Thea York subconsciously wanted to stop him.
Christian had already stepped forward and warmly taken Scott York’s arm.
He had a child’s innocence on his face, but a flash of cunning glinted in his eyes.
"What do you mean, ’stealing a room’? I invited Scott to come play in my room. Aunt York, are you mistaken?"
At this, all the other parents turned to look at Thea York.
Thea York’s expression stiffened. She forced an awkward laugh. "What?"
Christian tilted his head. "Scott and I are classmates, so I invited him to play in my room. Zachery and Mia heard me just now, too. So why did Aunt York say Scott was trying to steal my room?"
Thea York never imagined that her usual trick would fail today.
Usually, whenever she blamed Scott York, someone would feel sorry for her. ’What a tragedy. The original wife’s grandson, and now Thea York has to take care of him.’
Seeing the other parents’ expressions grow stranger and stranger, Thea York immediately took a deep breath. "Oh, so that’s how it is. Christian, I didn’t realize you and Scott were friends."
"We are." Christian looked calmly at Thea York. "That’s why I find it strange. His friend here didn’t misunderstand, but his own relative, Aunt York, ignored the truth and immediately started blaming Scott."
"Logically, shouldn’t you be happy to see us standing together, happy that Scott made a new friend? Why did you start scolding Scott without even asking what happened?"
"You’re Scott’s aunt. How can you have so little faith in him?"
The corner of Thea York’s eye twitched.
"I’m sorry, it’s because Scott has previously..."
Christian stared at her coldly. "Is that so? Now that you know you were wrong, Aunt York, aren’t you going to apologize?"
Thea York’s face flushed red, then went pale.
’Apologize to that idiot Scott?!’
One of the parents frowned slightly. "Miss York, you misunderstood the child. What’s so hard about saying you’re sorry?"
"From what I’ve seen, Scott York doesn’t seem as terrible as you described, Miss York... He’s been quiet for the entire two-hour trip, hasn’t he?"
"That’s right. He hasn’t been loud or disruptive, and he doesn’t seem to be deliberately bullying his classmates either."
"The past is the past. Even if Scott York bullied classmates before, today, you’re the one who misunderstood, Miss York."
Christian shielded Scott York behind him and said flatly, "Aunt York, apologize."
Thea York clenched her fists tightly. In her heart, she added another mark against Scott York, but her face showed nothing but helplessness.
"I’m sorry, Scott. Your aunt was mistaken. It’s all my fault..."
Scott York gave Thea York a strange look before Christian pulled him aside with a smile.
"Scott must be very upset after being wrongly accused like that. He can have lunch with us today. You wouldn’t mind, would you, Aunt York?"
Thea York gritted her teeth and forced a stiff smile. "Of course not."
Without even glancing at Thea York, Christian led Scott York directly into his room.
Estelle Lockwood sensed something was off. She gently stroked Mia’s head and asked in a low voice, "Does Scott York usually bully you guys?"
Before Mia could speak, Zachery had already clenched his fists. "He does!"
Estelle Lockwood remembered how Scott York had charged straight at Mia at the kindergarten entrance two hours ago.
He had looked like a malicious, fierce, and savage brat.
But his eyes had been filled with confusion and panic.
’If he were a habitual school bully, why would he look confused while ’bullying a classmate’?’
The more she thought about it, the more something felt wrong. Estelle Lockwood concluded that the most likely scenario was that the York Family was doing it on purpose.
They were deliberately raising Scott York, the only male heir from the original wife, to be useless. They were using him to highlight the ’benevolence’ of the mistress’s side of the family.
Christian tilted his head and met Estelle Lockwood’s eyes. "Mommy, I’ll take Scott back to the room now."
Estelle Lockwood glanced at Thea York, then nodded.
After everyone was settled in their rooms, the kindergarten organized a meal featuring farmhouse specialty dishes.
The children from the city were all playing happily, but Christian sat quietly to the side with Scott York next to him.
Estelle Lockwood quietly asked Nathaniel Sloan, "What has Scott York’s situation been in the York Family all these years?"
Nathaniel Sloan narrowed his eyes, watching the little chubby boy who was obediently following Christian.
Actually, in families like theirs, raising children emphasized well-rounded development. When it came to food and clothing, the standards were strict but healthy.
For example, although all children are growing, none of the others were as overweight as Scott York.
A wealthy family like the Yorks would have nutritionists for everyone. A professional nutritionist would ensure a child receives the most appropriate nutrients and would also manage their weight. After all, it was obvious to anyone with eyes that Scott York being this overweight was far from normal.
Yet the York Family continued to let it happen.
This included his schooling, his studies, and even the so-called ’school bullying’...
Having grown up in the Sloan Family, Nathaniel Sloan naturally understood the situation. He noted that the York Family couldn’t even be bothered to keep up appearances. "They’re deliberately raising him to be useless," he said.
Estelle Lockwood watched the chubby figure, who was panting just from walking, and suddenly shook her head.
"It’s more than just raising him to be useless. He’s also a tool for Thea York and Mrs. York to whitewash their reputations."
「In the guesthouse room.」
Scott York looked at Christian, his whole body radiating resistance. Zachery and Mia were huddled together. Mia asked, confused, "Why did the young master bring him back?"
Zachery, the young master’s number one fan, piped up, "The young master must have his reasons for doing this!"
Mia looked at the space between Scott York’s eyebrows and suddenly frowned.
The reason she didn’t like playing with Scott York wasn’t that he was a bully, but because she thought he was a super big idiot.
’Mommy said that if you hang out with idiots, you’ll become a little idiot too.’
But before, the space between Scott York’s brows had been clear. Now, it was shrouded in a black mist. Having learned divination and face-reading from her Little Grandpa, she could tell a thing or two—Scott York was clearly about to have some seriously bad luck.
Mia leaned closer. The more she looked, the more wrong it seemed. She muttered to herself in confusion, "No matter how I look at it, it spells disaster. What kind of disaster could happen here?"
Scott York remained seated to the side. He heard Mia’s voice but didn’t move a muscle. To an outsider, he just looked like a rude little fatty.
Christian, however, narrowed his eyes. He rested his chin on his arms and watched Scott York intently.
"Scott, the York Family has so many people. Why was it Thea York, of all people, who brought you on this autumn outing?"
Scott York looked up at Christian but said nothing.
Although Christian was only five, he had perfectly inherited all of Nathaniel Sloan’s best qualities.
When he looked at someone calmly, he exuded a natural air of authority without being angry.
"Scott, you know what Thea York is going to do next, don’t you?"
Christian’s tone shifted. "You’re after Mia."
Mia, who had been watching the drama unfold from the sidelines, was taken aback. ’Huh? Me?’