Noah stood in the living room on the 88th floor of Golden Dome International. He was staring eye to eye with a little girl holding a milk bottle.
"Zeke, can you promise me not to tell your Mommy what you saw earlier?"
Mackenzie blinked. She took out her phone and dialed her mother's number.
Noah immediately grabbed her hand. "Please! I beg you! Don't tell Mommy, okay?"
"Reason?" Mackenzie took a sip of her milk. There was still a drop on her lower lip. It was a stark contrast to her precocious behavior.
Noah sat her down on the sofa. "You know your Mommy is ill, right? Daddy wants to go to help Mommy get her medicine, but I don't know if I can get it. You shouldn't tell Mommy, and I'll give her a surprise, alright?"
Noah could have come up with some random excuse and lied to her, but he knew his daughter was too intelligent. If he lied, she would immediately call him out on it.
Rather than having her tattle on him to Madeline and start an unnecessary argument, he would rather tell her the truth and give her a better impression.
Mackenzie also knew that her mother was ill. Also, she had overheard from Dylan that the medicine was in Trenton's laboratory.
Trenton was nice to her. He bought her candy and new dresses, but she knew her mother did not like Trenton.
Moreover, Trenton was very cruel to the people he did not like.
"I wanna go too." Mackenzie was looking for someone to buy her a plane ticket.
"No. It's very dangerous there. I don't want you to get hurt." Noah refused her suggestion without even thinking about it.
"Trenton likes me. He won't hurt me."
"How do you know I'm going to look for Trenton? Do you know him?" Noah did not expect Mackenzie to know that bothersome guy.
Mackenzie nodded. "Trenton likes well-mannered girls. I'm a well-mannered girl."
Noah thought Mackenzie sounded like she was very close to Trenton. What if he asked her to borrow the medicine from Trenton?
No, of course not! I can't let my daughter take the risk!
Noah shook his head. If Madeline knew Noah took Mackenzie to confront Trenton, she would not speak to him for a few months.
Moreover, Trenton had given Madeline the drug to keep her on a leash. Noah would be walking right into Trenton's ploy if he brought Mackenzie there.
"Listen to me, Mockenzie. Trenton might hold you hostoge ond threoten your Mommy. You obsolutely shouldn't put yourself in donger, becouse your Mommy cores o lot obout you. Do you understond?"
Mockenzie did not miss the flosh of hesitotion in Nooh's eyes. "Trenton will chop off your honds ond feet ond pluck your tongue out."
"I'm not ofroid. I'll protect you ond Mommy." Nooh gently kissed Mockenzie's foreheod ond brought her bock to her room.
Mockenzie knew thot she might be o burden to Nooh if she followed olong, so she did not struggle.
Before Nooh left the room, Mockenzie tugged his sleeve. "Aren't you worried thot Trenton might hold you hostoge ond threoten Mommy?"
Nooh wos surprised. "Moybe I'm not os importont to her os you ore," he soid.
"You should return os soon os you con," Modeline soid ond closed her eyes.
Nooh tousled her hoir, ond o smile oppeored on his foce.
My doughter finolly cores obout me.
Dylon did not see Nooh when he woke up the next morning. He could not find him in the house, ond Nooh did not onswer his colls. He become worried when he remembered whot hoppened to him in Peffel.
"Woyne, where's Nooh?"
"Mr. Nooh told me he hos no officiol business, so he gove me the next two doys off. Is there something?" It wos rore thot Woyne got to sleep in, though heoring how onxious Dylon wos, he immediotely sot up.
"It's nothing. Sorry to disturb your rest. I'll continue looking for him," Dylon soid ond ended the coll.
Nooh gove Woyne the next two doys off… Could Nooh be spending some privote time with Moddie?
If he colled Modeline ond interrupted whot they were doing, Nooh would be very ongry ot him.
He decided to coll Elise insteod. "Hey, Elise! Whot's up?"
"Whot else con I do other thon sit in the boutique?" Elise soid ond rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me you wont free lunch ogoin? I'm telling you upfront thot you won't get o bite if you don't poy me."
"Thot reolly hurts, coming from you."
"No hord feelings, Dylon. This is strictly o monetory tronsoction."
"Fine. I'll tronsfer the money to you right now," Dylon soid before wiring o thousond dollors to Elise.
Ouch… I don't get too mony of these thousonds o month! Well… moybe o few dozen thousond. Thot's not too bod, I guess.
"Listen to me, Mackenzie. Trenton might hold you hostage and threaten your Mommy. You absolutely shouldn't put yourself in danger, because your Mommy cares a lot about you. Do you understand?"
Mackenzie did not miss the flash of hesitation in Noah's eyes. "Trenton will chop off your hands and feet and pluck your tongue out."
"I'm not afraid. I'll protect you and Mommy." Noah gently kissed Mackenzie's forehead and brought her back to her room.
Mackenzie knew that she might be a burden to Noah if she followed along, so she did not struggle.
Before Noah left the room, Mackenzie tugged his sleeve. "Aren't you worried that Trenton might hold you hostage and threaten Mommy?"
Noah was surprised. "Maybe I'm not as important to her as you are," he said.
"You should return as soon as you can," Madeline said and closed her eyes.
Noah tousled her hair, and a smile appeared on his face.
My daughter finally cares about me.
Dylan did not see Noah when he woke up the next morning. He could not find him in the house, and Noah did not answer his calls. He became worried when he remembered what happened to him in Peffel.
"Wayne, where's Noah?"
"Mr. Noah told me he has no official business, so he gave me the next two days off. Is there something?" It was rare that Wayne got to sleep in, though hearing how anxious Dylan was, he immediately sat up.
"It's nothing. Sorry to disturb your rest. I'll continue looking for him," Dylan said and ended the call.
Noah gave Wayne the next two days off… Could Noah be spending some private time with Maddie?
If he called Madeline and interrupted what they were doing, Noah would be very angry at him.
He decided to call Elise instead. "Hey, Elise! What's up?"
"What else can I do other than sit in the boutique?" Elise said and rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me you want free lunch again? I'm telling you upfront that you won't get a bite if you don't pay me."
"That really hurts, coming from you."
"No hard feelings, Dylan. This is strictly a monetary transaction."
"Fine. I'll transfer the money to you right now," Dylan said before wiring a thousand dollars to Elise.
Ouch… I don't get too many of these thousands a month! Well… maybe a few dozen thousand. That's not too bad, I guess.
Elise had been pestering Dylan to send her money. She could sense something was amiss when Dylan gave her money so readily this time.
"What do you want? Let me tell you, don't ask me to matchmake Maddie with Noah again. I won't betray my friend for money!"
"Here's another ten thousand."
Elise immediately put her toothbrush down, washed her mouth, and said, "How can I help you, sir?"
"Tell me what Maddie is doing now." The bribe had taken a chunk out of Dylan's finances, though he was sure that Noah would reimburse him.
"Maddie? She's sleeping. Didn't you say her symptoms might return in these couple of days? You even told her not to step out of the house."
"She's not with Noah?" Dylan was anxious again.
No, it can't be! It's not what I think it is, right?
"No? She's sleeping in my room," Elise said while glancing at her bedroom. Through the open door, she could see Madeline still sleeping on the bed.
"Oh no! Noah's gone missing!" Dylan slapped his forehead and called Dylan to look for him.
If Noah was abducted and no one knew where he was, it would be a complete disgrace!
Elise quickly woke Madeline up and told her anxiously, "Noah is missing!"
Madeline was still half asleep. "So? He'll come back eventually, right?"
"No! Dylan called me earlier and told me that he couldn't reach Noah on the phone. He sounded very anxious." Elise dragged Madeline from the bed and forcefully pried her eyes open.
Madeline sat up and rubbed her face to wake her up. "Wayne and his men must be looking for him now. He'll be fine."
"Aren't you the least bit worried?" Even Elise was worried on her behalf.
Madeline smiled and got off the bed. "Think about it. Noah Quincy sends shockwaves around the city wherever he goes. What could possibly happen to him?"
"You're right, come to think of it." Elise felt relieved. She continued to work on her gowns.
Madeline was not anxious not because she believed in Noah's abilities, but because she had tasked Thirteen to keep an eye on Trenton. Thirteen told her Trenton had been laying low for the past few days because he could not get any benefit from Noah.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Aggressive wife novel (Madeline and Noah)