Rebirth Revenge Is Everything (Ariana) novel Chapter 557

Unfortunately, the little chubby boy couldn't comprehend his father's well-intentioned efforts.

When Lucian's mother smiled and said she didn't mind, the boy was convinced she was just pretending—just like the wicked stepmother in Snow White, all sweetness on the surface but rotten inside!

So he blurted out, "I don't need you to say anything! You're a bad woman! Lucian is a bad kid too! I just don’t like him!"

The moment those words left his mouth, the already subdued atmosphere in the hall plunged into icy silence.

Even the boy’s own father froze in shock.

Lambert’s gaze turned frigid in an instant. Before, his indifference had been superficial, merely a way of brushing off Cedric.

But now, his coldness was real.

Even from a distance, Cedric could feel the piercing, bone-chilling intensity of that glare.

Cedric’s expression darkened.

At first, he was stunned, but he quickly regained his composure. His eyes turned equally cold as he stared at his son, his voice devoid of warmth. "Who taught you to say such things? You’ve barely started school—how would you know who’s good or bad?"

His words were a subtle message to Lambert and Ariana: 'I had no part in this.'

Moreover, his son was only four—barely a few days into kindergarten. He didn’t even know Lucian. Clearly, someone else had put these ideas in his head.

But Lambert wasn’t interested in excuses. Though ruthless by nature, he wouldn’t hold a grudge against a child. If anyone was to blame, it was the father.

And so, Cedric instantly felt as though a thousand needles were pressing into his back, the pain so sharp it made him tremble.

He gritted his teeth before raising his head to address Lambert and Ariana. "Mr. Stone, Ms. White, I truly had no knowledge of this matter. I have no idea where this boy heard such things. But one thing is certain—someone must have deliberately instigated this. Let me be frank, my son has always been a bit slow-witted. He would never say such things unless someone put him up to it. I hope President Stone can see through this and not let malicious individuals drive a wedge between the Stone and Castro families."

Cedric spoke earnestly, his words devoid of any veiled threat leveraging the Castro family's influence. Instead, he carefully dissected the situation, framing it as a deliberate attempt to sabotage or provoke conflict between the two families. There was no denying it—Cedric was a shrewd man, his way with words no less refined than Lambert's or Ronaldo's.

It seemed Damon had good reason to appoint him as his deputy.

The corner of Lambert's lips curled slightly.

Of course, he understood that a little brat wouldn’t spout such nonsense without reason. But that wasn’t his main concern right now. What bothered him was... the label "bad woman" directed at Ariana. Why?

The chubby boy had sensed the shift in the atmosphere the moment those words left his mouth.

His legs trembled with fear, and tears welled up in his eyes, threatening to spill.

Lucian, visibly upset, snapped angrily, "Your mom’s the bad woman! Mine isn’t! I don’t want to play with you, and I don’t like you! Pfft!"

Ariana: "..."

While she was touched by her son’s defense, that "pfft"...

Where on earth had he picked that up? Hadn’t she raised him to be a proper little gentleman?

Even Lambert, his own father, narrowed his eyes slightly. But now wasn’t the time to scold their son for his outburst—there were more pressing matters. Lambert lowered his gaze coolly at the terrified, pale-faced boy who looked on the verge of tears and asked, "Who told you to say that?"

So Cedric was truly unaware of this matter.

Ariana understood exactly how this situation had unfolded. Without making a big deal of it, she simply smiled at Cedric and said, "I know. It's just a minor misunderstanding—no need to blow it out of proportion. Look, the poor kid’s already scared to tears. Vice President Castro, you’d better take him home and comfort him. That pitiful little face of his is breaking my heart."

Ariana wasn’t one to dwell on trivial matters.

Since she genuinely didn’t consider this incident worth her attention, her expression remained perfectly composed.

Besides, she honestly found the chubby little boy rather endearing—and yes, a bit pitiful too.

The boy lifted his tear-filled, round eyes to peek at Lucian’s mother. The warm, amused patience in her gaze reminded him of the way his grandmother always looked at him—something even his own mother rarely did. Suddenly, she didn’t seem so scary after all.

Or maybe he was just so irresistibly cute that even Lucian’s mom couldn’t stay mad at him.

Pleased with this thought, the little boy lowered his head, hiding a small, self-satisfied smile.

Cedric, unable to see his son’s expression clearly, assumed he was still trembling in fear. His heart softened despite himself. Glancing at Ariana, then at Lambert—whose face remained as impassive as ever—he finally said, "Thank you, President Stone, and... thank you, Madam."

After exchanging a few more polite pleasantries with Ariana, Cedric took his son’s hand and prepared to leave.

But before they stepped away, the little boy turned awkwardly toward Lucian and mumbled a barely audible "Sorry."

Lucian snorted, arms crossed, making it clear he wasn’t accepting any apologies.

The boy’s lips quivered even more, his face crumpling further.