Chapter 8 — The School Incident
1233 Words
Selena barely slept.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the photograph.
Aria standing outside her school.
Someone watching.
Someone taking pictures.
Someone reminding her that she was never truly safe.
By seven-thirty the next morning, she'd already checked on Aria four times.
The little girl finally laughed.
"Mommy, are you sick?"
Selena forced a smile.
"No."
"You keep staring at me."
"That's because you're cute."
Aria grinned proudly.
"I know."
Despite everything, Selena laughed.
For a brief moment, the fear loosened its grip.
Then her phone rang.
The school.
Her stomach immediately dropped.
She answered before the second ring.
"Hello?"
"Ms. Laurent?"
The receptionist sounded nervous.
Very nervous.
Selena was already standing.
"What happened?"
"We need you to come to the school."
Every muscle in her body tightened.
"Why?"
A pause.
Too long.
Much too long.
Then
"There was an incident involving Aria."
The world stopped.
"Is she hurt?"
"No."
The answer should have reassured her.
Instead it made her more terrified.
Because people only spoke like that when something was very wrong.
"I'm on my way."
She hung up.
Grabbed her purse.
And ran.
The drive felt endless.
Her hands shook so badly she almost missed a red light.
Every horrible possibility flashed through her mind.
Had someone followed Aria?
Had someone gotten close to her?
Had the anonymous threats escalated?
By the time Selena reached the school parking lot, she was barely breathing.
She jumped from the car and rushed toward the entrance.
Then froze.
A black luxury sedan was parked near the front doors.
Her stomach twisted.
She knew that car.
Of course she did.
Five years hadn't erased that knowledge.
Adrian.
The driver's door opened.
And there he was.
Tall.
Sharp.
Impossible to ignore.
The moment he saw her, he started moving toward her.
Selena's panic instantly transformed into anger.
"What are you doing here?"
Adrian looked just as tense.
"The school called me."
Her heart skipped.
Then hardened.
"They called you?"
"They contacted my security team."
That stopped her.
For half a second.
Then the anger returned.
"This is your fault."
Adrian's expression darkened.
"What?"
"My daughter starts getting photographed."
She stepped closer.
"She gets threatened."
Closer.
"Someone tries to get near her."
Closer.
"And suddenly you're involved."
His jaw tightened.
"Selena"
"No."
Her voice cracked.
Not from weakness.
From fear.
Pure fear.
"Five years, Adrian."
Her eyes burned.
"Five years she was safe."
People were beginning to stare.
Neither cared.
"Then you show up."
She pointed at him.
"And now someone is targeting her."
Something flashed across his face.
Pain.
Real pain.
Not guilt.
Pain.
"Don't."
His voice came out low.
Dangerously low.
"Don't ever imply I would hurt her."
Selena laughed bitterly.
"You abandoned us."
The words landed like a slap.
Adrian physically flinched.
For one brief moment she saw it.
The wound.
The guilt.
The regret.
Then it disappeared.
Replaced by determination.
"I didn't know she existed."
Selena looked away.
Because part of her hated hearing that.
Hated remembering the confusion in his voice during that phone call five years ago.
Hated that she still wasn't entirely sure what had happened.
The school principal hurried toward them.
Relief filled her face when she spotted them.
"Thank goodness you're both here."
Selena immediately turned.
"Where's Aria?"
"She's fine."
The principal smiled gently.
"She's with her teacher."
Only then did Selena breathe.
A little.
Not much.
Just enough to remain standing.
"Tell me exactly what happened."
The principal motioned toward her office.
"Come inside."
Five minutes later, they sat across from the principal.
Selena's hands remained clenched in her lap.
Adrian sat beside her.
Close enough that she could feel his presence.
Far too close.
The principal opened a file.
"This morning, a woman arrived claiming she was authorized to pick Aria up."
Selena went cold.
"What?"
The principal nodded.
"She had identification."
Adrian immediately leaned forward.
"Whose identification?"
"That's the strange part."
The principal slid a document across the desk.
Selena stared at it.
Her stomach dropped.
Because it wasn't fake.
Not completely.
Someone had used real information.
Aria's full name.
Birth date.
Class details.
Emergency contacts.
Everything.
Only one thing was different.
The authorization signature.
It wasn't Selena's.
A chill ran down her spine.
Someone had planned this.
Someone had done research.
Someone knew things they shouldn't know.
"What happened next?"
The principal sighed.
"Our receptionist became suspicious."
"Why?"
Adrian asked.
"Because the woman called Aria by the wrong nickname."
Selena blinked.
"What?"
The principal smiled slightly.
"She called her Ariana."
A tiny laugh escaped Selena.
Relief and terror mixing together.
Nobody called her Ariana.
Nobody except strangers.
"Aria corrected her."
The principal continued.
"Then our staff delayed the release process while we verified authorization."
"And?"
The principal's expression turned serious.
"The woman left."
Adrian immediately frowned.
"Just left?"
"Yes."
The office became silent.
That wasn't normal.
If someone made an innocent mistake, they usually stayed.
Explained.
Apologized.
This person had run.
Which meant they never intended to pick up the wrong child.
They intended to pick up Aria.
Selena suddenly felt sick.
Her daughter had come frighteningly close to disappearing.
Not kidn*pped.
Not taken.
But close enough.
Far too close.
She stood abruptly.
"I want to see her."
"Of course."
The principal nodded.
"But first, there's something else."
Selena froze.
The principal reached for a remote.
Pressed a button.
A security video appeared on the office monitor.
"We reviewed camera footage."
Adrian immediately sat straighter.
The footage showed the school entrance.
Parents walking.
Students arriving.
Teachers talking.
Then a woman appeared.
Large sunglasses.
Blonde hair.
Expensive clothes.
Nothing unusual.
At first.
The woman approached the reception desk.
Spoke briefly.
Then waited.
Watching.
Observing.
When staff began making calls, she turned and left.
The video ended.
Selena exhaled slowly.
"Do you know who she is?"
The principal nodded.
"Security enhanced the image."
A strange feeling settled in Selena's stomach.
Beside her, Adrian had gone completely still.
The principal clicked another button.
The image sharpened.
The sunglasses disappeared.
The face became visible.
Then silence consumed the room.
Absolute silence.
Nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.
Selena stared at the photograph.
Unable to process what she was seeing.
Beside her, Adrian slowly rose to his feet.
His face had gone pale.
Completely pale.
"No."
The word came out as a whisper.
A horrified whisper.
Selena looked from the screen to him.
Then back again.
Because she recognized the woman too.
Everyone in the city would.
The woman wasn't a stranger.
She wasn't a random criminal.
She wasn't some anonymous stalker.
She was connected to the Vale family.
Very connected.
In fact, there had once been a time when Adrian planned to marry her.
The enhanced photograph stared back at them from the monitor.
Beautiful.
Elegant.
Dangerous.
And impossible to mistake.
Cassandra.
The same woman Adrian had boarded the private jet with five years ago.
The same woman who had fled the country days ago.
The same woman who should not have been anywhere near Aria.
Selena's blood ran cold.
Because suddenly the anonymous threats made sense.
And somehow that was even more terrifying.
Adrian remained frozen.
His eyes locked on Cassandra's face.
Disbelief.
Shock.
Rage.
All fighting for control.
Finally he spoke.
One sentence.
One terrifying sentence.
"Why is Cassandra trying to get my daughter?"
The room fell silent.
And for the first time, Selena realized they might both be in far more danger than they thought.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD