Page 72 of My Forbidden Billionaire
Thankfully, I run ten miles every morning, so needless to say I’m in great shape. I’m beginning to wonder if all those daily, morning runs were training me for this very moment.
“Ah, Mr. Carlton. I’m so happy that you received my email,” the Headmaster says. “You are, indeed, right on time, to watch your ... acquaintance, Miss Andrews get fired.”
“This is a joke, Thornton,” I say, as I tower over him. “And unfortunately for you, I do not find this … joke … to be particularly amusing.”
Headmaster Thornton shrinks back in his chair. He looks at me, before he exchanges a cold and distant glance with Ms. Abadie.
“Mr. Carlton,” he begins, folding his hands and placing them squarely in his lap, “I am sorry to inform you, but this is not a joke in the slightest. You heard me correctly. Ms. Abadie, here, submitted a formal complaint against you. The email I sent you was as serious as it gets. Now, please sit down and we will begin the paperwork needed to release your daughter from this school today.”
He really must be joking if he thinks I’m going to take a seat.
“I don’t understand. What does my daughter have to do with any of this?”
“Mr. Carlton, once news of this scandal between you and Miss Andrews gets out—and it will—every parent in this school will descend upon me like vultures. They’ll accuse Miss Andrews of preferential treatment toward your daughter given the nature of your ... relationship. Every good grade she gets, every award ... all will be questioned if she actually earned it or was it influenced by Miss Andrews. For that reason alone, we must expel her. I’m sorry, but our school takes these kinds of accusations very seriously.”
“You’re firing my daughter’s teacher and expelling my child from this school on the basis of an accusation from Ms. Abadie? A woman who has been clearly trying to sabotage Miss Andrews from the moment she arrived here?”
Headmaster Thornton clears his throat and adjusts his tie nervously, while Ms. Abadie shifts uncomfortably in her seat. Josephine, still shocked by my sudden appearance, remains quiet, but her eyes are wide and sympathetic.
“Mr. Carlton, I assure you that we take all complaints seriously, regardless of who they come from.”
“Then I’d like to submit a formal complaint against Ms. Abadie. And I suggest you take the time to investigate this situation properly before making any rash decisions.” My tone is calm, but my eyes are ablaze with anger. “Ms. Abadie has a personal vendetta against Miss Andrews and is clearly using her position to cause trouble. I refuse to stand by and let her get away with it.”
Headmaster Thornton swallows hard. He stammers for a moment before regaining his composure.
“Very well, Mr. Carlton. However, I cannot simply overlook the evidence that has been presented to me. These emails between you and Miss Andrews, they are quite suggestive. And as the Headmaster of this institution, I cannot condone any inappropriate behavior between parents and staff members. It sets a poor example for our students and is against school policy,” he says, handing me the stack of papers.
I look over the emails, resisting the urge to roll my eyes. “I was unaware there was a school policy against playful banter and harmless flirtation between two consenting adults.”
Ms. Abadie snorts and interjects. “Playful banter and harmless flirtation? Is that what you call it, Mr. Carlton? From the emails I saw, it looked like much more than that.”
I feel my blood boil at the thought of this woman going through my private emails. But I force myself to stay calm. “If you had bothered to read the context of those emails, Ms. Abadie, you would see that there was nothing inappropriate about them.”
Headmaster Thornton scratches his chin as he considers our arguments. “I must say, Mr. Carlton, I am surprised to hear that someone of your stature would engage in such unprofessional behavior.”
I clasp my hands behind my back, trying to contain my rage. “With all due respect, Headmaster, my personal life is not up for debate here. The only thing that matters is whether or not Miss Andrews has violated school policy. Who is in charge of distributing the school policy to staff members, by the way?” I ask, turning to Ms. Abadie.
Her eyes flicker with annoyance, but she answers readily enough. “I am responsible for distributing the staff handbook at the beginning of each school year.”
“And did you also provide Miss Andrews with a copy of this handbook?” I ask.
The office is now eerily silent.
Ms. Abadie, usually bold as brass, can’t find a single word to say.
Josephine’s eyes light up as Headmaster Thornton turns to Ms. Abadie and asks her the same question. “Did you send her a copy of the handbook?”
Ms. Abadie shifts uncomfortably in her seat, her eyes darting around the room as if searching for a way out. Finally, she speaks up. “I … I’m not sure if she received a copy. I may have forgotten to give it to her.”
I raise an eyebrow. “You may have forgotten? That seems like a critical error on your part, Ms. Abadie. It’s no wonder Miss Andrews might not have been aware of certain policies.”
Josephine clears her throat. “If I may interject for a moment, Headmaster Thornton, I don’t recall receiving a staff handbook from Ms. Abadie.”
Thornton looks surprised. “Is that so?”
Josephine nods. “Yes, in fact, I showed up on the first day wearing the color blue because I had no knowledge of the dress code restrictions. Ms. Abadie was the first to reprimand me for it, but I never received any emails from her regarding the school policies.”
Headmaster Thornton furrows his brow and turns to Ms. Abadie. “Is this true?”