Chapter 433: So Much Drama

Chapter 433: Chapter 433: So Much Drama

Hector’s anger, on the verge of exploding, deflated instantly like a punctured ball.

He turned around and, unsurprisingly, saw Arabella staring thoughtfully at Dylan Dawson and his son at the edge of the crowd. The longer she looked, the graver her expression became, until a look of pity surfaced on her face.

’This is why you have to be so careful when you’re repaying a debt of gratitude. One wrong move, and you could drag yourself and your whole family down with you.’

’Repaying a debt? Dragged down?’ Hector’s ears perked up, and his gaze toward the Dawson father and son softened.

’This is a brand-new source of gossip! I have to keep them around and get the full story.’

Realizing there was prime gossip to be had, Hector’s back suddenly stopped aching, his legs no longer felt sore, and the faint look of utter exhaustion on his face was replaced by a smile.

Unfortunately, that smile didn’t last long.

While the adults were talking, the children had run outside to play in the yard.

Miss Young hadn’t been lying; the yard of this little country house was indeed filled with many beautiful flowers.

It was spring, and many of the flowers in the yard were in bloom. The children were captivated the moment they saw them. Faye Collins’s seven-year-old daughter, Queenie, couldn’t help but ask Chloe Coleman as soon as she entered the yard, "Zora, can I pick a few flowers from the yard for my mom?"

Chloe Coleman froze for a second, then said a little awkwardly, "I... Serena said this is just our temporary home. I don’t know if we can pick the flowers. How about I go inside and ask them first, then I’ll let you know?"

Queenie wasn’t upset at all. She nodded obediently. "You’re right. My mom says you can’t just take things that belong to other people. You have to get the owner’s permission. Can I go in with you to ask?"

"Mhm!"

The two little girls, about the same age, held hands and were just about to go inside to ask the adults when a disruptive figure shot past them, viciously yanking up a handful of the nearest flowers and throwing them on the ground.

The sheltered children were all stunned. By the time everyone else reacted, the little monster had already stomped the flowers he’d thrown on the ground into a shredded mess.

Chloe Coleman’s eyes instantly turned red. She scrambled over to her little brother’s side, staring at the flowers, at a complete loss for what to do.

After destroying the flowers, Riley Coleman looked up, saw Chloe, and without a second thought, ran over and shoved her to the ground.

Seeing the flowers she liked get stomped on and her new friend get pushed over, Queenie rushed to help her up and reprimanded the overly aggressive and rude boy. "Why would you push someone?"

Seeing someone dare to help Chloe right in front of him and even question him, Riley Coleman immediately looked ready to strike again.

When Arabella and the others came out after hearing the commotion, Riley Coleman was sitting on the ground, kicking his legs and screaming. The other children stood to the side, watching him warily. The two boys were protectively shielding the three girls, afraid he would suddenly lash out and hurt someone. 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

Seeing the scene, the parents rushed forward to their own children to check on them.

When Jude Underwood saw this, a sense of foreboding rose in his heart. He wished he could pretend he hadn’t seen anything and just turn and leave.

But mindful of the cameras all around, he had no choice but to walk over to Riley Coleman and try to coax him in a low, subservient voice.

"What exactly happened?" After confirming their children were safe, the parents finally had the presence of mind to ask about the situation.

Logically, since Dylan Dawson’s son was the oldest of the children, he should be able to explain things most clearly, so it would be best for him to do it.

But the boy seemed to have inherited some of his father’s taciturn, CEO-like demeanor. He was the type who’d rather act than talk. Now was no exception; he remained goldenly silent, with no intention of explaining.

In the end, it was Milton Lambert’s daughter who spoke up. She first explained the reason for the conflict, then got to why Riley Coleman was throwing a tantrum on the ground.

"That little boy saw Queenie go help Zora, and he tried to hit Queenie. Big Brother Leo and Little Brother Teddy couldn’t stand it, so they pushed him back a little, and then..."

"And then he fell on the ground and started crying, and you came to get us?"

"Yes."

When Arabella and her brother learned that Zora had been pushed to the ground by that roly-poly little kid, they quickly pulled her over for another thorough check. After confirming her palms were just a little red from scraping the ground when she fell and that she had no other injuries, they finally relaxed.

After hearing his daughter’s explanation, Milton Lambert didn’t jump to conclusions. Instead, he turned to the other children. "Is that what happened?"

Except for the one on the ground, all the children nodded.

As for the one on the ground, he was currently screaming hysterically, his shouts consisting of the usual tired old curses and threats.

Faye Collins and Jude Underwood, who lacked money and influence, might be intimidated by the Coleman family, but Milton Lambert and Dylan Dawson certainly weren’t. Especially not Dylan Dawson.

He’d been looking for a way to show off in front of his son, and seeing his chance, he sneered, "My son was the one who pushed you today. You want your dad to destroy me and my son? Fine. Tell him to come at us. If he can destroy us, that’s his skill."

He was the second person on the show to say something like this, but the audience, who had witnessed the little monster’s troublemaking from start to finish, didn’t think it was beneath Dylan Dawson to argue with a child. On the contrary, they found it incredibly satisfying. At the same time, they thought the kid was a real liability to his father.

But on second thought, don’t spoiled brats become spoiled brats because their parents indulge them? Just from the way the kid kept saying, "I’ll have my daddy do this, I’ll have my daddy do that," you could tell what his parents usually taught him.

You reap what you sow. For spoiling a child like this and then letting him out to wreak havoc on everyone, you could only say that whatever his parents were going through now, they deserved it.

The whole farce finally ended with Jude Underwood taking Riley Coleman and leaving early.

With them gone, the atmosphere among the remaining people actually became more harmonious, especially among the children.

In their minds, after what happened today, they had now bonded through shared adversity. They had to be completely loyal to each other and play together.

Arabella was worried the kids might have been frightened by the incident and left with some psychological trauma. She discreetly observed them for a while, only to overhear their discussion.

"..." ’These little rascals are so dramatic.’

The kids were fine, which left the matter of adult socializing.

Because of the interruption from the flower-picking incident, Hector didn’t get to hear the gossip about Dylan Dawson, nor did he get a chance to promptly issue an order for his guests to leave.

By the time he snapped out of it, the sky had already grown dark.

Milton Lambert gave a sly chuckle and spoke up just before Hector could kick them out. "Ah, Hector, seeing as we’re so familiar with each other now, I won’t beat around the bush. I actually came here today with a small favor to ask."

That’s right. In just a matter of a few dozen minutes, their relationship had evolved from former business partners to calling each other brothers.

Hearing this, however, set off alarm bells in Hector’s head. He thought in panic, ’Don’t tell me this guy wants to stick around for a free meal? We haven’t even figured out our own dinner yet!’