Chapter 866
866:
Dustin tried to keep it in, but the boy’s fiery declaration cracked his composure. Laughter slipped out before he could stop it.
Face flushed and fuming, Zander began to wriggle furiously. “Hey! You back there! Let me go! You’re laughing at a kid! That makes you a terrible grown-up!”
It dawned on Dustin—he never imagined he would be trading barbs with someone barely tall enough to reach the counter.
“Oh, so you do know you’re just a kid?” Dustin arched an eyebrow, lips twitching with amusement. “Then act like one. Who told you it was smart to come pick fights with grown-ups?”
Without much effort, he scooped Zander off the floor like a bag of groceries, prompting the boy to yelp twice in startled protest. “Look at that. One hand. I don’t even need both. Come back when you’ve got some height on you, little warrior.”
Zander couldn’t wriggle free. Every squirm only made it more obvious that he was completely outmatched.
Being so easily manhandled by Dustin made his chest burn with humiliation.
Heat rushed to his cheeks as his emotions tangled—shame, fury, and helplessness all colliding at once. The more he dwelled on his failure, the heavier the weight of disappointment became. He hadn’t even managed to stand up for his mom.
A few tears betrayed him, slipping down his face and landing directly on Dustin’s hand.
Startled, Dustin recoiled slightly. “Hey, hey—what’s this now? Don’t cry! You win, okay? Just—stop with the waterworks. Kid tears give me a damn headache.”
𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁: ⳑ𝗮𝗅𝗇𝗈ν𝗍𝖊𝗅𝘀⸱𝖼𝗈𝗆
With a helpless glance, he turned toward Collin, silently asking for backup.
Rather than responding, Collin stood motionless, his eyes narrowed and fixed on Zander as though he were decoding some complex equation.
It seemed even Collin wasn’t equipped to deal with a sobbing child. That’s what Dustin figured, still clueless that Collin’s thoughts had already wandered miles away.
As he looked at Zander’s tear-streaked face and red eyes, Collin’s thoughts drifted to Linsey. Strange—why did this child remind him so much of her?
That sudden realization jerked Collin back to the present.
Without a word, he stepped forward and gently lifted Zander from Dustin’s arms.
“I’ve got him,” he said, adjusting the boy’s weight more comfortably. “He must feel uncomfortable that way.”
Zander blinked, caught off guard by the shift. Before he could react, he found himself resting against Collin’s chest.
A reflex had him wriggling in protest, but Collin’s composed tone halted his movement. “Didn’t you come here to challenge me?” he asked. “Let’s settle it, man to man.”
Zander stiffened, clearly startled by the offer. His wide eyes scanned Collin’s serious expression, and his voice softened as he responded, “I want that duel.”
Collin nodded seriously. “You’re too young for us to settle this with a physical contest. Let us try another method to determine the winner.”
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