!"
"Your little bastard isn't even dead yet. Are you in such a hurry to join her?"
"It's an honor for that mongrel to be disciplined by young Leo. What good could come from your defective genes? She'd deserve it even if she were beaten to death."
Even the principal landed a vicious kick to my ribs.
"Don't hurt my daddy!" Sophia cried, trying to pull them off me.
A chubby little boyLeoshoved her hard, sending her sprawling to the ground.
The principal saw this and patted Leo on the head with a proud smile. "Excellent work, Leo. Punishing evil and promoting good at such a young age. I'm going to commend you in front of the whole school tomorrow and give you an award!"
Leo grinned, his eyes vanishing into slits of flesh. "Hmph. It was my duty. I'll beat that little bastard every time I see her!"
I was pinned to the ground, shaking with helpless fury. "You will all regret this," I snarled through gritted teeth.
They roared with laughter, as if I'd just told the funniest joke in the world.
"Did I hear that right? A kept man is making threats?"
"Hilarious! This loser actually thinks he's someone important? Mr. Hayes controls the entire Apex Group. Crushing this guy would be as easy as stepping on an ant."
"He can't do anything to us, so all he has left is impotent rage. Hahaha!"
"How pathetic. If I were him, I'd have thrown myself under a bus by now."
They held me down, their mockery and contempt raining down on me. Onlookers spat and jeered. Ethan, buoyed by his adoring crowd, stepped forward and planted his foot on my face, grinding it into the dirt.
"Regret?" he hissed. "I've never regretted a thing in my life. I'm waiting. Let's see how a pathetic loser like you is going to make me regret anything!"
Just as the words left his mouth, a fleet of black luxury sedans purred to a stop at the curb, one after another, forming a long, imposing line.
Doors opened in perfect unison, and men in sharp, tailored suits stepped out, moving with silent, coordinated purpose

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