His classmates' taunts about his parents’ divorce, leaving him and Evelyn without a father figure, weighed heavily on him. There had been times when Evelyn shed tears over these hurtful remarks, but she never dared to confide in her mother about them.

So this time, Daniel felt immense joy seeing his parents together.

As expected, the competition proved to be a breeze for Alexis and Leonel. Despite any limitations from his leg, they effortlessly secured the first-place position.

With flushed cheeks, Daniel ascended the stage to claim the prize.

Rarely had he been so jubilant.

Just as Daniel was about to receive the trophy, a brash voice called out accusingly, “They must have cheated! Daniel's dad is crippled. How could they win?"

"Yeah, they must've cheated!"

The child's parents were visibly shaken and hastily covered his mouth to stifle any further outbursts, but the words had already reached the ears of over a hundred attending parents. Silence fell over the crowd, with no one daring to utter a word.

They were incredulous that someone would dare to so openly label Leonel, worth billions, as crippled.

Before anyone could intervene, Daniel lunged at the brat, landing a solid kick to his ribs. Tears welled in Daniel's eyes as he warned, “Say one more word, and I'll make you regret it.”

The scene was in chaos.

The brat's parent dared not retaliate, merely pulling his son away.

Daniel, still seething, longed to retaliate. Stepping in, Leonel restrained him, guiding him away from the altercation.

Leonel hugged Daniel tightly, offering him comfort as the boy cried in his arms, feeling dejected and upset. Daniel kept saying sorry to Leonel, knowing how much pride his father had. How could Leonel handle people calling him names like "cripple"?

Clinging to Daniel, Leonel held him close...

Once Daniel's tears subsided, Leonel pressed a tender kiss to his son's head, whispering softly, "It's alright, Danny. Stop crying, alright?"

Daniel continued to sob. “They said things to Evelyn too. They were so mean, and she cried once."

Leonel stiffened, his concern growing.

Beside him, Alexis was gently rubbing Daniel's back; and her fingers trembled slightly at the revelation.