The middle-aged guy smirked at him, "Mr. Haustia, you see, in front of all these people..."
"You gotta understand, if you don't teach your kid, someone else will. Or do you want me to do it?"
The middle-aged guy quickly shook his head. "No, no, I'll handle it!"
He then walked up to the young man and slapped him twice. "You messed with the wrong person! How many times have I told you? Go apologize to Mr. Haustia!"
The young man, who had been all cocky just moments ago, saw his dad's reaction and realized he had messed up big time. He didn't resist and obediently apologized.
Stuart's cold gaze swept over him and then turned to the people around him. "In the future, watch your words and actions, or it won't just be a beating."
The middle-aged guy led the young man away, nodding and bowing.
The crowd gradually dispersed. The host walked over and asked Stuart with a smile, "Why are you still so impulsive at your age?"
Stuart adjusted his cufflinks and said, "Sorry, I was a bit impulsive. But if it happens again, I'll still hit."
"So, what did he do to provoke you?"
Stuart said, "Nothing much. To express my apology, I'll give you an extra percentage point on the project we discussed earlier."
The host couldn't stop smiling. "That's great, thank you! Make sure to come to more gatherings like this in the future!"
Stuart chatted with him for a bit, then looked up and noticed Nicole and Josephine were gone. He took out his phone and sent a message to Josephine.
Josephine quickly replied: [Are you okay? Why did you get into a fight?]
Stuart replied: [I'm fine, I'm good at fighting.]
Josephine replied: [How old are you, still getting into fights? And you're proud of it?]
Stuart held his phone, stayed silent for a few seconds, and then typed: [It won't happen again.]
Nicole asked Josephine, "Who are you chatting with?"
"No one." Josephine smiled and put her phone away. "Mom, are you tired? Do you want to sit for a while?"
Nicole also wanted to talk to her about Stuart. She said, "Okay, let's find a quiet place."
The two were heading to the terrace when they heard someone talking. Just as they were about to leave, they heard Stuart's name.
Josephine paused.
They overheard the conversation.
"Who would've thought Stuart was so crazy, just went up and beat the guy!"
"I heard he's Josephine's ex-husband and is now pursuing her. He heard someone badmouthing Josephine, how could he not be angry?"
"Josephine is lucky, now being the daughter of The Clarence Family. Those people may not say it, but who wouldn't want to get close to her?"
"That guy deserved it. Nothing good ever comes out of his mouth."
"I heard he said if he made a move, Josephine would come running to him or something like that."
"Then he deserved the beating."
Josephine and Nicole left the area and found another place to sit.
After a long silence, Nicole spoke, "Josephine, I was wrong before. I thought you should meet more friends. But now I see, not every man is good."
"Mom, it's that person's character issue. Most of the friends you introduced me to are very nice.""Alright, stop comforting me. I'm old, I don't know what you young folks want anymore."
"Mom," Josephine held her hand, "I know you mean well. I'm happy you introduced me to friends."
"But if I don't let you see Stuart, are you unhappy?"
"No," Josephine shook her head, "I know you're looking out for me. Stuart did make mistakes before. If I were a mother, I wouldn't want my daughter to get hurt again either."
"Josephine," Nicole stroked her hair, "I'm really grateful to God for giving me such a beautiful daughter."
She still felt emotional, thinking such a good daughter like Josephine would end up with Stuart. Although fighting wasn't good behavior, considering he did it for Josephine's honor, it seemed somewhat acceptable.
Nicole added, "Let's stay in this weekend. If Stuart is free, invite him over for dinner."
"Okay," Josephine said, then suddenly realized, "Mom, what did you say?"
Nicole saw her surprised look and couldn't help but laugh, "You say you don't care about him? Just mentioning dinner makes you so happy."
"Really?" Josephine indeed smiled, "Mom, you're the best! I love you the most!" She then hugged Nicole.
Nicole patted her back, "How old are you, still acting like a child." Though she said that, she enjoyed it.
Meanwhile, Stuart hadn't received a reply from Josephine. Checking the time, he sent her a message and left early.
Halfway home, his phone rang. He quickly picked it up, and his casual expression instantly changed. He straightened up and stared at his phone.
The driver was startled by his sudden movement.
"Stop the car," Stuart ordered.
The driver quickly pulled over.
Stuart got out and called Josephine.
Nicole was talking to the host, and Josephine found a place to answer.
"Josephine?" Stuart's voice was excited, "Did Nicole really agree to let me come over this weekend?"
"Yes, your fight today earned you some points."
Stuart felt uneasy, "Does Nicole have an even worse impression of me now? I couldn't hold back. I promise, I won't fight again."
Josephine asked, "Did you fight because of me?"
"No," Stuart quickly said, "I was just too impulsive."
Josephine smiled, "Okay, I understand. My mom is coming over, talk to you later."
Stuart calmed down outside the car before getting back in. He looked up what gifts to bring for a first visit to Josephine's house. After a long search, he felt none were suitable.
He thought he should prepare something more valuable. Andrew probably had some good stuff. He thought for a moment and called him.
Josephine didn't know Stuart was eyeing Andrew's things. After she and Nicole returned, Nicole complained to Gerald while Josephine was showering.
She didn't know the young man, but she had some impression of the middle-aged man and knew what his family did.
"Teach their family a lesson!" Nicole said angrily, "That kid is bad! How dare he talk about Josephine like that!"
Gerald was also furious, "Alright, Mom, don't be angry. I'll handle it."
The middle-aged man never expected that his son's careless words would offend both the Haustia Family and The Clarence Family.