Chapter 46 I'd like to ask Mr.Gordon to watch the door for me.
"Mommy, I miss Mr. Thomas so much, let's hurry home!"
Samantha urged.
Nora glanced back at her, emotions swirling.
Aaron wasn't the low-profile Thomas forever, he'd leave someday.
She just hoped her daughter wouldn't take it too hard when the time came.
The car hummed along back to the townhouse.
"Mr. Thomas, I missed you so much. Did you miss me?"
Samantha dashed into Aaron's arms the moment they entered.
Aaron smiled warmly, ruffling her hair, "Of course, I missed you."
"Mr. Thomas, look! The teacher gave me three stickers!"
Samantha pointed to the stickers on her hand, her little face beaming for praise.
"That's awesome!" Aaron didn't skimp on the compliments.
"Mr. Thomas, I got one too."
Billy showed off a cartoon sticker on his wrist.
"You're awesome too, Billy."
Aaron gave him a thumbs up.
"Guess who didn't get any," teased Samantha.
Samantha clung to Aaron's side, unabashedly undermining Alex's confidence.
A flicker of unease crossed Alex's eyes, but she maintained a haughty demeanor, her voice cold and disdainful. "Childish."
With his towering IQ, Alex held no interest in playing childish games with those kids! Aaron bit back a laugh, struck by how much Alex reminded him of his younger self—an old soul in a young body.
"Mr. Thomas, we haven't practiced all day, can we start now?" Billy burst in with his bow and arrow, eager to practice.
"Sure." Aaron agreed, joining in the play with the three little ones.
Nora collected the dried herbs from outside and watched as Aaron patiently instruct Alex and Billy in archery, which gave her an idea.
She approached, "Mr. Gordon…"
"It's Thomas," Aaron interjected.
Nora swallowed her words as Aaron continued, "Nora, my identity needs to remain hidden. Call me Thomas."
He cringed at every mention of "Mr. Gordon," finding "Thomas" much more to his liking.
Without arguing, Nora glanced at him, "Okay, I just wanted to ask if you had Edric scrap that absurd preschool rule?”
Aaron's brow quirked, "Yeah, that was me."
Just as she suspected! Another thought occurred to Nora.
"And when I was locked up at the police station, you had Mick pull some strings to drop the charges against me, didn't you?"
A sly smile played on Aaron's lips. "Nora, like I said, I'm your benefactor. Do you believe it now?"
Do I believe it? After all, he has been her guardian angel!
Nora stayed silent.
Aaron added, "Nora, seeing as I've helped you out a few times, does that make up for the white lies I've told you?"
His gaze deepened with a touch of tenderness, as if pleading with someone he cherished.
Caught off guard, Nora quickly suppressed her wandering thoughts.
"You said they were white lies, I'm not upset."
"If you're not upset, treat me like you used to, don't be so distant!"
She glanced at him briefly, then looked away.
How could he have known she had been intentionally keeping her distance?
His insights were sharply attuned.
The night was silent and still.
Noe slipped quietly into the ground floor again.
"Mr. Gordon, have Doctor Hamilton and Miss Hamilton come by?"
"Word that I'm still alive will spread fast."
Aaron pondered, "How's the situation at home now?"
Noe said, "Just over a month and the company's already in chaos. Several deals we had lined up have gone south. Mr. Gordon, I suggest you head back soon to minimize the damage to the company."
Aaron pursed his lips, momentarily lost for words.
Noe continued, "Oh, by the way, we caught the guy who messed with your car. I had to press him a bit, but he sang like a canary. Said he was half a mil in the hole from gambling, got contacted anonymously, and was given the money to tamper with your car during maintenance."
Aaron raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Does he know who's behind it?"
"He doesn't. The person was cautious, paid in cash, used burner phones for contact, and never showed their face."
That level of caution...
Aaron, deep in thought, mused, "Seems like this might not be my uncle's handiwork after all?"
Noe didn't answer, but his silence implied agreement.
"Mr. Gordon, I really do think it's best for you to show your face sooner rather than later."
Aaron paused, "I'll think about it."
It's not that he couldn't return, but suddenly, he found himself reluctant to leave.
"Mr. Gordon, here's your tablet and the new phone I got you."
Noe pulled out Aaron's bespoke tablet and handed him a new smartphone.
Aaron accepted it with a compliment, "Always thinking ahead, Noe. Thanks."
Noe smiled.
Now that Nora knew about his CEO identity, he could conduct his business in the open.
"If you don't need anything else, I'll be taking off," Noe said.
"Sure," Aaron responded.
As Noe stepped out of the room and turned around, he almost jumped out of his skin – there was Nora, leaning against the wall like a specter in the silent night, almost scaring the life out of him.
Nora, who had come down for a drink, stopped outside the room when she heard the noise.
Eyeing Noe, she teased, "You must've been here more than once to be so familiar with the place."
Noe gave an awkward chuckle, "Nora, I'm Mr. Gordon's Special Assistant, Noe. Thank you for helping him out."
Nora nodded, "No worries, he's good for it."
"I'll take my leave then."
"Alright, the front door's that way."
Nora opened the door for him.
Noe gave a quick smile, nodded, and vanished into the night.
Once she closed the door, Nora pondered to herself, it seems even with the traps, Courtyard House isn't as secure as it should be. For the safety of her three little ones, perhaps it was time for her to consider moving into a more secure home.
Nora climbed the stairs and peered into the children's room to check on her trio of angels. Their rosy cheeks were a picture of peaceful slumber as she tucked them in more snugly before retiring to her own room.
It wasn't long before five uninvited guests appeared outside the fence, lurking in the shadows.
"Boss, we're sure this is the place, right?" one man clad in black asked.
"Yes, this is it," the leader confirmed.
"Our client's paying five million for us to set this place ablaze with everyone inside—easiest money ever."
"Enough chitchat, let's go," he commanded.
At his command, one of the men vaulted the fence and landed with a painful yelp.
"Ah!" he cried out, unable to contain his anguish.
"What are you screaming for?" the leader scolded sharply.
"Boss, I stepped on a nail!" he complained with a grimace of pain.
"How could there be a nail? Hurry up and get the door," the leader urged.
The man in black muttered under his breath and limped toward the gate, but after only a couple of steps, a jet of water shot up into the air.
Drenched to the bone and caught off guard, he cursed, "Who the hell sets up a water trap in a courtyard?"
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
