Chapter 0071
He led me to the chairs and gently guided me into one while he took the other, his fingers still wrapped around mine.
“So, tell us what our son has done,” Gavin said, turning his attention to the principal, who watched us warily.
Principal Thorne cleared his throat, glancing between the two of us.
“Matthew got into a fight yesterday in the lunchroom,” he explained, making me gasp. “We have zero tolerance for fighting in this school. The only reason he wasn’t expelled is that he’s a Landry. I wanted to discuss the proper punishment with you.”
I expected Gavin to list different punishments for Matt—fighting was certainly not acceptable. If he couldn’t be expelled because of his name, there had to be another consequence. I assumed Gavin would be furious.
But what I didn’t expect was the calmness that settled over him as he studied the principal, as if it was Principal Thorne who had done something wrong. He leaned back in his seat, assessing him.
“And why exactly did Matt fight this boy? Do you know the reason?” Gavin asked.
I raised my brows at the question—it was a good one. I turned to the principal, waiting for an answer.
“I… I’m not exactly sure,” the principal admitted, his brows pinching together.
“You didn’t bother to ask what upset him?” Gavin pressed. “Matt isn’t known to be violent unless there’s a reason.”
He was right. Matt didn’t act out unless provoked. Those tutors he chased away weren’t innocent—they were selfish, greedy, and mistreated him because they wanted to get close to his father. He had every reason to push them away. But underneath that, he was a sweet boy who only wanted his family to spend more time with him.
He was lonely and often sad, craving attention in any way he could. But I couldn’t see him seeking that kind of attention at school. He valued school too much. He worked hard during our study sessions—he wouldn’t risk that unless he had a good reason.
“It doesn’t matter why. He still broke school rules,” Principal Thorne said, folding his arms. “I know he’s your son, Alpha Landry, but something needs to be done about his behavior.”
“His behavior?” I finally spoke up. “You don’t even know the cause, yet you expect us to punish him? How do we know Matt started the fight? He could have been defending himself. Why aren’t the other boy’s parents here? Are you planning to punish him as well?”
“The other boy had a broken nose and had to go to the nurse’s office,” Principal Thorne said, frowning.
Chapter 0071 (continued)
“And how do you know he didn’t deserve it?” Gavin asked.
“Alpha, I—”
“My wife and I have taught our son to stand up for himself. We find it hard to believe Matt would punch someone without reason,” Gavin interrupted.
My cheeks burned when he called me his wife. I glanced at him and saw the corner of his lips twitching, as if he was holding back a laugh.
I pressed my lips together and turned back to the principal.
“Call him in so we can talk to him,” I said, relieved that my voice was steady.
The principal swallowed and nodded, reaching for his phone.
“Can you bring Matthew Landry to my office?” he asked before hanging up with a deep breath.
Gavin nodded in approval. We sat in silence for what felt like an eternity. His fingers stayed entwined with mine, and every so often, he’d reach over to brush a strand of hair from my face. He was putting on a show for the principal, but it only made my heartbeat faster.
Moments later, the door opened, and Matthew stepped inside. The moment his eyes landed on his father, his entire body froze.
“D… Dad?”
