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Chapter 191: Chapter 191: Thank You, Cousin-in-law

Lynn Winslow let out a shameless laugh. When Elder Winslow shot her a glare, she quickly clapped a hand over her mouth, feigning innocence.

Elder Winslow looked away from her and gently comforted Aiden Powell. ”Aiden, what you did was wrong. But can you tell me why you bullied your classmate?”

Sobbing, Aiden Powell refused to speak. Mr. Powell huffed from the side. ”What other reason could there be? Being born into the Powell family seems to have given him the right to throw his weight around and bully people however he pleases. I don’t know who he gets it from, being such a little terror.”

”He gets it from you!” Elder Winslow looked up at Mr. Powell with a frown. ”Would you please stop interrupting? We’re talking, and this has nothing to do with you.”

Mr. Powell shot to his feet, protesting loudly, ”I’m his grandfather! Are you saying I can’t speak?”

Lynn Winslow also sensed that something was off with Aiden Powell. She quickly got up, linked her arm through Mr. Powell’s, and guided him aside. ”Grandpa, don’t be angry,” she said as they walked. ”I don’t think Aiden would bully a classmate for no reason, either. If he’s not talking, there must be a reason for his silence.”

Mr. Powell glanced back at Aiden, who was standing opposite Elder Winslow, and sighed. ”I really don’t know who this kid takes after. Your uncles were never like this.”

Lynn Winslow said nothing, her eyes simply flicking over Mr. Powell’s face.

’Who else could he possibly take after? You, obviously. With a temper like yours, who else could it be but you?’

Standing before Elder Winslow and seeing the kindness in his eyes, Aiden Powell finally broke down, letting out a loud wail as he burst into tears.

Lynn Winslow looked over to see Aiden crying as he threw himself into Elder Winslow’s arms. ”He started it!” Aiden sobbed, his voice thick with grievance. ”He said the only reason I don’t get hit is because my family is rich! He said as soon as we run out of money, he’s going to beat me up! He even said the Powell family will go bankrupt sooner or later.”

Lynn Winslow’s brow furrowed. ’How could someone so young say things like that?’

Aiden continued, ”He insulted my brother and his girlfriend, and he insulted my grandpa. I just couldn’t take it anymore, so I hit him.”

This time, Mr. Powell was truly furious. But his anger wasn’t directed at Aiden. It was aimed at the Warren family, who had demanded hundreds of thousands in compensation just because Aiden had hit their son.

He whipped out his phone, dialed Ethan Powell, and immediately ripped into him.

”Is this how you’re a big brother, huh? Your little brother gets bullied and taken for a ride, and you don’t even know about it? Instead, you blame him for being immature! Oh, you’re just so capable, aren’t you? So clever!”

”I’m telling you, go deal with the Warren family right now. We can pay the money, but the Powell family will not let this slide.”

”...”

Lynn Winslow couldn’t hear what was being said on the other end of the line. All she knew was that her grandfather changed his tune faster than someone could flip a page. ’I guess my own quick temper must be inherited from him, too,’ she mused.

She didn’t stick around to listen to her grandpa’s tirade. Walking over to Elder Winslow, she looked at Aiden, who was still crying in the old man’s arms, and said softly, ”Aiden, stop crying for a minute.”

Aiden obediently choked back his tears and pulled away from Elder Winslow. His big eyes were already swollen from crying.

Lynn Winslow reached out and ruffled his hair. ”I know you feel wronged,” she said in a low voice, ”but hitting him isn’t going to make him realize he was in the wrong.” ℯ

Aiden Powell stared at her with a lost expression. A faint smile touched Lynn Winslow’s lips. She pulled a tissue from the table and began wiping his tears. ”Didn’t he say you use your family’s power to bully people? Well then, you should show him what that really looks like. Not only do you need to make him understand you’re not someone to be messed with, but you also need to show him that his fantasy of the Powell family going bankrupt is never going to happen.”

”You just hit him. Sure, it felt good for a moment, but now you have to pay him, and you’re the one who has to suffer in silence.”

Aiden nodded, still looking a little dazed. Seeing that he hadn’t quite processed it, Lynn Winslow chuckled. ”Alright, how about this? Your cousin and your future cousin-in-law are taking our grandfathers on a trip, and we’ll bring you with us. Have you ever been to Griermount?”

”No,” Aiden said, his voice still choked with emotion. He glanced cautiously at Mr. Powell, who was still on the phone, before looking away again. ”Grandpa is so angry.”

”He’s not angry at you,” Ian Sterling said, his heart leaping with joy at Lynn’s ”cousin-in-law” comment. He stood up and ruffled Aiden’s short hair. ”He’s angry at himself for scolding you without knowing the whole story, and he’s angry at your brother for pulling you out of school as his first move.” He sighed in resignation. ”Everyone in the Powell family is so clever. How did you end up so straightforward?”

’Kids from prominent families like theirs never got their own hands dirty if they really wanted to handle someone.’

Aiden finally started to feel embarrassed. He wiped his tears with the back of his hand and turned his head away, not daring to look at Lynn Winslow.

Lynn Winslow chuckled, deciding not to tease him. Seeing his tear-streaked face, she took him by the hand, led him back into the villa, and had him wash his face in the first-floor bathroom.

Once Aiden had washed up, they started walking out together. As they passed the cat tree where Kiki and Humph were lounging, Aiden shot what he thought was a stealthy glance up at them. But he was still young, and his every emotion was written plainly on his face.

Lynn Winslow easily caught his glance and looked up, calling out to her two cats.

One after the other, Kiki and Humph leaped down. The moment they landed, they came pattering over to Lynn and started rubbing against her legs.

Lynn Winslow crouched down and scooped up Kiki and Humph. It took a bit of effort, but she held the two cats out in front of Aiden and chuckled. ”Want to hold them?”

Aiden’s eyes lit up, and he nodded enthusiastically. Seeing how eager he was, Lynn didn’t bother to check if he could actually handle both big cats. She simply let go, dropping them right into Aiden’s arms.

Caught off guard, Aiden tumbled to the ground. He didn’t seem to feel any pain, though. Cradling the two cats, he was grinning from ear to ear, burying his little face in their fur and nuzzling them nonstop.

Lynn Winslow stood to the side, finding the scene both exasperating and amusing.

Ian Sterling walked in and took in the scene with the two people and two cats. ”Ethan Powell and Sheila Lowell will be here any minute,” he said with a sigh.

”What are they coming for? To stop Aiden from going to Griermount with us?”

”I don’t know what was said. After he got off the phone, Mr. Powell just said they were coming.” Seeing the disappointment written all over Aiden’s face, Ian crouched down and asked, ”Do you want to go with us?”

Aiden nodded emphatically. ”I do.”

A smile touched Ian Sterling’s lips. ”If you want to go, then you’ll go,” he said simply. ”Don’t worry about your brother. I’ll talk to him.”

”Thanks!” Aiden said. Then, feeling like he should add something more, he quickly tacked on another sentence.

”Thanks, cousin-in-law!”

Ian Sterling let out a soft sound of approval. The more he looked at this kid, the more he liked him.

Lynn Winslow rolled her eyes. She had no one to blame but herself. After all, she was the one who had casually tossed out the title in the first place.

Ethan Powell and Sheila Lowell arrived shortly after. When they saw Aiden with his red, swollen eyes, clutching Humph and refusing to let go, neither of them looked very pleased.

Sheila Lowell walked over to Aiden, bent down, and asked gently, ”Why didn’t you want to tell your brother and me what happened?”