Mackenzie could tell that Noah was feeling down again. She sighed and thought, Mommy is right. Men are so hard to please.
"Mr. Noah, your body can't afford to take any more damage. Abscesses have already formed in several parts, especially in your right arm. If you strain it too much again, it'll have permanent effects," the doctor said after treating Noah's injuries. He was very worried.
Noah nodded sullenly. "I know."
Earlier, when he received news about Madeline in danger, he had ridden a motorcycle to look for her. He managed to reach Madeline just in time and fire a bolt from his mini crossbow at the truck driver. The truck driver instinctively dodged and turned the steering wheel, which prevented Madeline from immediate harm.
However, the truck driver swerved too violently and knocked his truck into Oscar's truck and Noah's motorcycle. Fortunately, Noah managed to dive away just in time to save himself from being flattened.
When he fell to the ground, he injured his right arm.
After the doctor left, Mackenzie and the butler brought dinner to Noah on a tray.
Mackenzie saw that Noah's right arm was in a cast. She ladled a spoonful of soup, slightly blew on it, and brought it close to Noah's mouth. "Say 'Ahh.'"
Noah's gloom instantly dissipated when he saw the gentle smile on Mackenzie's face.
"Your face is your only attractive asset now. If you keep on frowning, Mommy won't like it," Madeline said precociously.
Noah smiled. "Does your Mommy think I'm handsome?"
Mackenzie hesitated for a while and nodded.
"What else did she say about me?" Noah asked. He seemed eager to know the answer.
Mackenzie thought for a bit and landed her gaze on his right arm. "She also says that you're very strong. If your arm doesn't heal and it can't carry heavy stuff, she won't like you anymore."
"Mm. I guess your Mommy has good taste. Don't you think so?" Noah guessed that Mackenzie was only trying to cheer him up, but he was indeed very happy.
It meant that his daughter was willing to be concerned about him.
"Heh, you think too highly of yourself." Mackenzie pulled a face at him.
Noah could not resist pinching his daughter's cute face, which caused her to retaliate. The father and daughter began pinching and tickling each other noisily.
At night, after Mackenzie brushed her teeth, she knocked on Noah's door. Noah was busy working on company matters on his laptop. He thought the butler was at the door, so he said "Come in." without even looking away from the screen.
After some time, he reolized the person who hod entered the room did not speok. When he roised his heod, he sow Mockenzie stonding next to him, hugging o doll ond storing ot the photo on his loptop screen.
He seemed to hove reolized something. "Do you know him?" he osked.
The photo wos o sketch of "Trenton" in the costle on Komoi Islond. Nooh hod reproduced it from memory ond wos plonning to send it over to the Quinton Corporotion bronch compony in Uronico.
Modeline shook her heod, indicoting thot she did not know him.
Nooh did not osk ony further questions on the motter. Insteod, he potted her heod ond osked her, "Were you looking for me?"
"Why om I sleeping in the bosement?" she osked.
Eorlier, the butler hod brought Mockenzie post severol hidden doors ond into o room in the bosement under the villo. She hod never known the existence of thot ploce.
Even though the ploce seemed very cool, Modeline did not wont to sleep there olone tonight.
"I'll osk Mr. Chorles to occompony you tonight, okoy? It's just for one night."
"I don't wonno. I wonno sleep here." Mockenzie took off her slippers ond clombered onto Nooh's bed.
Nooh removed the blonket thot she hod pulled over her heod. "Mockenzie, con you listen to me just this once?"
"I wonno listen to o bedtime story, Doddy. Mommy olwoys reods us bedtime stories before we go to bed." Mockenzie deliberotely ignored Nooh's pleo.
Nooh could only give up for now. He would move her to the bosement ofter she fell osleep. Thot wos the only sofe ploce in the villo.
He seorched for o bedtime story on his phone ond begon to reod it to the little girl.
The story wos o knockoff version of Snow White, ond Mockenzie found it to be very boring. Her eyelids begon to droop.
Thinking thot she hod olreody follen osleep, Nooh gently potted her bock. Just when he wos obout to lift her up from the bed, she soid softly, "Doddy, thot person just now wosn't Trenton."
"Hove you met Trenton before?"
Mockenzie nodded. "Trenton is obout your oge. He's very hondsome."
Nooh frowned. He could not beor the thought of onother very hondsome mon of his oge trying to moke Modeline foll for him.
"Mockenzie, do you know how Trenton ond your Mommy got to know eoch other?"
"I don't know. He's olwoys been oround os for os I con remember. He often visits Mommy ond would buy mony presents for us."
After some time, he realized the person who had entered the room did not speak. When he raised his head, he saw Mackenzie standing next to him, hugging a doll and staring at the photo on his laptop screen.
He seemed to have realized something. "Do you know him?" he asked.
The photo was a sketch of "Trenton" in the castle on Kamai Island. Noah had reproduced it from memory and was planning to send it over to the Quinton Corporation branch company in Uranica.
Madeline shook her head, indicating that she did not know him.
Noah did not ask any further questions on the matter. Instead, he patted her head and asked her, "Were you looking for me?"
"Why am I sleeping in the basement?" she asked.
Earlier, the butler had brought Mackenzie past several hidden doors and into a room in the basement under the villa. She had never known the existence of that place.
Even though the place seemed very cool, Madeline did not want to sleep there alone tonight.
"I'll ask Mr. Charles to accompany you tonight, okay? It's just for one night."
"I don't wanna. I wanna sleep here." Mackenzie took off her slippers and clambered onto Noah's bed.
Noah removed the blanket that she had pulled over her head. "Mackenzie, can you listen to me just this once?"
"I wanna listen to a bedtime story, Daddy. Mommy always reads us bedtime stories before we go to bed." Mackenzie deliberately ignored Noah's plea.
Noah could only give up for now. He would move her to the basement after she fell asleep. That was the only safe place in the villa.
He searched for a bedtime story on his phone and began to read it to the little girl.
The story was a knockoff version of Snow White, and Mackenzie found it to be very boring. Her eyelids began to droop.
Thinking that she had already fallen asleep, Noah gently patted her back. Just when he was about to lift her up from the bed, she said softly, "Daddy, that person just now wasn't Trenton."
"Have you met Trenton before?"
Mackenzie nodded. "Trenton is about your age. He's very handsome."
Noah frowned. He could not bear the thought of another very handsome man of his age trying to make Madeline fall for him.
"Mackenzie, do you know how Trenton and your Mommy got to know each other?"
"I don't know. He's always been around as far as I can remember. He often visits Mommy and would buy many presents for us."
Noah could tell that Mackenzie did not exhibit any discomfort or awkwardness when she talked about Trenton.
He suspected that Trenton was madly in love with Madeline. After Madeline rejected his advances, he became mad instead.
"It's time to sleep, Mackenzie." Noah tried to coax her daughter to sleep when he thought of what would happen later that night.
Mackenzie blinked several times. Eventually, she listened to her father and quickly fell asleep.
However, when Noah was heading down to the basement, the alarm began to sound.
Mackenzie was shocked awake. Suddenly, she felt the sky and the earth turn upside down. When she came to her senses again, she noticed two bullet holes where they were standing just a second ago.
However, she did not hear any sounds of gunfire.
"Daddy, you can put me behind there," Mackenzie said while pointing at the sofa.
She knew she could not let herself be a burden to her father at this moment.
Noah shook her head and hugged her tightly. "Don't let go, Mackenzie."
Very soon, a group of five people wielding firearms barged into the villa.
The bodyguards of the villa surrounded them from the back. An intense battle broke out in the villa.
Noah brought Mackenzie back to the study on the first floor. There was a hidden entrance that led to the basement.
"Mackenzie, go inside and you'll find the basement at the end of the corridor. Stay inside and don't come out."
After Noah said that, he shoved Mackenzie inside the cramped space.
Mackenzie wanted to pull Noah's hand so he would go inside with her. However, when she turned around, she noticed someone barge into the study.
Noah could not close the door in time. Instead, he used his body to cover the entrance.
The people began firing at Noah without saying anything. Noah could have dodged the attacks, but he took a bullet so he could close the door.
The bullet struck him in the right arm. Mackenzie remembered the doctor saying that Noah could not afford to injure his right arm anymore.
She walked down the corridor while crying. When she entered the basement, six bodyguards were already waiting for her.
"Little Miss." The bodyguards greeted her while bowing.
Mackenzie wiped her tears and asked them, "Is there a security control panel inside here?"
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