恶霸鲁尼 奖学金

[ At Towerville City Hospital... ]

After his morning class, Little Ethan headed straight to the hospital to visit Abigail together with his bodyguard. When he entered the VIP ward he saw Cherry assisting Abigail. The two ladies just came out of the bathroom. It looked like Cherry helped Abigail in taking a shower.

"Miss Abi!" Ethan ran in Abigail\'s direction, hugging her legs as soon as he reached her spot.

"Little Ethan, you are here," Abigail smiled faintly, stroking his hair. This young boy was so sweet. He was holding a bouquet of flowers.

"Yes. I don\'t have class in the afternoon so I decided to drop by. Besides, I am missing you." Ethan put on his puppy-eyed look while giving her a charming smile. Then he turned to Cherry to greet her. "Hi, Miss Cherry. Thank you for taking care of Miss Abi on my behalf."

"It\'s my pleasure, young master Ethan. No need to thank me." Cherry ruffled Ethan\'s hair as she laughed. \'This young boy is so considerate, kind, and polite. I like him.\'

"Where is Dad?" Ethan asked the two ladies as he roamed his eyes around the room. "Is he not here?"

Abigail bobbed her head and grabbed Ethan\'s hand, guiding him to the sofa. "Your Dad seems so busy. He will come tonight once he is done with his work."

Nathan was still tracking and searching for the location of the Red Dragon Mafia\'s Sanitarium. He couldn\'t work in front of Abigail so he went to the Syphiruz Mafia\'s Headquarters.

"Okay, Miss Abi. At least, I can have you for myself since Dad is not around," Little Ethan mumbled as he glanced at Abigail teasingly. For the past two days, Ethan had seen how Nathan took care of Abigail and he stayed by her side.

He was a little bit jealous but he was happy since he could feel that his father was starting to like and care for Abigail.

Meanwhile, Abigail couldn\'t help but smile as well just thinking about Nathan. The devil had softened for the past few days. He was treating her so well and he was acting kind and generous. She appreciated his sweet gestures.

"Young master, what do you want to eat? I will prepare it for you," Cherry said. The private ward was spacious. There was an area for cooking. It\'s a mini kitchen where Cherry could cook.

"Pasta!" Ethan replied, his eyes sparkling. Ethan loved to eat pasta.

"Ok. Young Master. I will cook it for you."

"Thank you, Miss Cherry."

Cherry was about to prepare the ingredients when they heard a knock outside the door. Instead of heading to the mini kitchen, Cherry proceeded to the door to welcome another visitor.

When she opened the door, Aiden\'s gorgeous face came into her view. The two met each other\'s eyes for several seconds, just staring at their faces.

Finally, Aiden showed up once again after he stole a kiss from her. Cherry was about to punch him when Aiden moved quickly. He stepped back and dragged someone from his side, using that person as his shield against Cherry\'s attack.

Cherry\'s fist stopped midway even before she could land a punch on someone else\'s face. She cursed Aiden inwardly as she almost punched the wrong person.

"I\'m sorry, sir..." Cherry retreated her fist as she apologized to the person. Then she shot Aiden a deathly glare as if telling him, \'Just you wait. I\'m gonna beat you soon.\'

Meanwhile, the person standing in the middle of Cherry and Aiden was none other than Stephen. Aiden knew that Stephen would visit Abigail today so he also came with him. He was afraid that once he was alone, Cherry would beat him into a pulp.

"Uncle Stephen! Uncle Aiden!" Little Ethan\'s voice resounded in the ward as he called on their names. He was glad to see them both.

Stephen just smiled at Cherry and shifted his gaze to Ethan. He waved at him before marching forward. Aiden followed him right away to avoid Cherry\'s wrath.

"My godson is here. How are you, Little One?" Stephen approached Abigail and Ethan.

"I\'m fine, Uncle. I\'m here to take care of Miss Abi." The young boy spoke enthusiastically.

"Good boy," Stephen tapped the tip of Ethan\'s nose. Then he glanced at Abigail. "I\'m sorry, it took me a while before I was able to visit you. How are your wounds?" Stephen asked Abigail softly.

"They are recovering fast. But I can\'t use my right hand for now, and I have to be careful when moving around." Abigail waved her hand, inviting Stephen to sit next to them.

Stephen just nodded his head and sat down next to Ethan. He faced Abigail and gave her a grateful look. "Miss Abi... Thank you for protecting Nathan. We owe you."

"No need to mention it, Stephen. I was just returning the favor. I feel grateful to Mr. Sparks for letting me stay in his mansion. I also felt secure in his place so it was my turn to protect him at that time."

"I understand..." Stephen mumbled, turning to Aiden who had just arrived. He also sat down next to Stephen. The four of them were now sitting on that long sofa while Cherry stood in front of them.

Her sharp gaze was still directed at Aiden. But Aiden avoided looking in her direction. He tried to hide from her by sinking into Stephen\'s side.

"I\'m going to cook snacks. Do you want to eat Pasta too?" Cherry asked the newcomer.

"Yes, I would love to." Stephen promptly responded.

Aiden just pouted his lips since Cherry didn\'t even ask him. Only Stephen.

On the other hand, Little Ethan hastily stood up, grabbing Cherry\'s hand. He faced his Uncle Stephen and said, "Uncle Steph, I would like you to meet Miss Cherry! She is a good cook. All the food she cooks is delicious. She is a wife-material, Uncle."

Stephen: "..."

Cherry\'s jaw dropped after hearing Little Ethan\'s way of introducing her to Stephen. It was too obvious that the young boy was matchmaking the two.

Abigail giggled because of Little Ethan. She could sense his real motive. He was playing cupid once more.

Meanwhile, Aiden\'s face contorted as he gazed at Little Ethan. He sucked his teeth and shook his head. He wrapped his arms around Stephen\'s shoulders and butted in.

"My dear godson, you are mistaken. Your Uncle Stephen is not interested in women. He is busy with his work. He is not planning to marry someone!"

Stephen arched his eyebrow while gazing at his best friend sharply. He didn\'t have to say that in front of a kid... most especially in front of Abigail and Cherry.

"Oh, really? If I could remember well, it was you who didn\'t want to marry someone. You are always running away from commitment. You change your girlfriends every week and every month!" Little Ethan didn\'t filter his words as he targeted his Uncle Aiden.

"Pffft!" Stephen tried to hold his laughter but failed. Ethan just disclosed Aiden\'s bad reputation.

Cherry shot him a cold sharp glare after hearing this. She couldn\'t accept that this playboy became her first kiss! So unromantic!

\'I want to beat him right here right then!\' Cherry folded her hands into fists and ground her teeth, giving Aiden a deathly glare.

Aiden felt the chill in Cherry\'s gaze. His body stiffened and he wanted to hide from her. He immediately shook his head and waved his hands as if he was telling Cherry not to listen to Ethan.

"Cough! Cough! Don\'t joke around like that, my dearest godson! I\'m a gentleman! A true gentleman. You can ask your Uncle Steph." Aiden quickly glanced at Stephen with his pleading eyes. He was asking for help. He didn\'t want to have a bad image in front of Cherry.

Stephen could only shrug his shoulders. He didn\'t want to lie. Aiden might be a gentleman but it was also true that he changed girlfriends every month.

"Young Master... I will have to cook now so that you can eat your favorite pasta." Cherry changed the topic and excused herself to them. She was already pissed off by Aiden so she didn\'t want to stay longer there and interact with him.

Aiden could only sigh deeply, feeling dejected as he watched Cherry\'s back. \'Now, she hates me more... How can I tame this wild cat and fierce woman? Tsk... tsk.. tsk...\'

"Why are you bullying me, Ethan?" Aiden lamented when Cherry left.

"I\'m not bullying you, Uncle! I\'m just stating a fact." Ethan responded matter-of-factly.

"Ouch! I feel hurt and offended!" Aiden put on a pitiful face. "Abi, please defend me!" He looked for an ally.

Abigail smiled and said, "Just prove them wrong. This is your chance to change and become a better man... a true gentleman."

Stephen and Little Ethan erupted into a peal of laughter as the three of them ganged up on him.

"Sigh. I\'m a good person. But why do I get bullied by everyone? No one loves me. Even my best friend betrayed me. My godson doesn\'t care about my feelings." Aiden complained exasperatedly.

Stephen just leaned closer to Aiden and whispered, "Hey, Do you like her? That Cherry girl?"

"Of course, not!" Aiden denied it but his face was blushing.

Stephen just eyed him suspiciously while grinning from ear to ear. "Are you finally in love?" Stephen asked again expectantly.

"No! He can\'t! Not Cherry. I will be against it!" Abigail suddenly blurted out, making the three boys look at her.

"Why?" Aiden asked her in disbelief. "Perhaps, do you like me, Miss Abi?"

Stephen and Ethan both squinted their eyes at Aiden. He was too confident to say that.

Abigail smiled sarcastically and said, "I don\'t like \'Flower Boy... I love tough men..."

Aiden: "..."

Stephen and Ethan burst into a peal of laughter once more.

*****

Note:

A "Flower boy" can be described as a man having a soft appearance, smooth skin, decent manners, and wearing fashionable makeup and clothes. A typical flower boy is the opposite of the patriarchal "tough" male.