Chapter 71
Elara turned to her daughter and asked, “Merida, do you still want to study at Summit Academy?”
Merida looked toward the crowd, spotting Shirley and Paisley gazing at her with eager eyes,
They had already entered the school, but with all the commotion at the entrance James being taken away, the Office of Compliance and Ethics launching an investigation, and several school administrators and teachers being called in for questioning the younger students, in particular, had lost all focus in class.
The kindergarteners stood near the gate, craning their necks. They were more interested in the spectacle than in their lessons, even if they didn’t quite understand what was happening.
Merida turned to the parents and said, “You need to offer a formal apology to me and my mommy. Only then will ! consider returning to Summit Academy.”
She was only five years old, but she had already sensed the hostility from teachers, classmates, and parents ever since she became Merida Jones.
When these very parents had sided with the former principal to push her out of school, it had deeply hurt her.
After all, she had done nothing wrong.
Why was being Merida Jones something these parents saw as disgraceful and contemptible?
“Bambi, sweetheart,” one of the parents softened their tone.
“My name is Merida Jones,” she corrected firmly.
The parents pursed their lips, briefly exchanging glances before looking up at Elara, who stood beside her daughter. Her support for her daughter was unwavering.
One of them was about to lecture Merida, but another quickly nudged her, signaling her to hold back.
With polite, albeit forced, smiles, the parents bowed slightly and said, “Merida Jones, Ms. Jones, we were wrong earlier. We sincerely apologize.
“I really hope Merida stays at Summit Academy. My daughter is your good friend–you wouldn’t want to be separated from her, would you?”
The hardest part for Merida was leaving the friends she had made at Summit Academy.
She turned to Elara and asked, “Mommy, is there a way to make sure they truly understand their mistakes and genuinely regret what they did?”
Elara thought for a moment before replying, “I recall that several of you have personal social media accounts.
“If you truly want to ensure that my daughter is never discriminated against at Summit Academy again, then you should publicly acknowledge your past actions and issue an apology on your personal accounts.”
One of the mothers immediately stiffened. “I have hundreds of thousands of followers on that account…‘
Before she could finish, another mother elbowed her sharply.
How foolish! They could simply create an alternate account post the apology there, and spare their carefully curated ‘wealthy socialite‘ images from embarrassment.
Elara smiled and said, “I’m well aware of all your go–to social media accounts. Mrs. Zachariah, you can issue your apology on Instagram. Mrs. Wendell, yours can go on TikTok, and Mrs. Goldberg, you can use your Facebook
account.”
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Chapter 71
425 BOXES
“Ms. Jones, why are you making such a big deal out of this? Even demanding a public apology for the whole Internet to see. Aren’t you afraid of the backlash? What if netizens turn against you and drown you in their outrage?”
One of the wealthy ladies was visibly displeased, her face darkening at the thought of being put in this humiliating position by Elara.
“You think the public will just say that Merida was merely pressured by parents to leave the school? That she wasn’t actually harmed, and that I’m blowing this out of proportion?”
“Exactly!” The other parents chimed in immediately. “Even if we do apologize now, once our followers find out about this, they won’t let you off the hook! When that happens, don’t go crying to Mr. White, claiming we cyberbullied you!”
Elara spoke clearly and firmly. “I’m not afraid of rumors. I want your actions–your bullying of a child–to be cemented in disgrace. And I believe…”
She took a deep breath and said with conviction, “The majority of netizens have sharp eyes and a clear sense of justice!”
Reluctantly, the women pulled out their phones and began typing their apologies. Once they had written them, they showed them to Elara for approval.
She then had them read the apologies out loud–word by word–to Merida.
The resentment in their eyes was unmistakable. They posted their apologies with bitterness, silently hoping that while they couldn’t do anything to Elara, who had Desmond backing her, the vast online community would do it for them.
One after another, the apologies went live.
Elara glanced at the online responses–netizens were overwhelmingly condemning these wealthy wives for bullying a five–year–old child.
Meanwhile, the women stared at their screens in horror, watching their inboxes flood with angry messages and their follower counts drop with each refresh. Their hands trembled as they held their phones.
Just then, Shirley walked up to Merida and asked, “Merida, can we still be best friends? I shouldn’t have listened to Beau. You’re my best friend.”
“You’re my best friend too!”
The two little girls hugged tightly, and Merida effortlessly lifted Shirley off the ground, spinning her around in
circles.
Paisley ran over as well, timidly clutching her hands together. “Merida! I’m your best friend too!”
