Mrs. Tuffey shook her head and apologized. “The surveillance cameras stopped working yesterday. That’s why there’s no
recorded footage of what happened in the classroom."
"My child has never lied to anyone before. He said it was Tommy who pushed him. His statement is the best evidence," yelled
Mrs. Hudson.
Luca ignored her and questioned Mrs. Tuffey, "Mrs. Tuffey, did you ask the other kids?"
"They're still having class now," replied Mrs. Tuffey. The incident happened during recess. The kids were having class now.
Mrs. Tuffey thought of making the decision after the two child’s guardians communicated with each other.
"Mrs. Hudson chooses to believe her child, and I believe Tommy isn’t a child who’d hurt others. Mrs. Tuffey, I’d like to talk to
Tommy." Luca made a request. Now, the only way was to ask Tommy what had happened. Only then would she find out the
truth.
"Let me bring Tommy here. Please wait for a while." Mrs. Tuffey rose to her feet and marched out of the office.
Mrs. Hudson sneered at Luca and went outside to make a call, asking how her child was doing in the hospital.
Tommy was brought to the office by Mrs. Tuffey. He stepped forward and hugged Luca’s waist with an aggrieved expression on
his face when he saw Luca. "Ms. Luca, I didn’t push him."
Mrs. Tuffey was surprised when she heard that. ‘Ms. Luca?
‘Isn’t she Tommy’s aunt?’
"I know. You’d never do something like that." Luca stroked the child’s face. The aggrieved look on his face broke her heart.
As a parent, who would be willing to see their child be wronged?
"I'm glad that you believe me." Tommy's eyes shimmered in the light as tears welled up in his eyes. When Mrs. Tuffey asked
Tommy what happened just now, no matter what Tommy said, Mrs. Tuffey had this incredulous look on her face.
Tommy felt deeply wronged.
"Then can you tell me what really happened?" Luca wanted a blow-by-blow account of what happened.
Tommy sniffed and repeated what he had told Mrs. Tuffey before in front of Luca. “When we were having a break, Charlie was
bullying my classmate, Ashley. He was trying to lift her skirt. As a man, I stood in front of Ashley to protect her. Charlie backed
away and lost his balance. Then, he tripped over the foot of the desk and knocked his head on the desk."
Luca raised her brows and turned to look at Mrs. Tuffey.
Mrs. Tuffey cleared her throat and said, "Tommy said the same thing to me just now. Charlie knocked his head on the desk after
he tripped."
Mrs. Hudson pushed the door open and came in with the phone in her hands. "Nonsense. If you didn't push Charlie, how could
he have fallen?"
Tommy drew his neck back and leaned closer to Luca, but he mustered his courage to speak up for himself, "I didn't push him.
Charlie was doing something bad. He was afraid. That's why he stepped backward without noticing and fell."
"I didn't expect a young child like you to lie to others to cover up your mistake. Mrs. Tuffey, is this how you teach your students?!"
Mrs. Hudson refused to budge an inch. Before Mrs. Tuffey could say anything, Mrs. Hudson turned to look at Luca. "It was your
child who pushed Charlie. You should be the one paying for Charlie's medical expenses no matter what. Transfer the money to
my bank account. Charlie is still in the hospital, waiting for his medical expenses to be paid!"
Luca frowned.
The school Tommy attended was an elite school. She did not expect the parents to behave this way.
The students who attended the school were from wealthy and respectable families. Most of them were well-educated. Even if
one was not well-educated, that person would act like it to avoid losing face in front of others.
They would not act like Mrs. Hudson.
Luca held the child in her arms and said, "If it was Tommy who pushed Charlie, I'd be willing to pay for your child's medical
expenses. I'd also compensate for moral damages. But what if it wasn't Tommy?"
"Hah, nice try. Don't try to deny it. I'm sure it was Tommy who did it. Why? You're not willing to pay for it?" Mrs. Hudson rested
her hands on her hips, acting like a shrew.
"Madam, calm down. What matters the most now is Charlie taking the medical examination. Why don't you tell the hospital to
check on him first?" Mrs. Tuffey wondered if Mrs. Hudson was doing it for Charlie's sake or if it was for the money.
Was money more important than her child's life?
"Shut up. I'm not going to pay for the medical expenses. If I pay for it, won't I be the ridiculous one?" Mrs. Hudson glowered at
her.
Luca took her phone out, pressed the audio recording button, and placed it on the coffee table.
"How about this? I can pay for the medical expenses first, but let the students tell us what the situation was at that time after their
class. If it was really Tommy who did it, I'll apologize and compensate for the accident no matter how much you want. But if it
wasn't Tommy's fault, then you'll have to apologize to him instead. You'll also have to admit that you've failed to educate your
son. What do you think? I've recorded our conversation down. If you agree to it, I'll transfer the money to you now."
Mrs. Hudson widened her eyes and replied, "What makes you think that you can make me apologize?
And you want me to admit that I failed to educate my child?"
"It all happened because Charlie wanted to lift a girl's skirt. Tommy did it out of the protectiveness he had for his friends. That's
why he stood in front of her to protect her. The kids are at the age where they've learned about gender differences. Yet your child
is still lifting a girl's skirt. Isn't that a sign that his parents have failed to educate him about gender differences?" Luca was clear
and logical.
Tommy stood beside her, nodding his head.
When Tommy was young, his great-grandpa taught him that he should not bully girls and he should not lift a girl's skirt either. As
a man, they should be protecting girls.
That was why Tommy stood in front of Ashley when he saw her being bullied. He wanted to stop Charlie from causing trouble.
Mrs. Hudson's cheeks were flamed with anger. There was no doubt that Luca was mocking her for failing to educate her child.
No matter whether or not it was really Tommy who pushed Charlie, it was undeniable that Charlie had tried to lift a girl's skirt. It
was the parents' fault for failing to educate the child.
“The kids were just fighting with each other. How did it become my fault? Don't even think about it. It's Tommy who hurt someone
this time. Pay me now!”
"Kids fighting with each other? Even Tommy knows about gender differences, and he also knows that boys shouldn't lift a girl's
skirt. But your child..." Luca paused for a moment and stroked Tommy's head. "Madam, I'll protect Tommy. If you claim that
Tommy's the one who hurt Charlie again but someone proves that it's not the case, I'll be suing you for defamation."
Luca was not someone to be messed with. She needed to protect Tommy.
The expression on Mrs. Hudson's face changed.
Mrs. Tuffey did not expect Luca to be so tough even though she looked gentle.
"There are five more minutes until class ends." Luca glanced at the time when none of them spoke. "Well, let's see what their
classmates say after class. If it was really Tommy who pushed Charlie, regardless of why Charlie wanted to lift a girl's skirt at his
age, I'll transfer the money to you for your child's treatment. But if it wasn't Tommy's fault, please apologize to him."