I Became a Kindergarten Teacher for Monster Babies!

But then, mid-sentence, she stopped.

Her words died in her throat, her steps faltered. Dante caught the subtle shift immediately—her gaze had locked on something ahead, her expression stiffening.

He followed her line of sight and saw two unfamiliar figures standing at the far end of the sidewalk.

Alina's fingers tightened around the shopping bag handles. Her heart gave a small, uneasy lurch.

Riccardo's eyes fell on Alina, and the moment he saw her standing beside an unfamiliar, strikingly handsome man who was clearly taller than him, something in his chest twisted. Jealousy flashed in his gaze, quickly followed by that heavy, uncomfortable sting of inferiority he couldn't quite hide.

Celeste, on the other hand, stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes widening as if she'd just spotted a celebrity. Her gaze darted from Dante's broad shoulders to his impossibly sharp features, and for a fleeting second, she looked stunned. Where did this bit*h get a handsome hunk like that?! she thought bitterly, her lips curling into a forced smirk to cover the jolt of envy.

Riccardo strode forward, closing the distance between them in a few long steps, his eyes flicking between Dante and Alina. "Who are you?" he demanded, directing the question squarely at Dante.

Dante's green eyes met his without a flicker of warmth. The air between them seemed to drop a few degrees as he looked at Riccardo with a slow, measuring coldness that made the other man's confidence falter.

"I didn't expect Alina to be that type of girl," Riccardo said at last, his voice sharp with mock disappointment. "I had high expectations for you."

Alina's eyes widened at the audacity of his words, her grip tightening on the shopping bag handles. The sting of his tone wasn't from care—it was pure condescension, and she knew it. But before she could answer, she saw Dante's gaze harden, the edges of his expression sharpening like a blade about to be drawn.

"And who are you?" Dante's voice was low, each word edged with ice. His eyes narrowed, and though his expression stayed composed, his hand clenched at his side as if restraining something far more dangerous than anger.

"Hah! You don't know me?" Riccardo let out a mocking laugh, full of arrogance, before shifting his attention to Alina. "But I know her. I thought she was pure! But I didn't expect her to hook up with any guy she finds. Tell me—" his smirk deepened cruelly, "—how much money did she take from you to spread her legs?"

Alina's breath caught in her throat, her eyes instantly filling with tears. "You—" she began, voice trembling, but she didn't get to finish.

A sharp, sickening crack echoed in the air. Riccardo's head snapped to the side as Dante's fist connected squarely with his jaw, the force knocking him off his feet. He hit the ground hard with a grunt, his hand instinctively clutching his face as pain radiated through his skull.

Before he could even recover, Dante was already crouched over him, gripping his collar in one strong hand and hauling him up halfway from the ground. Riccardo's eyes widened as the air around him seemed to thicken, the invisible weight of danger pressing down on his chest until he could barely breathe.

Dante leaned in, his voice dropping to something low and lethal—each word a quiet promise of violence.

"Speak like that about her again… and I'll make sure you never speak at all."

The look in his eyes wasn't merely anger—it was the calm, deadly certainty of someone who could end him in a heartbeat and wouldn't lose a moment's sleep over it.

"Hmph!! I'll tell my dad!" Riccardo spat, clutching his sore jaw, his voice dripping with venom as he shot Alina a glare. "I'll make sure you never get another job again… and I'll make sure you have no choice but to come to me—"

He didn't get to finish. Dante's fist collided with his face a second time, the blow sending him stumbling backward. A small crowd had already gathered, murmuring and whispering to one another, some pulling out their phones to record.

Celeste, who had been frozen in shock, quickly grew tense when she noticed the cameras. She stepped forward hastily, crouching beside Riccardo. "Hey, hey—we're sorry…" she muttered, her tone clipped as she tried to help him up, clearly more concerned about being filmed than about him.

Riccardo forced himself to stand, still holding his cheek, and glared at Dante. "Just because my girlfriend is worried, I'm letting you go," he said, puffing himself up as if he still had the upper hand.

Dante arched an eyebrow, his lips curling into the faintest, most dangerous smirk—a look so sharp it sliced through Riccardo's bravado in an instant. The younger man froze, his pulse spiking as a shiver ran down his spine.

Desperate to save face, Riccardo turned to Alina, his words coming out like poison. "And don't think you're special! No guy would date an ugly girl like you! This guy will leave you sooner or later… and when he does, don't come crawling back to me."

Celeste joined in with a glare toward Alina, then had the audacity to wink at Dante before tugging Riccardo's arm.

Alina's temper snapped. "Even if you were the last man on Earth, I'd rather die single than be with you!" she shouted, her voice ringing out over the whispers.

Riccardo's jaw tightened, his ego stung, but he turned away, letting Celeste drag him off. The crowd slowly began to disperse, their attention drifting elsewhere.

When the street was clear again, Alina let out a shaky breath, her cheeks flushed and her eyes red. "I'm… I'm sorry, sir," she murmured, looking down at the ground. "You had to witness that."

"It's fine, Miss Alina," Dante replied evenly, though his gaze sharpened when he noticed the redness in her eyes. After a pause, he asked, "Do you want me to end them?"

Her head shot up, eyes wide. "No, no, sir! Thank you, but… I'm really fine. You don't have to worry." She forced a small smile, but it didn't reach her eyes.

She didn't want to drag him into her personal matters. Still, Riccardo's disgusting words echoed in her mind like a cruel chant. No guy would date an ugly girl like you… It stung because, in some ways, she believed it. She had never been asked out before—not seriously—and the truth of it pressed heavy on her chest, making it even harder to meet Dante's eyes.