Chapter 6

Leon frowned.

What kind of trouble could a four-year-old girl possibly get into?

He'd almost offered to go with Sophia, but stopped himself. It was his first day, he hadn't even officially started yet, and she didn't fully trust him.

"Watch the shop for me." Sophia grabbed her coat and headed for the door. "If any customers come in, tell them I'm out and to come back tomorrow."

"Got it." Leon nodded.

The moment Sophia left, Leon pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

"Raven."

"My Lord, I'm here."

"Something happened with Sophia's daughter at school. Follow her. Find out what's going on, but don't let her see you."

"Understood."

Two hours later, the sky had grown dark.

Leon had tidied the studio from top to bottom. When he was done, he went to the window and looked out. Still no sign of Sophia on the street.

His phone buzzed.

He glanced at it. A message from Raven: "My Lord, it's complicated. Can we meet in person?"

"One hour. Usual place."

Shortly after, Leon arrived at the top floor of an unremarkable office building in East San Francisco. Raven was already there waiting.

"Talk."

Raven stood up.

"Mia was accused today of hitting a boy in her class on the forehead with a toy."

Leon's brow furrowed.

"Accused?"

"Yes." Raven nodded. "The boy's name is Noah. His father is the CEO of Firmament Property."

Leon's eyes went cold.

"Keep going."

Raven handed him a tablet. On the screen was a segment of security footage.

"This is the full recording of what happened this afternoon." Raven pointed at the screen. "Watch this first."

Leon took the tablet. The footage showed a cheerful preschool classroom, children sitting around small tables drawing. In the corner, a blond curly-haired boy walked toward a little girl with pigtails.

The girl was Mia.

She was sitting quietly in her chair coloring, unaware of the boy approaching from behind. He walked up and suddenly snatched the crayon out of her hand.

Mia startled and turned to look at him. The boy threw the crayon on the floor and stomped on it, grinning.

Mia didn't cry or make a scene. She just pressed her lips together and bent down to pick up the broken crayon.

The boy shoved her shoulder. Mia lost her balance and slipped off the chair.

A cold fury rose in Leon's eyes.

"Keep watching." Raven said quietly.

In the footage, Mia got up off the floor without fighting back. She just hugged her sketchbook and tried to move to another table.

But the boy wouldn't let it go. He followed her and grabbed her by the hair.

That was when Mia finally reacted. She swung the sketchbook she'd been clutching tightly, and the thin cardboard edge barely grazed the boy's forehead.

The boy paused, touched his forehead, then suddenly smiled. Just as a teacher walked in from outside, he slammed his own forehead against the corner of a table.

By the time the teacher rushed over, the boy was already on the floor with his hands over his head, wailing.

And Mia was standing right there, sketchbook still raised, frozen in place, completely bewildered.

The footage ended there.

Raven put the tablet away and said in a low voice:

"I've already had someone save a full backup. What the preschool showed Sophia was an edited version — just the few seconds of Mia swinging the sketchbook — and used that to accuse her of intentionally hurting him."

"What did the school say?"

"The director's name is Niamh Conner. She's a woman in her fifties." Raven handed over a file. "She reviewed the footage and still insisted Mia had been aggressive. I had someone look into it quietly — Noah's father is the school's biggest donor. The new building they opened last year was funded by him."

Leon was silent for a moment, then spoke slowly.

"Looks like I've got something to take care of tonight."

Soon, several black SUVs pulled up outside Niamh's building.

Leon pushed open the car door and walked straight inside, a few men in black following behind him.

The elevator stopped on the third floor. Leon rang the doorbell.

The peephole went dark for a moment, then Niamh's voice came from inside.

"Who is it?"

"Building management. A resident downstairs reported a leak coming from your unit. I'm here to check it out."

The door opened a crack. Niamh peered out — and before she could get a clear look at who was there, the men in black pushed inside.

"Who are you? What do you want? I'm calling the police!"

Niamh stumbled backward into the living room, scrambling for her phone on the table.

Leon didn't stop her.

He walked over to the sofa and sat down calmly, then gestured toward the armchair across from him.

"Sit."

Niamh gripped her phone but couldn't bring herself to actually make the call. The men who'd pushed in were staring at her with cold, dead eyes, like they could tear her apart at any moment.

"What do you want from me?" Her voice was shaking.

Leon didn't answer. He reached into his coat pocket, pulled out a remote control, and pressed the power button.

The TV on the living room wall came on.

Niamh froze. That wasn't her remote — this man had come prepared with a remote for her own TV?

"Sit down." Leon said again, his voice dropping a notch.

Niamh's legs gave out beneath her. She sank into the armchair, eyes locked on the screen.

The footage appeared.

A preschool classroom. The full, unedited security recording from that afternoon.

Niamh's pupils shrank. She recognized it immediately. She'd watched this very footage this afternoon before deciding to edit it and show Sophia the cut version.

"How do you have this?"