AllFreeNovel
Share Us
With Joy and Jess swiftly distributing slices of cake, Madison urged Damian back into action. “Alright, go after him,” she implored, her voice laced with desperation. “Just... try not to cause a scene. Or make Timothy burst into tears.” Damian rolled his eyes.
With perfect coordination, they closed in on the little tyke. Even from a distance, the noise emanating from the gift was low, loud, and vibrating, as if it were seconds from launching into space.
“Give it back,” Madison insisted, her voice stern and parental. No child, regardless of Timothy’s misbehavior, deserved to be traumatized by Jordan’s explicit imagination. Madison could only imagine what might be in there. Knowing Madison would open it before a crowd would be Jordan’s personal challenge.
And God forbid it’s inflatable.
In a swift, tactical movement, Damian seized one end of the gift. “Drop it!” Damian commanded, his voice booming and capturing the attention of every last person in the room.
“No! It’s mine!” the young boy screamed, clutching the gift as if it held the last action figure on Earth.
Cordelia and the other moms buzzed around, drawing even more attention than before. Madison locked eyes with Cordelia, a desperate plea in her gaze. “Please ask your son to let go.”
“Nonsense,” Cordelia said. “He’s just playing. You’ll understand one day.”
Understand that he’ll be a nightmare at sixteen. Yes, yes I will.
Cordelia whipped out her phone, determined to capture the nightmare about to unleash.Seriously, she’s recording this?
Madison stepped in front of the frame. “I wouldn’t recommend that.”
“Shhh!” Cordelia said sternly.
Did she just shush me?
Ignoring Madison’s plea, Cordelia focused on her son. “Look this way, Timmy. Show Mommy and Daddy how strong you are.”
The child pulled back with even more force. And in the blink of an eye, the box gave way, its contents scattering across the floor. The room fell into stunned silence, momentarily interrupted by the deafening roar of the vibrating device.
It was big. It was loud. It was vibrating to Kingdom Come, and—
Horrified, Cordelia’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Is that...a fist?” Her hand instinctively covered her gaping mouth, while the other still remained clutched on her camera phone, capturing every memorable second.
Jess, draped an arm around Cordelia’s shoulder and raised her glass baby bottle in a toast. “Well, if you’re interested, I just might know a guy,” she quipped, followed by an outrageous wink.
Mortified, Madison dropped her face into her hands, unable to bear the embarrassment, as Damian and Joy, struggled to shut the damned thing off.
“Allow me.” It was Stone, former leader of Jordan’s covert team, stepping in to do what he always did. Save the day.
The former patriarch of Jordan’s elite covert team swiftly silenced the buzzing device with an amused grin. “Ah, I see my Jordan has been here,” he commented, his tone filled with both fondness and familiarity.
Referring to her as “his Jordan” was an acknowledgment of their unique bond forged in the dangerous world of covert operations—and because when you rear a teenager into a lethal covert operative, any other term would be strange. And require too much explanation.
Cordelia, red-faced and angered, pointed an angry finger at him. “Are you responsible for this?”
Charming as ever, Stone grabbed her hand, speaking low enough that no one could hear. No one except Madison as she discretely leaned in.
His words were measured and controlled. “Now, Mrs. Kensington, I urge you to embrace Madison with open arms and refrain from causing a scene.” A subtle ping interrupted their exchange, prompting Stone to add tersely, “Check your phone.”
Without another word, she did. Her face blanched white. Her choppy words were tame. “What do you want?”
“Delete whatever video you have. Give Madison a hug and laugh it all off,” Stone instructed, his gaze hard.
A forced smile stretched across Cordelia’s lips as a burst of outrageous laughter erupted from deep within her. “Oh, Madison. You’re simply delightful. Such fun.”
In a mind-bending twist of reality, Cordelia pulled Madison into a tight embrace that felt straight out of a viral meme. Awkward smiles exchanged between them, and Madison counted down the seconds until it was over.
Meanwhile, little Timothy, ever attuned to power and authority, approached Stone and tugged on his well-tailored suit. Timothy’s lips turned downward in a pout, his disappointment apparent. “Can I have a different gift?” he questioned, his voice filled with a mix of innocence and entitlement.
