CHAPTER 73: PROTECTING PARIS FROM BULLIES

Everyone blinked in surprise as all eyes shifted to Egypt.

For a moment, it felt as if the entire office forgot how to breathe, each of them staring silently at the little girl whose wide, curious, and innocent eyes were fixed on them.

Rome’s cold expression instantly softened the moment he laid eyes on her.

"Uhm... did I perhaps disturb you, uncles?" Egypt asked gently, clutching the strap of her bag with both hands.

The four men quickly averted their gazes, clearly not expecting Egypt to show up in the principal’s office.

Usually, it was always them who went out of their way to visit the twins in their classroom—never the other way around.

Alpheus was the first to recover.

"Ehem... what is it, Egypt?"

"Uhmm..."

Egypt hesitated, her small fingers tightening around the strap of her bag. She found it difficult to meet Alpheus’s eyes, so instead her gaze wandered uncertainly across the room.

And then, it stopped—on the man who felt strangely familiar to her and Paris.

The man who had been wearing the bear costume outside the school gate.

Her eyes widened in realization.

"M-Mr. Bear..?" she whispered.

In that instant, Egypt completely forgot the reason she had come to the office. Shock lit up her face as she recognized Rome—without the oversized bear head that had always concealed him.

That familiar face, the one she and Paris had secretly followed on social media through their mom’s account, was now just a few meters away. No longer a distant picture on a screen, but real and impossibly close.

The four men followed Egypt’s gaze, and only then did they realize the situation.

Alpheus immediately stepped in front of Rome, blocking him from Egypt’s view, while Calyx quickly slipped the bear head mask back over Rome’s head.

Egypt’s lips instantly curled into a pout at Alpheus’s interference. She tried to peek around him, but her face quickly fell in disappointment when she saw the man once again hiding behind the bear mask.

"H-Haha... E-Egypt, what exactly brought you here?" Alpheus asked, trying to lighten the mood. "Did you... miss me?" He quickly shifted the topic when he noticed Egypt frowning.

"And where’s Paris, by the way? You seem to be alone."

Egypt froze, suddenly remembering the reason she had come to the principal’s office. Her eyes widened in shock—Paris needed her help.

"Uncles! I... I need your help!" Egypt blurted out, her voice trembling, panic quickly spreading across her face.

Alpheus and the others were immediately taken aback by the sudden fear in Egypt’s expression.

"What is it?"

Rome asked instinctively, a sharp edge of concern creeping into his voice even from behind the mask.

"Uhm... Paris... Paris..." Egypt stammered, clutching her bag tighter.

"What happened to Paris?" Rome pressed, unable to hide the rising anxiety in his voice. He even shot up from his seat.

"P-Paris is... being bullied... and she’s all alone... she needs help... please, help her!"

"What? Who dares—!"

Rome was about to rush straight to the door, but Calyx and Alfonso quickly restrained him, grabbing his arms firmly.

"Rome! Wait! Don’t charge in blindly—let’s hear Egypt out first!"

Rome froze for a moment, then glanced at Egypt, who seemed startled by his reaction.

Realizing this, Rome immediately tried to calm himself down. Maybe Egypt was simply surprised by how suddenly he reacted—after all, she probably thought they were practically strangers.

"I’m sorry, I must have startled you..."

Rome’s tone softened at once.

Egypt also calmed down, letting out a deep breath, though her eyes remained fixed on Rome.

"Uhm... Paris, can you tell us all what happened first?" Alfonso asked, unable to hide the panic in his voice.

"Uhm... Paris and I were just playing when..."

**********

A moment earlier.....

Paris and Egypt had just stepped out of their room and were about to head to the gate to wait for their mom when they suddenly stopped in their tracks.

A group of five boys, notorious bullies in their school, blocked their way.

"Are these the ones Ben was talking about? The reason James got expelled—and even why the former principal was replaced?" sneered a chubby boy, around ten years old, glaring at them.

Noticing Egypt flinch slightly, Paris immediately stepped in front of her sister, shielding her.

"Yes, that’s them!" added another boy, smaller and thinner than the first. He looked like the tattletale type of the group while pointing at them.

"They’re the twins from their class. And by the looks of it, they seem to be close to the new principal—I’ve seen him visit their classroom all the time!"

"What do you think you’re doing? And what’s this about Ben and James?" Paris frowned.

She could already sense what these boys were planning, and her grip on Egypt’s hand tightened protectively.

"They must be the ones, since they clearly know James and Ben." said another boy, roughly the same size and age as the chubby one.

"Hah! Then this won’t be hard at all," the chubby boy sneered again. "They’re just twins who look like fragile little dolls. Teaching them a lesson won’t be difficult. After all, messing with James and Ben shouldn’t go unpunished."

"W-what... we’re not doing anything bad to James and Ben. They were the ones who started it first... so why are you trying to bully us because of them?"

Egypt stammered, clutching tightly at Paris’s sleeve as she peeked nervously from behind her sister.

"Not doing anything bad?" the chubby boy sneered, folding his arms across his chest. "Because of your tattling, James and Ben can’t even attend this school anymore! Now we don’t have anyone to treat us to free food. Thanks to you two, we’ve got nothing to eat now!"

"So you’re blaming us just because they’re gone?" Paris snapped back, her brows furrowing. "Do you even realize what you’re doing? If the teachers find out about your bullying, you might be the next ones expelled from this school."

The boys’ eyes narrowed, their gazes darkening as they began to circle the twins.

"Are you threatening us just because you’ve got connections with the new principal and the owner of this school?" the chubby boy hissed.

Paris refused to back down, her gaze sharp and steady as she pulled Egypt closer behind her.

"No. What I’m saying is, if the teachers find out what you’re doing, you’ll be the ones in trouble. Aren’t you ashamed? Picking fights with girls?"

Her voice trembled but remained firm. Then she leaned sideways, whispering into Egypt’s ear. "When I count to three, you run. Find a teacher and get help. I’ll handle them."

Egypt’s eyes widened, her small hands clenching even tighter at Paris’s shirt. She shook her head, whispering frantically back, though her voice was loud enough for the bullies to overhear.

"Paris... I can’t leave you here... please, let me help you fight them..."

That single plea sent the group bursting into laughter.

"What did she say?" one of them snickered, elbowing the chubby boy. "She’s gonna help her take care of us?" He bent over, clutching his stomach from laughing too hard. "Hahaha! What a funny little doll!"

"Yeah, look at her! She’s shaking just standing there. How’s she supposed to fight us?" another boy jeered.

The chubby boy grinned wider.

"Exactly. You two think you’re brave, but without the teachers and the principal around, you’ve got no one to protect you!"

"Actually, we could still settle this," the skinny boy in the group suddenly piped up with a sly grin. "If you’re willing to replace James and Ben and give us money the way they used to, we can spare you. How about that?"

Egypt’s lips quivered. "B-but we’re poor... we don’t have money..." she muttered faintly.

"What are you saying, Egypt?" Paris snapped, glaring at her sister. "Even if we did have money, how could we just hand it over to these immature bullies? We can’t waste Mom’s hard-earned money on them!"

Her defiance only made the boys laugh louder.

"Hahaha! So you are poor!" one of them mocked. "No wonder! At least James and Ben had money and were generous. But you two? You’re just a pair of ragged little dolls pretending to be heroes."

Egypt’s grip on Paris tightened, her face pale but her eyes burning with determination despite the fear trembling through her.

"Paris... even if I’m scared, I won’t just run away. If they’re going to laugh at me, then let them. But I’m not letting you fight them all alone."

"What are you saying? If we both stay here, something bad will happen to us. I’ll buy you time—so run now!" she said firmly, before shoving Egypt away.

At that, the five boys advanced toward Paris.

"Hey, she’s trying to run! Don’t let her get away!" one of the bullies shouted when he saw Egypt stumble back, wide-eyed.

Terrified, Egypt spun around and bolted, running as fast as she could while two of the boys broke away from the group to chase her down.

Her breath hitched, her chest tightening with fear as she glanced back at Paris—who only nodded at her, as if telling her it was okay to leave her behind.