A teacher with a shy smile and a neat ponytail approached him. “Excuse me, sir. May I ask which child you’re here for?”

“Liam Scott,” Ethan replied.

The teacher, Emma Collins, paused for a moment. “Liam… Please, follow me.”

She guided Ethan toward a quieter section of the playground.

From a distance, he spotted a small figure standing rigidly opposite a much larger boy.

“Where’s your dad? Do you even have one?” the heavier boy sneered, hands planted on his hips.

“My dad is just very busy,” Liam insisted, his cheeks flushed with defiance.

“Liar! You don’t have a dad. Your mom probably—”

A woman draped in expensive fur and glittering jewels cut him off. “Your mother must have picked some random man. You’re just a fatherless child.”

Liam’s small hands balled into fists. Tears welled in his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. “That’s not true! Don’t talk about my mom like that!” He shoved the other boy with all his strength.

The boy stumbled backward and landed hard on the ground. He immediately began to wail.

“How dare you touch my son!” the fur-clad woman shrieked, lunging toward Liam.

Ms. Collins quickly stepped between them. “What is going on here? Why are you fighting?”

“Ms. Collins, he said horrible things about my mother,” Liam explained, his voice shaking.

“He pushed me first!” the other boy cried louder.

Ethan stepped forward.

The moment Liam saw him, his brave facade shattered. He ran and threw his arms around Ethan’s legs, clinging tightly.

Ethan’s heart clenched. He gently stroked Liam’s back. “What’s wrong, Liam?”

“They… they said awful things about Mommy,” Liam managed between sobs.

Ethan’s expression turned to ice. His gaze sharpened as it landed on the other boy and his mother.

“What exactly did they say?” Ethan’s voice was low, but it carried a weight that silenced the entire area.

The chubby boy whimpered and hid behind his mother’s coat.

The woman in fur froze the instant she recognized Ethan. Her haughty demeanor vanished. Her company had dealings with Blackwood Enterprises. She knew she couldn’t afford to cross him.

Just then, the boy’s father arrived. He had been ready to confront whoever hurt his son. He, too, froze at the sight of Ethan, his face paling.

“M—Mr. Blackwood…” he stammered, sweat beading on his forehead.

Ethan drew Liam closer into his arms. His cold eyes swept over the three of them. He said nothing, letting the tension thicken the air.

After a long silence, he finally spoke. “I am Liam’s father.”