The Billionaire's Bought Bride and Instant Mom Chapter 81

Aveline

The word "bastard" applied to Ryan shattered the last of my self-control.

I drove my knee up hard between his legs with every ounce of strength I possessed.

The effect was immediate and satisfying. He released my wrist and doubled over, his face going from red to green as he clutched himself and made choking sounds.

"You bitch!" his wife shrieked, lunging toward me with her fingernails extended like claws.

I sidestepped her attack, and her momentum sent her stumbling past me. But while I was avoiding her, her husband had recovered enough to grab me from behind, pinning my arms to my sides.

"Hold her still!" the woman snarled, getting back to her feet and advancing on me with murder in her eyes. "I'm going to teach this whore a lesson!"

She grabbed a handful of my hair and yanked hard enough to bring tears to my eyes. I struggled against the man's grip, but he was significantly larger and stronger than me.

That's when I became aware of the crowd that had gathered around us—other teachers, a few parents, even some of the older students who had been dismissed from their classrooms by the noise.

But instead of helping, they were just... watching. Standing there like this was some kind of entertainment.

"Someone should do something," I heard Sarah whisper to Linda.

"Well, the principal's out of town," Linda whispered back. "And Colin called in sick. Poor Aveline's on her own today."

"She brought this on herself," another teacher muttered. "Getting involved with parents like that... what did she expect?"

"I heard she's been sleeping with Orion Blackwell," someone else added. "Maybe this will teach her to keep her personal life separate from work."

The casual cruelty in their voices, the way they discussed my humiliation like it was a soap opera they were enjoying, made something cold and hard settle in my chest.

These people—my colleagues, people I'd worked alongside for months—were going to let me be assaulted rather than intervene.

The woman's grip on my hair tightened, and she pulled hard enough that I cried out in pain.

"This is what happens to teachers who think they're special," she hissed in my ear. "This is what happens to whores who corrupt children."

I struggled desperately, trying to break free, but every movement sent sharp jolts of pain through my scalp where she had twisted my hair around her fingers. The man behind me held my arms so tightly I could feel bruises forming, and I was completely trapped.

I closed my eyes and braced myself for whatever was coming next, wondering how everything had spiraled so far out of control.

Then I heard it—the sickening sound of knuckles connecting with flesh.

My eyes flew open as the woman's grip on my hair vanished instantly. She went flying backward, hitting the wall with a crash that echoed through the hallway.

Standing where she had been was Orion Blackwell, and the expression on his face was absolutely terrifying.

His dark eyes were black with rage, his jaw set in a hard line that spoke of barely controlled violence. Every line of his body radiated lethal intent, like a predator that had found someone threatening his territory. I'd never seen him look so dangerous, so completely and utterly furious.

The man behind me immediately released my arms, apparently recognizing that he was now facing a much more serious threat.

"You want to fight someone?" the man said, puffing up his chest and trying to look intimidating. "Let's go, pretty boy. I'll show you how real men handle—"

He never got to finish the sentence.

The moment he let go of me, I seized my opportunity and drove my foot back into his groin with every ounce of strength I had left. He doubled over with a strangled cry, and Orion smoothly stepped forward, his leg swinging up in a precise arc that connected with the man's jaw.

The crack of bone was audible throughout the hallway.

The man collapsed like a sack of potatoes, clutching his face and making inhuman noises of pain. Several people in the crowd gasped and stepped back, suddenly realizing this wasn't going to be the entertainment they'd expected.

Orion caught my eye and gave me the smallest smile—approval for my perfectly timed assist.

"Daddy! Daddy!"

The sweet voice cut through the chaos like a bell. I turned to see Ryan's small face peeking out of my office door, his eyes wide as he took in the scene. When he spotted Orion, his entire face lit up with joy and relief.

He ran toward us on unsteady legs, his voice high with excitement and concern. "Miss Aveline! Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?"

Orion immediately scooped Ryan up into his arms, holding him protectively against his chest while keeping his eyes on the groaning man on the floor.

"I'm calling the police!" the man wheezed from where he lay. "You can't just... you can't assault people! I'll sue you for everything you've got!"