"Are we just going to watch Veronica get bullied and do nothing?" Georgie, still indignant, asked, though his mother had suppressed him.
In fact, the distressing situation the girl encountered was indeed very difficult to handle.
Finally, Connie spoke up, "How about this, Veronica stays with us for a few days. She can go home after that bad-tempered man is gone…"
According to Connie, the man's character was so deplorable that Veronica's mother would eventually discover his true colors and break up with him.
Before that, everyone just needed to protect Veronica and keep her from being harassed by that man.
Compared to Georgie's aggressive approach, Connie's relatively gentle suggestion was clearly more suitable for the current situation.
Georgie, having calmed down, also agreed with Connie's suggestion.
Immediately, he spoke, "Veronica can stay in my room first…"
Georgie originally wanted to say that the girl could stay at his house, and he would protect her. But seeing the strange looks from everyone, he knew they had misunderstood.
"I mean, she can stay in my room, and I'll make do on the sofa for a few days," Georgie quickly explained.
He had been misunderstood once before in a similar situation.
"We didn't think anything of it…" George smiled and patted his eldest son's shoulder, praising him, "What you're doing is very good, it shows you've grown up."
No matter what, Georgie's intention to protect the girl this time was genuine.
Veronica, who had received help from across the way, also spoke gratefully, "Thank you, Georgie."
For a girl currently in a quagmire, Georgie's selfless act now was nothing short of a ray of dawn.
"It's nothing, it's what I should do…" Georgie, who didn't think he had done anything special, rubbed his head a little shyly after receiving the girl's sincere thanks.
But when he noticed that Paige's older sister, Erica, also had an approving expression.
Georgie immediately straightened his back, putting on a very manly front, and said, "Don't worry, Veronica, with me here, no one will ever hurt you."
Girls of fifteen or sixteen are at an age where they admire heroes. Georgie's current demeanor fit the image of a hero perfectly.
Of course, the premise was that the smile on his face wasn't so exaggerated. Because no hero's mouth stretches to their ears when they're happy.
But no matter what, Veronica, now settled, was temporarily safe.
Afterward, in the following days, Georgie, having sold his second batch of crystal balls, paused his money-making plans.
He used the money earned from reselling the crystal balls to invite Veronica and Erica to go out and play several times.
At this point, he could be said to have enjoyed the same treatment that only Mike received.
Just like that, another week passed.
On this day, a man reeking of alcohol knocked on the Cooper family door.
"Who are you looking for?" George opened the door and asked with a frown after seeing the man's appearance.
The man, reeking of alcohol and looking dispirited, had large tattoos on his neck and did not look like a good person at all.
"Is Veronica here?" the man asked.
"You are?" George clearly had an idea of the man's identity, so while stalling for time, he did not move away from the doorway.
Seeing George's wary expression, the man explained, "I'm Veronica's mother's boyfriend. She misses her daughter very much right now, so she asked me to come and take her back…"
Just as George was contemplating whether the man was lying, Veronica, hearing the commotion at the door, also arrived with Georgie and others.
At the same time, Connie, who lived across the street, also noticed the situation at the Cooper family door.
So, she called Mike and prepared to go help.
"So you really are here, come back with me…" The man's eyes lit up when he saw Veronica, and he immediately moved to grab her.
"You're that tasteless man!" Georgie also guessed the man's identity.
While shielding Veronica behind him, he glared furiously at the man in front of him.
"Who are you? What right do you have to meddle in Veronica's affairs?" The man, blocked, likewise looked at Georgie unhappily.
"I'm her… good, good friend—" In the past few days, Georgie and Veronica's relationship had progressed quickly, but they hadn't reached the point of confirming a romantic relationship.
However, this did not stop Georgie from standing up for the girl.
At this moment, he looked like a man, staring at the man opposite him, and reprimanded, "I know all your dirty deeds. With me here, you'll never harm Veronica again, not even a single hair—"
"What did you say? Say it again if you dare—" The man opposite, his little secret exposed, became furious and wanted to step forward to teach Georgie a lesson.
Some things are like this: easy to do, hard to talk about.
Once exposed publicly, it is tantamount to social death.
At this moment, the man who had come to the Cooper family door was in such a situation. His current anger was probably an attempt to cover up his previous sordid behavior with bluster.
"What, are you afraid of others talking about what you've done yourself?" Georgie, in an agitated state, did not give the other party any face.
Moreover, taking advantage of the man's guilt, Georgie even launched a sneak attack, landing two solid "thump-thump" punches on the man's annoying face.
Then, the two began to wrestle.
George, who was watching the situation unfold from the side, was about to step forward to break up the fight.
And at the same time, Mike, who had come to help, also understood the whole story.
He first pulled George aside, motioned for him to look to the side, and then whispered, "With us here, Georgie will be fine. Let him show off a bit first…"
This situation was a good opportunity for Georgie to gain the girl's favor.
Veronica, who was being protected on the side, looked at Georgie's heroic display of defending her, her face filled with emotion.
Even Erica, who had come over to play, looked at Georgie with some admiration.
So, for Georgie's future happiness, it wouldn't be a loss even if he took a few hits this time.
Moreover, the man in the field, although tall, looked very weak. If it came to a real fight, Georgie might not necessarily suffer a disadvantage.
Sure enough, in the subsequent confrontation, Georgie, with his experience in football tackles, did not encounter any surprises.
With agile footwork, he landed several more blows on the man.
The man opposite, having suffered repeated losses, turned red with anger, and it looked like he was about to resort to dirty tricks.
Realizing that something was wrong, Mike, while shouting "Stop fighting," quickly stepped forward and restrained the man.
George, also reacting, immediately stepped forward to the other side and controlled the man's arm.
At this point, Georgie, who had gotten a bit worked up and was no longer being restrained, unchivalrously stepped forward and landed two solid punches on the man's face.
Hitting him until the man saw stars and his nose bled profusely…
The beaten man quickly realized that although Mike and the other person seemed to be breaking up the fight, they were actually targeting him.
So, he threatened, "You guys just wait for me. If you don't kill me this time, I'll definitely kill you later—"
Hearing the man's threat, Mike shook his head speechlessly.
The man really couldn't recognize the situation!
This was good too, Mike had always disdained the man's character. So, upon hearing the threat, he unceremoniously gave the man a kidney shot with his elbow.
"Ugh—"
The man, hit in a vital spot, immediately had his eyes bulge, curled into a ball, and almost vomited his guts out.
Looking at the man lying on the ground, tears and snot streaming, with a pained expression.
George, who had never seen such a scene, asked worriedly, "Mike, will he be okay in this condition?"
"He's fine," Mike shook his head and explained, "I controlled the force of my blow. At most, he'll lose one kidney, and he'll be fine after a rest."
You're a devil!
Looking at the calm Mike, George wisely did not ask any more questions.
After all, what the man lying on the ground had done was indeed very tasteless. Suffering some punishment was not worthy of sympathy.