Chapter 2: The Principal Who Chose the Wrong Enemy
Principal Williams rushed outside before anyone called him.
That was the first thing my father noticed.
Not the broken prosthetic.
Not Brandon standing nervously with his friends.
Not even the crowd of students watching.
The principal had seen him arrive.
And he was afraid.
“Mr. Kane,” Principal Williams said quickly.
“This situation has been misunderstood.””
My father slowly turned.
“Misunderstood?””
The principal forced a smile.
“Children sometimes have conflicts. It is unfortunate, but—”
“My daughter’s leg was damaged.””
The principal stopped.
My father stepped closer.
“Her belongings were destroyed.””
Another step.
“She was bullied for months.””
The principal’s face tightened.
“Mr. Kane, we take every complaint seriously.””
I looked at him.
“You told me not to tell my father.””
The courtyard went silent.
Principal Williams stared at me.
“That is not what happened.””
My fingers trembled.
“Yes, it was.””
My father looked between us.
“What did he say?””
I remembered that afternoon.
I remembered sitting in his office while Brandon’s parents donated another check to the school.
I remembered Principal Williams leaning across his desk.
“Your father is a powerful man,” he had said.
“But involving him will only create problems.””
My voice shook.
“He said I should handle it myself.””
My father’s jaw tightened.
Marco stepped forward with a tablet.
“Boss.””
My father took it.
“What is this?””
“Security footage.””
Principal Williams immediately became pale.
“No need for that. I’m sure we can resolve this privately.””
My father pressed play.
The courtyard appeared on the screen.
There I was.
Standing alone.
Then Brandon and his friends surrounded me.
The entire school watched.
Nobody spoke.
Then the video showed Brandon hitting my prosthetic.
My father’s fingers tightened around the tablet.
But he kept watching.
The video continued.
It showed Principal Williams near the entrance.
Watching everything.
Doing nothing.
My father slowly lifted his eyes.
“You were there.””
The principal’s mouth opened.
“I was supervising.””
“No.””
My father’s voice became colder.
“You were watching.””
Principal Williams stepped backward.
“Mr. Kane, please understand—”
Marco interrupted.
“Boss. There’s another recording.””
He connected another file.
A voice filled the courtyard.
Principal Williams.
“Let the boys scare her a little.””
My blood ran cold.
The recording continued.
“Her father needs to understand he cannot control everything.””
Everyone heard it.
Even Brandon.
He looked at the principal.
“You said it was okay?””
The principal ignored him.
My father stared at the man.
“Who paid you?””
Nobody answered.
The silence lasted too long.
Then Marco looked at his phone.
“Boss.””
“What?””
“We found the payment records.””
My father looked at him.
“From who?””
Marco hesitated.
That scared me more than anything.
My father never hesitated.
“Say it.””
Marco lowered his voice.
“Your brother.””
The air disappeared from my lungs.
My father went completely still.
I had heard about my uncle before.
Damian Kane.
My father’s older brother.
The only person in the world who could speak to my father like an equal.
The only person my father trusted completely.
At least, I thought he did.
“Daddy?”” I whispered.
He didn’t answer.
He stared at the screen.
There was a photograph attached to the payment file.
A man standing beside Principal Williams outside the school.
A man I recognized.
Because I had seen him at family dinners.
Because he had kissed my forehead and called me his little angel.
My uncle Damian.
My father finally spoke.
“Why would he do this?””
Nobody answered.
Then Principal Williams suddenly ran.
He didn’t get far.
Two of my father’s security guards blocked his path.
“Please!”” the principal begged.
“I was only following orders!””
My father turned.
“Whose orders?””
The principal looked terrified.
“I can’t say.””
My father took one step forward.
“You already hurt my daughter.””
The principal shook.
“Mr. Kane, your brother said you would understand.””
My father froze.
“What did you say?””
The principal looked like he regretted speaking.
“Your brother said…”
He swallowed.
“He said this was only the beginning.””
A cold feeling moved through me.
My father looked toward the school building.
Then toward the broken photograph on the ground.
And I realized something.
My father wasn’t angry because someone hurt me.
He was angry because someone close to him had planned it.
Someone who knew exactly how much I meant to him.
Someone who knew exactly where to strike.
My father picked up the cracked photograph.
His thumb brushed over my younger face in the picture.
Then his phone rang.
He answered immediately.
A voice came through.
And the color disappeared from his face.
“Adrian,” the voice said.
“Your daughter is not the only thing you should be worried about.””
My father’s eyes darkened.
“Damian.””
A pause.
May you like
Then my uncle laughed softly.
“I was wondering how long it would take you to figure it out.””
