Chapter 267 The Dark Side of Human Nature
The pain hit Robin like a truck, and he let out a scream. In an instant, Jeffery was in Stuart's grip, who held him tightly while delivering a solid kick to Robin's chest as he backed away.
Robin, who had lost a lot of weight recently, couldn't handle the blow. He flew back, slammed into the wall with a loud thud, and crumpled to the ground.
He clutched his chest, the pain overwhelming, and couldn't even find the strength to get up.
When he looked at Stuart again, all he saw was concern for Jeffery, no trace of disdain or dislike. Clearly, Stuart's earlier words were just a ploy to distract Robin and set up a sneak attack.
Stuart checked Jeffery's neck and asked, "You okay, kid?"
In Stuart's arms, four-year-old Jeffery looked even tinier. He shook his head seriously. "I'm fine."
Claudia, scared out of her mind, rushed over and hugged him tight. "Jeffery!"
Even if Jeffery wasn't hurt physically, this whole ordeal could mess him up mentally.
Stuart looked at him. "You're one brave kid, well done."
Jeffery looked back at him. "You're pretty good too. But don't tell my mom about this; I don't want her to worry."
Any other four-year-old would be bawling by now, but Jeffery stayed calm the whole time.
Seeing him so composed and rational, Stuart felt a pang of jealousy. Josephine and Roy's child was amazing; imagine the incredible offspring he and Josephine could have.
He couldn't even dare to imagine.
Claudia held Jeffery tightly, finally feeling a bit of relief. Her emotions surged, and she started to cry.
Jeffery patted her back with his small hand. "I'm fine, Aunt Claudia. Don't blame yourself; it's all 'cause Robin's a jerk."
Claudia suddenly stopped crying, handed Jeffery to Stuart, grabbed a stick nearby, and walked over to Robin, hitting him hard.
"You bastard! Scum!" Claudia's voice trembled as she hit him. "How can you be so bad! Go to hell!"
Stuart and Jeffery exchanged a glance, then looked away in disdain.
Stuart said, "Don't kill him, just leave him breathing."
Robin clutched his head and shouted angrily, "Stuart! You coward! Sneakin' up on me! You even a man?"
Stuart sneered, "You're not even human. When dealing with scum, I don't need to be honorable."
He then looked at Jeffery and said, "I had no choice earlier. I'm sorry for what I said; don't take it to heart."
Jeffery replied, "Me too."
Stuart held him with one arm and extended his other hand.
Jeffery paused for two seconds before reluctantly pulling away his hand with a look of disdain.
Filled with anger, tension, and fear, Claudia trembled all over, her strength drained after a few hits on Robin, barely able to stand.
Stuart, holding Jeffery with one arm, supported Claudia's arm with the other. "Alright, someone will deal with him."
Claudia was silent for a few seconds, then reached out to take Jeffery back, burying her face in his small shoulder and crying.
In the distance, hurried footsteps approached, and Stuart looked up.
It was Steven and Jair.
"Is Jeffery okay?" Steven, seeing Claudia holding Jeffery, felt relieved and then looked at Robin. "You're really something!"
Jair walked over to Claudia, seeing her shaking with sobs, and felt an urge to hug her. The thought stunned him for a moment.
"I'll hold Jeffery," Steven said softly to Claudia, "It's okay now, let's go."
Claudia sniffled, her eyes red from crying.
Jeffery wiped her tears. "Aunt Claudia, it's okay now, don't cry."
Claudia held his small hand and nodded firmly. "Okay."
But then she swayed, her vision darkened, and she fainted.
Jair caught her. "Claudia!"
When Josephine and Laura got the news and rushed to the hospital, Claudia was still out cold.
"What on earth happened?" Laura was furious. "How come Claudia just passed out like that? What went down?"
Jeffery clung to Josephine's neck, staying silent.
Stuart, having dealt with Robin, hurried over. Seeing Laura's outburst, he was a bit scared too.
The most unfortunate was Steven, who had just returned to the country. Seeing the furious Laura, he decided to pick her up and take her away first.
Laura struggled in his arms, kicking and punching.
But Steven remained unaffected.
He carried her to the car, and Laura's hand, flailing wildly, slapped Steven's face with a crisp sound, making her pause.
The next second, Steven grabbed her wrist and gently kissed it. "Laura, I missed you so much."
Seeing Laura leave, Josephine bypassed Stuart and asked Jair, "What happened?"
Jair glanced at Stuart. "Let him explain. You two find a place to talk; I'll stay with Claudia."
Josephine frowned. "No need. As long as they're okay, you can go. I'll ask Claudia when she wakes up."
"Josephine," Stuart said, "I'm sorry."
Josephine was puzzled. "Why are you apologizing to me?"
Jair quickly took Jeffery and pushed Stuart. "You two go talk over there."
Josephine sighed. Stuart held her wrist and pulled her away.
"I can walk by myself," she said, pulling her hand free.
They walked to the end of the corridor.
Josephine looked back to see Jair carrying Jeffery into the ward.
Stuart spoke first, "The doc said Claudia's cool, just got all shook up and passed out. She'll be okay when she wakes up."
Josephine asked, "So? What exactly happened?"
"It was Robin," Stuart briefly explained the situation and concluded, "It's my fault. I didn't anticipate him doing such a thing, which scared Jeffery."
Josephine was terrified. "Robin? He's simply inhuman!"
She turned to leave.
Just thinking about Robin holding Jeffery hostage and scaring Claudia like that made Josephine want to kill him!
Stuart comforted, "Josephine, don't worry. Claudia is fine, and Jeffery is fine too."
"How can they be fine!" Tears welled up in Josephine's eyes. "Jeffery is still a child! Even adults can't handle this, let alone him!"
Stuart said, "I'm sorry."
Josephine took a deep breath to calm herself, then said, "Hey, it ain't on you; no need to say sorry. My bad for getting all worked up."
Stuart added, "I messed it all up."
Seeing her tears, Stuart's heart ached. He wanted to hold her and comfort her.
But his fingers twitched, and he didn't even have the courage to hug her.
Everyone had a dark side.
He didn't want to admit it, but Robin was right about one thing.
He sometimes wished Jeffery didn't exist.
At least, there wouldn't be so many barriers between him and Josephine.
Even though this thought only flashed through his mind, Stuart felt guilty and ashamed.
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