Chapter 3

The roomful of teachers exchanged glances, unsure how to respond.

Caleb’s mom was clearly there to extort money, but no one knew how to handle a situation like this.

A colleague, Ms. Davies, spoke indignantly:

"When her son first got sick, all the teachers and students volunteered to raise money, and this woman—she's just insatiably greedy!"

When Caleb was diagnosed with leukemia, the entire school rallied, with spontaneous donations from students and teachers, plus my selfless donation.

It should have been a heartwarming act of kindness.

Principal Harrison was proud of the school's compassionate spirit and had even intended to use it for publicity, nominating me for an award for outstanding service.

It should have been a win-win situation, but instead, it got me caught up in such a dirty scandal.

Principal Harrison looked annoyed, and as he left, he didn't forget to caution me:

"You started this mess, you fix it. Don't let it affect the school's reputation."

Just then, my mom, Martha, walked in, smiling, carrying a food container.

"The chicken soup I made this time is extra delicious! I even sent a portion to Caleb, but his mom wasn't around, and he was awake… What's wrong? Why do you all look so upset?"

I couldn't hold it in and burst into angry tears.

"Mom, his mom just came in here causing a scene, saying she's going to make me lose my job!"

My mom heard the whole story, and her face turned crimson with anger.

"My daughter kindly saved her son's life, how could she do something so utterly shameless?"

My mom has a quick temper. Ignoring our attempts to stop her, she spun around and headed straight for Caleb's hospital room.

"I'm going to go ask her face-to-face why she's bullying my daughter like this!"