Chapter 25 The Scum of the Earth is Unforgettable
Aaron was poring over medical texts in his wheelchair when Samantha's cries echoed from the courtyard.
Why was the little tyke, who had been playing with her paper airplane, in tears now?
Frowning, Aaron quickly wheeled himself to the door, only to see Samantha running back, sobbing.
"Samantha, don't cry. What's wrong?" Aaron asked in a rush.
"Mr. Thomas, that chubby kid from the neighborhood snatched my paper airplane. I wouldn't let him play with it, so he called me a fatherless wild child and pushed me," Samantha sobbed intermittently.
Aaron felt a surge of protective anger and tenderly wiped her tears away.
"Samantha, it's okay."
What kind of unruly child does such a thing?
At that moment, Alex and Billy descended from upstairs, both with solemn expressions after catching wind of Samantha's troubles.
"That chubby kid is such a bully, always taking other kids' stuff," Billy said indignantly.
"Don't cry, Samantha. I'll handle him," Alex declared, his little face set in determination.
Samantha sniffled, "But he's much bigger and older than us. You can't beat him."
"We don't need to beat him; we can get help. We'll let two dogs bite him," Billy suggested.
"But Mommy told us to be good at home, not to let the dogs bite people just like that."
Samantha felt wronged and conflicted.
Billy and Alex exchanged a silent glance, momentarily lost for words.
From the sidelines, Aaron listened to the youngsters' conversation. "Wheel me over there to take a look," he spoke up.
Samantha's eyes lit up. "Mr. Thomas, are you gonna go teach that bully a lesson for me?"
Aaron patted her head gently. "Hitting and yelling at others isn't right; he needs to apologize!"
"Yeah, yeah, let's hurry and push Mr. Thomas over there," Samantha urged eagerly, looking towards her brothers.
Billy and Alex caught each other's eye again, both hesitant to speak.
Mr. Thomas seemed smart, but he was in a wheelchair now. Could he really stand up for them against the bully?
Under their sister’s insistent gaze, the brothers relented and pushed Aaron out.
Aaron, seated in his wheelchair, spotted a chubby kid in the distance, probably around seven or eight years old, playing with a homemade slingshot, targeting birds in the trees.
With a 'snap', birds scattered into the air, fluttering their wings in all directions.
"Mr. Thomas, that's the kid," Samantha pointed out, fuming.
Aaron acknowledged with a grunt, slowly wheeling himself until he was just ten feet from the boy.
"Did you make Samantha cry?" he asked.
The boy spun around, saw Aaron, and suddenly aimed the slingshot at him.
Aaron's pupils dilated as he swiftly dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the incoming missile.
This kid was wild, aiming at people with a slingshot!
Aaron's expression turned stone cold.
"Mr. Thomas, are you okay?" Billy immediately checked on him after the initial shock.
"I'm fine," Aaron assured.
Billy glared at the boy. "Hey, you can't sling stones at people! What if someone gets hurt?"
The kid just snorted and dismissed Billy, once again aiming at Aaron.
Aaron's gaze darkened. He quickly picked up a small pebble from the ground and threw it precisely at the boy's shin.
"Ouch!" the kid cried out, stumbling backward and landing with a thud on the ground.
After a moment of stunned silence, the pain registered, and he burst into tears.
Alex and Billy stared at Aaron in amazement, admiration shining in their eyes.
"Mr. Thomas, did you just do that?" Billy asked, awestruck.
Aaron nodded.
The siblings exchanged impressed looks, and Samantha, finally catching on, clapped her hands excitedly. "Wow, Mr. Thomas 's so cool!"
With a slight smile playing on his lips, Aaron pressed the control button on his wheelchair and slowly approached the crying boy.
Aaron fixed the boy with an icy stare. "Why are you crying?"
Looking up, the child exclaimed, "It hurts like heck because you hit me with a rock!"
Aaron's lips parted slightly. "Oh, you feel pain? Did you ever consider that others feel pain too when you hit them?"
Exuding an aura of authority from his long-tenured executive position, even grown-ups would cower under his usual stern facade, let alone a child.
The boy, unable to help himself, shrank back slightly.
"Violence isn't the answer, neither is name-calling. I want you to apologize to Samantha," Aaron directed.
The boy glanced at Samantha but clamped his mouth shut, silent.
Samantha, bolstered by Aaron's support, immediately found her backbone.
She picked up a small pebble from the ground and placed it into Aaron's hand. "That's right, Tommy, you owe me an apology! Or Mr. Thomas will have to teach you another lesson!"
Aaron looked at the pebble in his palm, a chuckle threatening to escape. Had he, a high-flying CEO—even with a busted leg—stooped to bullying a little brat?
But if playing the bad guy was necessary, so be it.
After all, who let this little troublemaker bully Samantha? Her tears nearly broke his heart.
"I'm sorry," the round-faced child blurted out, rubbing his chubby legs, his apology rushed by fear.
From a little way off, a woman's loud voice echoed. “Tommy, where did you run off to? Hurry back for some treats!”
At the sound of her voice, the boy scrambled to his feet and wailed, “Mom, come quick! They're picking on me!”
Alex and Billy exchanged a look of dismay as a stocky woman approached at a run.
"Mr. Thomas, that's Tommy's mom," Alex whispered to Aaron.
Aaron's brows lifted slightly; he got the picture.
No wonder the kid was so unruly—he took after his mother.
"My poor baby, how did you get so dirty? Who's been bullying you?" the woman bellowed.
"That lame man there! He threw a rock at me, see how he bruised my leg?" The boy pointed accusingly at Aaron, seeking his mother's sympathy.
The woman erupted. "Are you out of your mind? You better give me a good explanation, or you won’t get off easy!"
Aaron's piercing gaze met the woman's, his presence icy and commanding.
"Sure, I'm intrigued to see how you intend to make things difficult for me."
Intimidated by his look, the woman involuntarily shrunk back. "You hit someone, and you think you’re right?"
The tension in the air was palpable as Aaron prepared to confront the unreasonable fury of a mother defending her misbehaving child.
"Auntie, it's not right what Little Fatty did. He took my stuff and called me names, then shot at Mr. Thomas with a slingshot. That's why Mr. Thomas had to set him straight," Samantha chimed in.
The stout woman bristled and shot her a glare before turning to Aaron.
"He's just a kid; what are you doing picking fights with a kid?"
The corner of Aaron's mouth curled up coldly as he looked at Billy. "Billy, come over here."
Billy blinked, then obediently walked over to Aaron's side.
Aaron placed a pebble in Billy’s hand and then guided his throw with force toward the woman.
Caught off guard, the woman felt a sudden pain on her leg and let out a cry, stumbling backward.
In shock, she looked at Aaron and exclaimed, "You let him throw a rock at me? Are you out of your mind?"
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