SWNOVELS Chapter 122: All you need to know is that you've earned this mess you're in.
Vincent is the only son of the Blackwood family, and Ethan is Vincent's only child - the sole heir to the Blackwood legacy.
When news hit that Ethan was being bullied by the Parker family, the Blackwoods rallied, ready to confront the issue head-on.
Dylan's face turned a sickly shade of green when he heard the Blackwoods were on their way.
"It's just a little roughhousing between kids!" he insisted, grinding his teeth.
Charlotte was unimpressed, "Sure, kids roughhouse. But Mr. Parker, you only watched out for your own kid and left mine sitting in cold, dirty mud. That's an adult stepping in. If you can step in, why can't I?" "Mrs. Blackwood! I'll apologize to Ethan. I'll make it right!"
"Too late."
Charlotte relaxed just a tad as Vincent hurried over.
"Ethan!" Vincent took his son from Charlotte and saw the mud. His anger flared, "Is this how Mr. Parker treats a Blackwood?"
"It's a misunderstanding," Dylan tried to defuse the situation. "I should've kept an eye on Ethan..."
"I only saw my kid getting picked on."
Vincent was a mirror image of Charlotte, handing Ethan off to be cleaned up and then standing firmly beside her.
He was all about protection.
Things spiraled out of control, going the way Dylan feared the most.
The Blackwoods had a rep for being decent folks in the city- kind, well-mannered, not the type to throw their weight around.
But are the Parkers pushing Ethan around? That hit a nerve. The Blackwoods were ready to go to war.
Dylan could almost see the devastating outcome.
"Mrs. Blackwood, you can't do this."
As Dylan made a last-ditch effort, the Blackwood's negotiator brought over a video to Vincent.
The clip showed Ethan all friendly, asking Benjamin to play.
They were good until Ethan found this cool rock. Benjamin wanted it, but Ethan said no, so Benjamin just shoved Ethan right into a puddle and grabbed the rock. Ethan, all muddy, tried to grab his rock back.
That's when Dylan stepped in, but instead of stopping Benjamin, he let Benjamin cry it out and blame Ethan, which got Ethan shoved into the mud again. Charlotte and Vincent went stone-cold after watching that video.
Ethan was no pushover; he tried to stand his ground.
"So, Mr. Parker, got anything to say?" Vincent asked, like ice.
The video said it all, and Dylan was out of words, "I'll teach the kid a lesson..."
"Right here, right now." Vincent was never harsh, but today he was downright frosty, "Mr. Parker, it's time my son saw that there are consequences for bullying." "Hey!"
Dylan couldn't believe it. After being the leader for four years, there was no way he was going to stand for this.
"Vincent, you're pushing your luck!"
"All I'm doing is what should've been done, Mr. Parker. Why are you getting so hot under the collar?"
Vincent waved his hand, signaling his people to block Chloe and her child, who was bawling his eyes out. Chloe, tears streaming down her face, was clearly distressed. "What do you think you're doing? Isn't this just plain bullying?"
Charlotte was surprised to hear Chloe sounding so weak.
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Did Chloe ever think, back when she was throwing her family's weight around, that one day she'd be the one facing the music?
"He's just a little kid! What in the world are you planning to do to him?"
"Just giving a few words of advice, to make sure the kid doesn't grow up to be as mean and stuck-up as you," Charlotte said, her voice even.
She had been standing quietly behind Vincent, almost forgotten by Chloe. Now, faced with Charlotte, a panicked Chloe ran to her, child in arms, pleading.
"I know I've messed up a lot before, I'm sorry, I'll change! Charlotte, let the grown-ups handle this, don't be hard on a child! He's only four years old!" Charlotte didn't flinch, "Like I said, just a few words."
She wasn't about to really do anything to a child.
But didn't the kid deserve to be scolded for such mean behavior as pushing someone into a mud puddle?
While they were at a standoff, a Parker family servant came over quietly to say Liam had arrived.
Chloe's face suddenly lit up with hope.
"Quick! Benjamin! Go to your dad! With him here, nobody can mess with you!"
Benjamin was scared and not comfortable with Liam. Despite Chloe's prodding, he just clung to her, unwilling to move.
As they struggled, Liam walked up and stepped into the middle of the crowd.
"What's this about?" he asked, looking first at the mud on Charlotte's clothes.
Vincent stepped in front of Dylan, blocking his view. "Your son pushed mine into a puddle twice. Don't you think it's time for a little discipline, Mr. Parker?"
"Ethan?" Liam's face fell. He hadn't seen Ethan around. "What's happened to him?"
"He's pretty shaken up. He's not used to dealing with such disrespect, and getting dunked in a puddle twice could give him a cold, or worse."
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"Mr. Parker, are you really suggesting that I'm using my son's well-being to play you?" Vincent pushed back.
Liam's frown deepened. "Is he okay, at least?"
"That's none of your business," Charlotte interjected, her voice cool and impatient with Liam's hesitation. "Surely you can handle teaching your own son a lesson, can't you, Mr. Parker?"
"He's not..." Liam started to defend, but meeting Charlotte's cold gaze, he lost his train of thought.
"Alright."
"Alright?" Chloe couldn't believe her ears. "They're just kids being kids! Liam, are you really going to stress out our son over some other kid? Benjamin's scared out of his wits! Do you have any idea how much this could hurt him?" Liam glanced at Benjamin, who was a bundle of nerves and tears, hiding in Chloe's embrace, his face red and puffy as if he was about to suffocate from crying.
Maybe now wasn't the best time to chew him out.
"Look, the kids are all scared. Let's just calm down. I'll bring him over to say sorry later, okay?"
Liam's voice had that begging edge to it.
He was looking for a bit of grace from Charlotte.
But sympathy was the last thing on Charlotte's mind, especially with him looking so desperate.
She stepped closer to Liam, her voice a hushed sting in his ear, "Just remember, Ethan saw everything that went down here." Liam stiffened.
Charlotte didn't let up. "Right now, Vincent's the one looking like a dad here. To Ethan, Vincent's the only dad he'll recognize." "What?" Liam was shaken, confused, and angry. "What are you trying to say? Charlotte, spell it out for me, I'm not following..." "You don't have to get it," Charlotte said, almost with a sense of pity. "All you need to know is that you've earned this mess you're in."