He placed his arm around Edie’s waist and gently pulled her towards him. He didn’t want Cecil touching her and didn’t want him anywhere around her. "Did you tell him you’d be his girlfriend? You have to be careful about what to say to him. He may be just a kid, but he’s devious and manipulative and lies to get what he wants."
Cecil heard every word and started screaming and crying. "So...You...Don’t...Want...to be with ?" he said, stuttering through sobs.
Pitiful green eyes stared at Edie, round as coins, begging her to make it better. "I hate seeing him upset. He’s hurting. Do sothing?" she said, her voice strained and worried. She looked up at Stuart, begging for a positive answer with pleading eyes.
Ivan couldn’t bear to see Edie upset and tried to explain. "Mrs. Yates, let Mr. Yates deal with him. He’s the only one who knows how."
Edie was quick to respond. "That’s nonsense! He’s five!"
Stuart narrowed his eyes and fixed them on Cecil with a cold, unfriendly glare that intimidated him slightly. "Why the hell are you here?" Stuart took one step toward him and bent down to look him straight in the eye. "Where’s your father?"
Cecil was sniffling and wiping his tears. "My father has been a little under the weather recently, and I don’t want to upset him. He sent to find you and told you’d take care of . He said you have a woman and I got curious. I wanted to et her," he explained.
Cecil looks at Stuart. Stuart’s face was like stone, emotionless, his eyes dark and empty, devoid of feelings and his lips taut, almost cruel and determined. He’d seen this look before. He turns to Edie with pleading eyes and says, "I’m sorry for making Ivan and Stuart angry with . Can you help ? I don’t know what to do?"
Edie couldn’t take it anymore, and she couldn’t stand there in silence while Cecil suffered. "You’re his uncle, and you’re stern. That’s a good thing because you can help keep him in line." She turned to look at Ivan and ordered, "Put him down!"
"I promise I’ll be good. I won’t cry as long as you don’t beat again," Cecil begged.
Edie shot Stuart a doubtful look and then gave a slight frown of disapproval. "You beat him before?"
"Let ..." Stuart tried to explain, but Cecil imdiately interrupted him.
"I know I get myself into a lot of mischief..." He hesitates and takes a deep breath. "No one likes except for you. My father doesn’t want around him when he’s ill. I made a mistake, and I should’ve been beaten because of it. I’m sorry, I’ll try to be a good boy.
Edie felt a little bitter toward Stuart when finding out how unfairly the boy was treated. She couldn’t take it anymore. She rushed over to Ivan, stood in front of him with her hands on her hips, and glared into his eyes, "Put him down. Right now!" she demanded.
"Mrs. Yates..." he stuttered. It was obvious by the look in his face; he was embarrassed.
"No matter how mischievous he is, he doesn’t deserve to be treated like this. He’s just a child....." She stopped in mid-sentence abruptly. Rolling her eyes and raising her arms in frustration. "Do neither of you has a heart?" she asked, her voice rising in annoyance. "Cecil is coming ho with us."
"No, it’s okay! I don’t want Stuart to be mad at ." Cecil grins slyly and looks at Stuart.
Stuart frowned. He knew Cecil was building up to sothing, and he knew it wouldn’t be good. He had to do sothing about it. But what? That was what he had to figure out. For now, he’d keep his mouth shut and act as if he accepted her decision. He felt no pity for the boy, but the pleading he saw in Edie’s eyes. He felt torn, helpless. Therefore he had no choice, and he had to agree with her. He mumbled, "Okay."
Cecil jumped up and down with excitent in his eyes and cried, "I’m going to have so much fun."
Edie smiled and nodded at Stuart to thank him for agreeing. Cecil was keenly aware that by using Edie against Stuart, he could get his own way. Then he tried to restrain his sneaky grin. He looked up at Edie and asked, "It’s been a long ti since I’ve slept with anyone. Will you sleep with tonight?"
For a split second, Stuart froze with his mouth gaped open. "What did you say?" he asked, his tone hoarse.
"Edie," Cecil cried out in fear. Then he hid behind her and peeked at Stuart.
Edie stared at Stuart helplessly. Her face pale and shocked by his tone. "Stop being so an to him?" she said.
Cecil looks at Stuart, seeing the angered expression on his face and slowly turns to look at Edie. "Does that an you will sleep with tonight?" he asked, dropping his voice to a softer pitch as he spoke. He was rapidly forming maneuver sches in his head. His mind was admirably quick and clever. ’May Heaven protect him now!’ Cecil, victorious in achieving his revenge against Stuart. ’My father told the only way to get to Stuart is through Edie. How right he was.’
Stuart clenched his jaw and tightened his hands into fists. He knew what Cecil was thinking. "Two can play at that ga," he uttered under his breath.
Stuart’s tone changed from icy coolness to warmth, his voice begging for understanding. "My wound is starting to hurt. Could you change the dressing?"
Ivan was shocked by Stuart’s tone. He’d never heard him speak like this before. He laughed on the inside, and he seed to know Stuart’s thoughts. "Mr. Yates, you look pale," he said, trying to help him out.
Edie forgot about Stuart’s injury and started to walk toward him. Cecil being as clever as he said, "Once you tend to his wound, you can co and sleep with ."
"Cecil, that’s enough!" Stuart shouts.
A few tears form in the corner of Cecil’s eyes. He looks at Edie and asks, "Did I do sothing to make him angry?"
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