Edie stepped forward, hugging Cecil. She stroked his face gently, wiping away the tears that cascaded down his cheeks. Her jaws tight, she glared at Stuart for a couple of seconds, her unspoken ssage loud and clear. "Please lower your voice."
Stuart couldn’t stand the look on Edie’s face, the look he couldn’t say no to. He bit his lip. His voice had been too sharp. "I’m sorry!" he softened his tone. "I was only trying to...."
But before he could finish, Stuart was interrupted by Cecil. "You’re so good to ," he said as he glared at Stuart.
Stuart frowned with frustration. "But...."
Cecil intentionally cuts Stuart off again. "You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen," he said while grinning at Stuart.
"You’re such a sweet little boy," Edie said trying to comfort him;
She put her arms around Cecil, and he buried his face in her chest. "You won’t regret letting stay with you. I’ll be good, I promise," Cecil said in a small hopeful voice.
As Stuart watched Edie with Cecil, it was the first ti in his life he’d felt helpless. There was nothing he could do. He knew Cecil and knew what he was capable of. All he wanted to do was teach him a lesson, but how.
"Let’s go ho now," Edie said, taking his hand. She turned to look at Stuart and asked, "Are you coming?"
Stuart nodded his head. "I’ll be right there. I have so business to discuss with Ivan first. Wait for in the car. I won’t take long."
Stuart watched them get into the elevator, and the second the door closed, he turned and looked at Ivan. Stuart’s face reddened as he fought for control of his anger. "Cecil’s a spoiled brat having fun at soone else’s expense. I’ve seen him do it a million tis and it’s getting old. In Edie’s eyes, he’s a perfect little angel, but when it cos right down to it, he’s vindictive."
Ivan swallowed nervously. "He’s a bully who likes getting his own way, and when he doesn’t, there’s hell to pay. Soone needs to teach him a lesson, and who better than you?"
"One way or another, I’ll have to get rid of him," Stuart’s voice seed to get deeper with each sentence.
***
Arriving at the Villa, Edie had no idea what to do with a child. For so reason, she found herself feeling anxious. She takes a couple of deep breaths to calm herself down. "What would you like to do?" she asked him.
"Watch TV," he claps his hands and shouts out.
Edie sits on the couch, and Cecil curls up next to her. They were watching cartoons, and Cecil was laughing throughout the entire first cartoon. Edie looks at him and realizes how much she’d missed the warmth of Stuart, but having Cecil cuddled up beside her it was a different kind of warmth. She felt comfortable. It was the most relaxed she’d been in a long ti.
Stuart stood outside the living room watching them. Standing as if frozen to the spot. He looked at them with bewildered uncertainty, feeling dazed inside, vaguely unsure of what he should do. His eyes were subrged in sothing that no one but he could see. ’It’s as though I’m no longer in control. All I can do is wait for his next move.’ His thoughts were interrupted by giggles. Stuart gently raised his voice. "It’s ti for dinner," he told them. Then he turned around without saying another word and sat at the table.
The atmosphere in the room was very tense. Stuart hardly said a word as he watched Cecil closely. Cecil’s eyes widened as he looked at the food. "I’m so hungry! Can I have....."
Without saying another word, Edie picked up the casserole dish and brought it over to him. "What else would you like?" Her voice, when she asked, was low and soft, barely a whisper.
For the past twenty minutes, Stuart watched Edie cater to Cecil’s every need. Irritation spiked through him, along with so other emotion that felt suspiciously like jealousy. He ground his jaw. ’If she’s catering to anyone, it should be . How can she not know Cecil is doing this deliberately?’ He sucked in a deep breath and cleared his throat. "I think you’ve had enough," he said, his voice raspy with annoyance.
The sound of Stuart’s voice surprised Cecil. He felt quite shaken and imdiately looked up at him. Tears stread down Cecil’s cheeks, and he sobbed, "I’m sorry." He swallowed and forced the sobs down.
Edie looked at Stuart with a look of disappointnt on her face. "He’s a growing boy," she said as her voice raised slightly. She turned to Cecil. "Eat as much as you like, and it’s not like we can’t afford it."
Stuart tried to reason with her as his anger was moving in a direction that he didn’t want it to go. He was furious. He took several deep breaths for control. Only Edie’s presence stopped him from shaking Cecil until his teeth rattled.
"It’s my fault. I’ve eaten too much. I won’t eat anymore, and it’s just been so long since I’ve had sothing to eat," Cecil said in a small voice and looked up at Edie with apologetic, pleading eyes.
Edie breathed in deeply, trying to cleanse her mind of the images of Cecil being abused. "Don’t you listen to him. Here have as much as you want," she said as she set two more pieces of at on his plate.
"But Stuart said...." Edie interrupted Cecil before he finished his sentence.
Edie didn’t even look at Stuart. "Ignore him. It’s fine." She clenched her jaw when she spoke, trying her best to hide the irritation.
"Can I have a bath now?" Cecil asked.
"Of course, but would you like to go for a walk first?" Edie suggested without hesitation.
Cecil nodded his head in excitent. He raised his head and shot Stuart a defiant look. "You’re so good to ," he said to Edie with a wry smile on his face.
Stuart could feel his frustration growing, knowing that he’d been pushed to this point where they couldn’t talk without snarling at one another. He inhaled a deep breath and attempted to control the anger rising inside him. ’I’ll let Cecil stay for two more days, and then I’ll take the kid back ho to his father.’ He sat at the table, deep in thought.
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