Chapter 39

But just then, there was a loud bang on the door. "Police! Open up!"

When Luke first got back to the study, Ryan had already call emergency services from behind the couch.

Hearing it was the cops, Luke froze.

He'd done time for assault and had only been out for a few months. If he got busted again, it was back to the slammer for him.

A few more years in the pen, and Roxanne would probably be hitched to someone else by the time he got out.

"Don't hurt me, and the cops won't take you," Ryan stammered, shaking like a leaf.

Luke was already freaking out, totally lost.

He wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed; otherwise, he wouldn't have been played by Roxanne.

"If you hurt me, you're toast. Open the door and let the cops in, and I'll tell them you're just a delivery guy," Ryan was trembling all over, but he bit his lip hard to keep from crying.

"Open the door inside! If you don't open it, we're busting it down!" The cops outside said..

"Go open the door, and you'll be fine," Ryan added.

Luke, in a panic, chucked the knife into the corner and went to open the door.

The cops stormed in. Ryan, finally relaxing, collapsed to the floor, tears streaming down his face.

"Don't be scared, kid. It's all over now," one of the cops, who had never seen such a cute kid, quickly picked him up and comforted him.

Before they could finish, another kid came running out of the study, bawling just as hard.

"What the heck?" The cops and the handcuffed Luke were stunned.

During her lunch break, Caroline turned on her phone and saw a bunch of missed calls.

Three of them were from Sarah's place, which made her heart race. She called back, but no one picked up, which made Caroline even more anxious.

She called Sarah, who said she had been out arranging schools for the kids and had left her phone in the car, so she missed their calls. She was now on her way home and realized something was up too.

The other missed calls were from unknown numbers, so Caroline called them back.

The person on the other end said they were the cops and that the kids were at the station, asking Caroline to come pick them up.

When Caroline rushed into the police station, she saw several officers gathered around Ryan and Sophie.

Sophie had her mouth full of food given by the cops and was chatting with them, the food quickly helping her bounce back from her earlier scare.

Ryan sat silently next to her, watching Sophie with a blank face.

"Sweetie, are you okay?" Caroline's tears started to fall.

"Mommy," Sophie ran over and hugged Caroline tightly.

Ryan wasn't as quick to act as Sophie; he just came over and snuggled up close to Caroline.

"Your kids are real sharp. If it weren't for them stalling, things could've gone south real fast," said the cop.

"Who tried to hurt my kids?" Caroline asked, her voice shaking.

The cop replied, "We nabbed the guy who broke in, but he claims he didn't mean any harm and won't spill his motive. We're still digging into it."

"Thank you so much. Sophie, Ryan, did you thank the officers?" Caroline wiped her tears.

"Yep, we did," Sophie chirped in her sweet voice, "They got me lots of yummy food."

For Sophie, that was the highlight of the day.

"Ms. Rockefeller, I gotta say, no matter how swamped you are with work, you can't leave the kids alone at home. They're too young; it's way too risky!" the female officer said.

"Yes, it's my fault. I'm sorting out schools for them. I'm sorry, it's all on me." Caroline's tears started to fall again.

"Don't cry, Mommy. We're okay. Ryan was super brave; he protected me," Sophie said, reaching out to wipe Caroline's tears and comfort her.

Ryan didn't say anything but nodded vigorously, his eyes full of determination.

Seeing how understanding the kids were, Caroline couldn't hold back and hugged them tightly, overwhelmed with emotion.

After finishing the paperwork, Sarah showed up.

The female officer, who had taken a liking to the two kids, personally walked them to the door and reminded Caroline to get the kids some psychological counseling.

After going through something like this, if it left a mark on the kids' minds, it could lead to long-term issues. These problems might not show up right away, but they could mess with the kids for life. Only professional counseling could help clear that up.

She then handed Caroline a phone number, saying it belonged to a top-notch psychologist who had worked with the police for a long time, and advised Caroline to take the kids there ASAP.

Caroline thanked her and took the two kids to Sarah's car.

"It's all my fault. I've contacted so many schools but still haven't found the right one. If they were in school, this wouldn't have happened," Sarah said, beating herself up.

"It's not your fault; it's the bad guy's fault!" Sophie piped up.

"It's my fault. I shouldn't have left the kids at home," Caroline said.

"Looks like we gotta sort out the school situation. If we can't find a perfect one, we'll have to settle for a regular school for now," Sarah sighed.

"That's all we can do," Caroline agreed.

Just then, the director called, urging Caroline to get back to the set.

So they split up the tasks. Sarah would take the kids for counseling, and Caroline would head back to work.

In the dead of night, Caroline got jolted awake by a call from overseas. Seeing the number, she scowled. As soon as she picked up, she snapped, "Calling me in the middle of the night? Are you nuts?"

"Demi, you're the one who's nuts! Why do you never answer my calls? You still owe me money, are you trying to ghost me? You said you'd call me as soon as you got back, but it's been forever, and you haven't answered my calls or texts. You're so ungrateful," the other person ranted, not giving Caroline a chance to speak.

She just plopped the phone on the pillow and tried to go back to sleep.

"Demi, are you even listening?" After a few minutes, the other person realized Caroline wasn't paying attention.

Caroline finally picked up the phone again, "Stop nagging, it's so annoying!"

"You forgot about me as soon as you got back. When are you gonna pay me back?" Tony demanded.

"It's just a few thousand bucks. You don't even need that money, so why are you hounding me? Besides, I borrowed it fair and square, so why should I rush to pay it back?" Caroline shot back.

"You—" Tony was speechless.

"Alright, I'm busy. Why'd you call me?" Caroline asked, cutting to the chase.

"I'm coming back next week. You need to pick me up!"

"Why are you coming back? Just to collect your debt?" Caroline joked.

"Stop with the nonsense. Just remember to pick me up."

"Hey, didn't you say you had some pull back home? I need a favor," Caroline asked.

"What is it? As long as it's not setting you up with a boyfriend, I can handle it."

"Can you help me find a school for my kids? I just got back and can't find a good one," Caroline explained.

"That's it?"

"Yeah, can you do it?" Caroline responded.

"If you promise to pick me up, I'll do it."

"Fine, I promise," Caroline agreed, rolling her eyes.

"Take your kids to Child's Play Nursery tomorrow. Just drop your name, and they'll be enrolled."

"Really?" Caroline was skeptical.

"Why would I lie to you? This is a piece of cake for me. Just remember to pick me up."

"Alright, but if you're lying, I'll break your legs! I'm going back to sleep now. Bye," Caroline said and hung up.

In the morning, Caroline asked Sarah, "How's Child's Play Nursery?"

Sarah looked at Caroline in surprise. "You want to send the kids to Child's Play Nursery?"

Caroline replied, "Yeah, is it a bad school?"

"No, it's actually top-notch. It's the best and most expensive nursery in Aurora City. One semester costs half a million bucks. Even at that price, a lot of people can't get in because they only take thirty kids in the whole city. Some folks are willing to pay two million and still can't snag a spot," Sarah explained.

"Why is it that impressive?" Caroline asked, genuinely curious.

Sarah shook her head. "I don't know all the details, but the parents of kids who go there are all super wealthy and influential. It's the most elite group of parents in Aurora City. Just getting into Child's Play Nursery means the parents are among the city's top elite."

Caroline started to get it. "So, a lot of people want in to make high-end connections through their kids' classmates."

"Exactly. But the school charges a fortune and still has a waiting list, so the facilities and education must be top-notch," Sarah explained.

"In that case, I'll take the kids to check it out," Caroline decided.

"But you," Sarah hesitated, not wanting to burst Caroline's bubble.

Caroline caught the drift. "I know I'm not rich or influential, but since my friend recommended it, I'll give it a shot. Maybe he really did get us a spot."

"Who is this friend of yours?" Sarah asked, curious.

"A friend I met abroad. His name is Tony Rivera," Caroline replied.

"Tony?" Sarah echoed.

"Yeah, Tony likes my mom and wants to date her, but she doesn't agree," Sophie chimed in.

"So he's your suitor?" Sarah looked at Caroline with raised eyebrows.

"Sort of. He's good-looking but too immature for me," Caroline shrugged.

"If he can really get you a spot at Child's Play Nursery, he must be someone special," Sarah guessed.

"Tony says he's a big star with lots of fans. People even buy satellites for his birthday," Sophie added.

"Don't trust his words," Caroline said, rolling her eyes.

Caroline called the director to ask for a two-hour leave and took the kids to Child's Play Nursery.

Sarah was skeptical that Caroline's friend could pull off what so many parents in Aurora City couldn't buy with money.

Caroline spoke to the nursery staff, "My name is Demi."

As soon as they heard it was Demi, the staff's faces lit up with smiles. "Hello, please come this way. Have a seat and a drink. We'll conduct a standard entrance interview for the kids, and if they pass, they can enroll immediately."

Sarah was stunned. Was it really that simple to get in?

"Thank you very much," Caroline replied, a bit taken aback.

A beautiful female teacher came over and greeted Ryan and Sophie, taking them next door for the interview.

Sophie turned and waved her chubby fist at Caroline. "Don't worry, Mommy. Ryan and I will pass."

Caroline smiled and nodded.

She had confidence in the kids because they were geniuses.