Surprise Payment

When I arrived at the school, my heart was racing. Larry getting into a fight wasn’t entirely shocking—he’d always had a temper, especially when it came to protecting his twin brother, Laura. But I didn’t expect a call about an actual fight. Not today.

I rushed through the hallways, barely registering the other parents or the stern gaze of the school staff. When I entered the principal’s office, I found Larry sitting in one of the chairs, arms crossed and a sullen expression on his face. Laura, on the other hand, was pale, clutching his inhaler in one hand. The principal, Mr. Horton, stood behind his desk, arms folded, looking less than pleased.

"Ms. Laurent," he greeted me with a tight nod. "We need to talk."

I quickly knelt by Laura’s chair, checking him over. "Laura, baby, are you okay?"

He nodded weakly, but I could hear the slight wheeze in his breath. It wasn’t a full-blown asthma attack anymore, but he’d clearly been struggling earlier. I brushed the hair off his forehead, my heart aching as I realized just how scared he must’ve been.

Turning to Larry, I softened my voice. "What happened?"

Larry didn’t meet my eyes at first, his jaw clenched tightly.

"Ms. Laurent," Mr. Horton interjected, his voice firm, "Larry was involved in a physical altercation with another student. It seems the fight started because of something said about Laura’s asthma."

I looked at Larry again, waiting for him to explain. He finally spoke, his voice low. "He made fun of Laura when he had his attack. Called him weak... said he was a 'sick freak.'"

I took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. Larry was fiercely protective of Laura, always had been. But still, fighting? This wasn’t how I’d raised him.

"Is Laura okay now?" I asked, trying to remain composed.

Mr. Horton’s gaze flickered to Laura. "He’s recovering, but we think it’s best if you take him to a hospital to get checked out. Just to be safe."

I nodded. "Of course."

Mr. Horton sighed and sat back down. "Ms. Laurent, this isn’t the first time Larry has had issues controlling his temper. While I understand he was standing up for his brother, violence is not acceptable. However, given your... contributions to the school and your reputation, we’re willing to overlook this incident—this time. But please, talk to him. We can’t have another situation like this."

I bit the inside of my cheek, trying not to let the mix of frustration and gratitude show. "Thank you, Mr. Horton. I’ll handle it."

I gently tugged on Larry’s hand, and he stood up, his expression still defiant. I knew better than to push him to talk now, but I’d get to the bottom of this later. For now, Laura’s health came first.

We rushed to the nearest hospital, and thankfully, Laura’s condition wasn’t critical. They gave him some medication and monitored him for a while before the nurse smiled and said he was going to be okay. My shoulders finally relaxed a little. I was about to head to the reception desk to sort out the bill when a nurse approached me, holding a small envelope.

"Ms. Laurent?" she asked.

"Yes?"

"This was left for you at the front desk. And also, your bill has been taken care of."

I frowned, taking the envelope and looking at her in confusion. "Taken care of?"

"Yes, ma’am. Someone paid the bill already. And left this note."

I opened the envelope slowly, already knowing what I was going to find. Inside was a small card with neat, elegant handwriting.

"Thank you for the surgery. Take this as a little token. — R."

My stomach twisted. Rowan.

Of course, it had to be him. I should’ve known when the nurse said the bill was paid off. But the fact that he knew where we were, that he was still keeping tabs on me, made my skin crawl. I wasn’t some charity case he could just throw money at.

I shoved the note into my bag, trying to calm my rising frustration. Rowan had done this before—stepping into my life when I least expected or wanted it. But this time, it felt different. He was using this as a way to get closer, to remind me that he was still there, hovering on the edges of my life like a shadow.

"Thank you," I said tightly to the nurse, before turning back to the boys. Larry was sitting next to Laura, looking guilty now. Laura was resting, eyes half-closed.

I took out my phone, shooting a quick text to Asher.

Me: About that charity ball... I’m interested.

I didn’t want to owe Rowan anything. Not money, not gratitude, nothing. And if he thought throwing his wealth around would somehow buy his way back into my life, he had another thing coming.

This had to stop, and I knew the only way to put an end to it was to confront him directly. Tomorrow, I’d go to his office and set things straight. But tonight, I’d take a different approach. If Rowan wanted to play games, then maybe I needed to play my own.

"Mom?" Larry’s small voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"Are you mad at me?"

I knelt down in front of him, brushing his messy hair away from his face. "No, baby. I’m not mad at you. But we need to talk about what happened today."

He sighed, looking down at his shoes. "I just... I didn’t want them to make fun of Laura."

My heart broke a little more. "I know. But fighting isn’t the answer, Larry. We’ll talk more about this at home, okay?"

He nodded, biting his lip. "Okay."