A Secretive Deal with My Billionaire Boss (by Gregory Ellington) novel Chapter 441

Alexander

We grabbed our things, Ethan bouncing the entire way to the elevator. The ride down felt quick, his excitement filling every available space.

The Bentley purred to life. Ethan claimed the backseat again, kicking his feet and humming some tune I didn't recognize.

"There's a theater near Union Square," Madison said, pulling out her phone. "Showtime in forty minutes."

"Perfect."

Traffic cooperated for once. We made it with time to spare, finding parking without the usual Manhattan nightmare.

The theater lobby buzzed with families, couples, and groups of teenagers. Ethan's hand found mine automatically as we navigated the crowd toward the ticket counter.

"Three for the penguin movie," I told the bored teenager behind the glass.

"Two o'clock showing?"

"Yes."

I handed over my card without looking at the total.

Madison started to protest. "Alexander, I can pay—"

"Already done." I collected the tickets and passed them to Ethan. "You're in charge of these, prince."

"I won't lose them! I promise!" He clutched the tickets like precious artifacts.

"Popcorn?" I asked Madison.

"He'll want the large with extra butter."

"And candy?"

"Gummy bears. The sour ones."

I ordered at the concession stand, watching the teenager pile butter onto popcorn that could feed a small army. Madison grabbed napkins, lots of them, clearly preparing for an inevitable mess.

Ethan carried his gummy bears with reverence. "Can I eat them during the movie?"

"Some of them," Madison said. "Not the whole bag."

"What if I get really hungry?"

"Then you have popcorn."

"But popcorn isn't candy."

"Exactly. That's why you eat popcorn first."

The logic seemed to satisfy him. We headed toward the theater, following families with strollers and kids bouncing with pre-movie energy.

The theater was massive, all stadium seating and a massive screen. We found seats in the middle, Ethan between Madison and me.

He immediately dug into the popcorn, shoving handfuls into his mouth.

"Slow down, baby," Madison said, wiping butter from his chin. "The movie hasn't even started yet."

"But it's so good! And buttery!"

The lights dimmed. Previews started, all bright colors and loud music.

Ethan's eyes went wide, fixed on the screen like it held the secrets of the universe.

I glanced at Madison. She was watching Ethan, her expression soft and unguarded. This was Madison as a mother. Patient. Protective. Completely transformed from the efficient assistant who'd once managed my entire schedule without breaking a sweat.

The penguin movie started with a musical number about friendship and adventure. Ethan sang along to parts he recognized, his voice off-key but enthusiastic.

Madison handed him gummy bears at regular intervals, carefully rationing them.

Halfway through, during an intense chase scene, Ethan's hand found mine. His small fingers wrapped around my larger ones, squeezing tight during the scary parts.

My chest tightened.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify