Sweet Love 2x: Miss Ruthless CEO for our Superstar Uncle-Chapter 81: Minor Incident

Franz thought that calling Arianne every morning would be enough to assure the twins that she would return. There were only two days left, and she had already told them she would be home on schedule.

When Lily came down alone for breakfast without her younger twin, Franz knew something was wrong.

There was no crying. No pleading. No waiting on the stairs.

Leo simply wasn’t there.

"Uncle, he’s sitting outside her door again," Lily said quietly. "He won’t listen to me this time."

Franz exchanged a look with Aunt Estella, but neither of them stood immediately.

"Go talk to him," Aunt Estella said gently. "He must be missing Aria. I’ll stay with Lily."

Franz thanked her and went upstairs.

He found Leo seated on the floor, his back against the closed door of Arianne’s room. The boy didn’t look up. He stared at the small lion charm in his palm.

Franz lowered himself beside him. "You’re not waiting at the stairs anymore?"

Leo didn’t respond.

Franz noticed the keychain more clearly now — the same lion charm Arianne had handed him at the airport before leaving with Gio.

"She’ll be back on the day she said," Franz said. "You know that."

No reaction.

"If you stay here, you’ll miss school. Didn’t you promise her you wouldn’t skip?"

Leo’s fingers tightened slightly around the charm.

"I won’t stop you from waiting," Franz continued, keeping his tone even. "But you can wait after school."

Leo finally looked up.

The hesitation didn’t last long. A moment later, he pushed himself to his feet and let Franz guide him downstairs.

-

Franz thought the morning had settled once both twins left for school.

He had already requested Director Yang to reschedule his filming, which hadn’t been easy. Sudden absences created unnecessary talk. He’d asked Daryll to monitor any press and told Monica to clear his schedule so he could focus on the twins.

With the house quiet, he went to his recording studio to practice his lines. The character he was playing carried arrogance and emotional distance—traits Franz didn’t naturally share. He repeated a difficult scene in front of the mirror when his phone chimed with a new email.

He expected something from the Rochefort Group.

Instead, it was from the school.

A voicemail followed.

Leo pushed a classmate during a presentation after being asked about his parents. Lily tried to help him, but Leo completely withdrew. The school first tried to reach Arianne by phone. When they couldn’t reach her, they contacted him.

Franz read the email carefully before listening to the voicemail.

The tone was not accusatory. It was formal.

The teacher described the incident as "isolated but concerning." Leo had refused to speak during his presentation. Another child had asked about his parents. Leo stood abruptly and pushed him—not hard enough to injure, but enough to disrupt the class. After that, he refused to respond.

Franz opened the email and read it once without moving. His jaw tightened.

He closed it, reopened it, and checked the time. Classes wouldn’t dismiss for another hour.

The school had tried calling Arianne first. That was expected. She was listed as the primary guardian. When they could not reach her, they escalated through official channels and sent a formal request for a meeting.

They were asking for a guardian’s presence.

Going in person wasn’t an option.

If he showed up unprepared, it wouldn’t stay a classroom issue. Parents would recognize him. Someone would take a photo. By evening, it would be online.

He dialed the administrative office directly.

After being transferred twice, a calm voice answered.

"This is Principal Weiss."

"Principal Weiss, this is Franz Rochefort."

There was a small pause before she responded. "Yes, Mr. Rochefort. We attempted to contact Ms. Summers."

"I’m aware. She’s overseas. I received your email."

"I understand."

"I’d like to address this today," Franz said. "But I can’t appear on campus without prior arrangement."

Another pause, this one slightly longer.

"Yes," she replied. "We anticipated that might be a concern."

Franz didn’t answer immediately. He let the silence sit long enough that the principal shifted in her chair.

"I want the details," he said. "Not the summary. I can attend virtually after dismissal. Private room. Only you and the teacher."

"That will work."

"And this remains confidential."

"Of course."

He didn’t elaborate. She didn’t need him to.

"Leo is currently with the counselor," she added. "He hasn’t spoken since the incident."

"Is he calm?"

"Yes."

"Good."

They agreed on a time. Franz ended the call and set the phone down slowly.

He didn’t call Arianne yet.

When the video call connected later that afternoon, Franz remained in his study. The principal appeared first, followed by Leo’s teacher.

"Thank you for making time," the principal said.

"Thank you for informing me," Franz replied.

The teacher summarized the incident again. Leo was supposed to introduce himself, but he stayed silent, his mutism keeping him silent. Another child asked about his parents, and Leo pushed him before going quiet again.

"There were no injuries," the teacher clarified. "But the reaction was too much."

Franz listened without interrupting.

"He does not speak," Franz said calmly.

"Yes," the teacher replied. "We are aware."

"And discussions regarding his parents are not appropriate in a public classroom setting."

"It wasn’t prompted by staff," the teacher added quickly.

"I understand," Franz replied. "Children are curious."

"We’d like to prevent this from happening again," the principal said.

"So would I."

He folded his hands loosely on the desk.

"Leo does not respond well to being forced to talk about his personal history. It would be better to offer different assignments if the topics involve family structure." Franz suggested.

"That can be arranged," she said after a pause.

"Good."

"And Mr. Rochefort—"

"Yes."

"We’ll handle this carefully."

He didn’t respond to that. He was already reviewing the message again. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"And the other child?" Franz questioned.

"We have spoken to him," the teacher said. "He did not intend harm."

Franz nodded once. "Then there is no need to escalate further."

The principal considered this. "Would you prefer a counselor session?"

"Yes," Franz said after a moment. "But not as discipline."

"Understood."

The call ended.

After the call ended, Franz stayed seated for a few seconds before he stood up. He did not plan what to say next.

When the twins got home that afternoon, Lily went in first. She looked cautious.

"Is he in trouble?" she asked quietly.

"No," Franz replied.

Leo walked past them without looking up and headed toward the living room.

Franz followed him and sat across from him instead of beside him.

"You pushed someone," he said, not accusingly.

Leo’s fingers tightened slightly around the lion keychain.

Franz did not raise his voice.

"You don’t need to answer questions you don’t want to," he continued. "But you don’t push."

Leo’s jaw moved faintly, but no sound came.

"If someone asks again, you walk away."

A long pause followed before Leo nodded.

Lily hovered near the doorway.

"I can answer next time," she offered.

Franz looked at her and shook his head. Arianne was their guardian. Discipline, however, was his to handle.

"No," he said gently. "He answers when he’s ready. Or he doesn’t."

Lily considered that before nodding once in agreement.

That evening, when Arianne called, Franz stepped into the hallway before answering.

"Is everything alright?" she asked.

"Yes."

She waited.

"The school asked for a few changes," he added.

She already knew.

"And?"

"It was handled."

"I know, Franz, but next time, inform me sooner," she said.

There was a short pause on the line.

"I will," he replied.

She didn’t answer immediately.

"Is he hurt?" she asked instead.

"Leo is fine. I already talked to him."

The call ended shortly after.

After the call ended, Franz stepped back into the living room.

The overhead lights were off. Only the floor lamp near the couch remained on, its light reaching halfway across the carpet.

Leo was seated on the right side of the couch, facing forward. The keychain lay beside him, untouched.

Franz didn’t mention it.

He walked to the other side of the room and sat in the armchair near the window. From there, he could see Leo without turning his head.

The space between them wasn’t wide, but it was enough.

Outside, a car passed slowly down the street.

Inside, neither of them moved.