Chapter 45

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Xavi didn’t move. His job was to protect Sebastian, and unless it was Caitlin asking, he wasn’t about to listen to anyone else.
“Spit it out already!” Sebastian’s tone was cold. He had a feeling it wasn’t going to be good news. After all, gossip rarely comes with good intentions .
Yasmin, seeing Xavi refuse to comply, shot him a venomous look before turning to Sebastian. “Sebastian, you won’t believe who I saw at the restaurant today with Madison.”
“…” Sebastian didn’t answer , his silence making Yasmin press on.
“ It was Caitlin!” she revealed with a sly grin.
“She went to a restaurant?” Sebastian’s tone shifted slightly, though he still kept his emotions in check.
They hadn’t been able to reach Caitlin all day and had no idea where she’d gone. So, to hear that she was eating out caught him off guard.
“Yes! And she was with a young man! They looked very close, you know? I couldn’t tell exactly what their relationship was , but it definitely wasn’t casual!” Yasmin tried to gauge Sebastian’s reaction, but his face remained calm.
Inside, however, Sebastian was seething with anger. He remembered Xavi mentioning seeing Caitlin being picked up by a young man in a luxury car earlier that day. Now, here she was having a meal with him again. It seemed like they were getting along just fine.
“I even took pictures and videos, though I’m sure you can’t see them yet, Sebastian, since your eyes are still healing. But Xavi’s not blind, is he ? Xavi , take a look,” Yasmin added with an exaggerated tone, handing her phone to Xavi.
Xavi took the phone and glanced at it. “Mr. Vanderbilt, it’s definitely Caitlin with the same young man we saw before.”
“See? I wasn’t lying, was I?” Yasmin added with a smirk, feeling victorious. She continued, “Sebastian, you really need to keep an eye on her! She’s out there flirting with men while you’re recovering. Don’t you see? You’re getting played! Your hair’s practically turning green…”
“Shut up!” Sebastian snapped, his anger suddenly boiling over. “My wife’s actions are none of your business! Get out! Now!”
Yasmin’s face turned red with fury as she was forcefully escorted out. Caitlin was already being accused of being scandalous, and yet Sebastian still acknowledged her as his wife?
What a joke.
After finishing their meal, Caitlin, accompanied by Quincy, headed to the Central Kindergarten. This time, Caitlin wasn’t just a regular parent; she was a major shareholder of the school.
-To keep a low profile, Caitlin had made the investment through a smaller fund company instead of using CLHC’s name. This was her first time investing in
the education sector, and she had done so solely for her son.
The staff was notified that an investor would be visiting for an inspection, and Principal Rowan, along with a few school officials, awaited her arrival at the entrance. None of them knew who the investor was, but when they saw Caitlin approach , they were shocked. The media had blown up her earlier incident of slapping Audrey, and now the kindergarten was caught in the controversy. There was no way they didn’t recognize Caitlin.
Rowan, visibly uncomfortable, forced a smile as he greeted her. “Mrs. Vanderbilt, thank you so much for your generous investment in our school. We’re deeply grateful!”
“Rowan, please, no need for formalities. Are the kids done with school yet? ” Caitlin asked, cutting to the chase.
“Not yet, there’s still about half an hour,” Rowan replied.
“Alright then, let’s go inside and take a look,” Caitlin said coolly.
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As they walked through the school , Rowan made sure to say all the right things about how they were taking good care of Howard and would neve him to be bullied again. Caitlin remained expressionless, walking straight to the classroom where her son was supposed to be.
Through the windows , Caitlin could see the children gathered after nap time, sitting on the floor. However, her son Bruce was sitting off to the side –on
the toilet.
It wasn’t just that Bruce was sitting by himself, it was that he was sitting on the toilet, Caitlin’s heart sank. If it had been Howard, her mute child , left alone on the toilet, Caitlin couldn’t even imagine how hurt he would feel.
She turned sharply to Rowan. “What is this? ”
Rowan realized what was happening and panicked, trying to think of an explanation. Before he could say anything, Caitlin had already turned and started walking away.
“Mrs. Vanderbilt! Mrs. Vanderbilt, please wait!” Rowan hurried after her, trying to explain, “This was absolutely a misunderstanding! Howard might have been using the bathroom…”
“ You’re telling me your kid was using the bathroom in front of the whole class?” Caitlin shot back, her words cold and biting
Rowan turned pale, speechless, unable to come up with any further justification.
Caitlin walked straight into the teacher’s office, her gaze hardening as she spoke, “I want to see the footage from Howard’s class. Right now.”
Rowan, realizing he had no way out, hesitated but ultimately agreed to get the footage.
Quincy immediately started reviewing the footage, and after a few moments, he confirmed the disturbing fact. “Mr. Vanderbilt , Bruce sat there for over 40
minutes.”
Caitlin’s expression was a mixture of anger and disbelief. “40 minutes? How is that even possible?”
She then ordered, “Bring the teacher in. I want answers, now.”
Rowan immediately complied, and soon a young teacher named Valeria entered, looking confused. She had no idea what was going on .
“Valeria, why was Howard sitting in the corner like that?” Caitlin asked, her voice sharp and full of authority.
Valeria nervously explained, “We were playing games, and Howard didn’t want to join in, so he just sat down for a bit… maybe just a short while.”
“A short while? Sitting on the toilet for over 40 minutes?” Caitlin asked with cold fury.
Valeria’s face turned red and then pale as she stammered out her explanation, but Caitlin wasn’t buying it.
“Don’t worry, Valeria. I’m not going to take just your word for it,” Caitlin said, her tone dripping with disdain. “Rowan, get Howard to the office, and bring in a few other kids too. Quincy, you go with them. I want to hear what they have to say.”
Caitlin’s voice was calm, but her rage was palpable. She wasn’t about to let this slide. The truth was going to come out.
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