Chapter 10 : Getting sacked

It was barely 8 a.m., and Elena already had a headache.

Something about the silence in the house felt… suspicious.

She moved cautiously through the hallway, her instincts screaming that Nathaniel was up to something. Again.

Just as she stepped into the back patio.. 

There was a splash

A bucket tilted above the doorway tipped over, and a cascade of freezing water and ice cubes came crashing down on her.

"AHHH!" Elena screamed, gasping as the cold soaked through her clothes instantly.

From somewhere nearby, a high-pitched, absolutely delighted laugh echoed out.

Nathaniel stood a few feet away, doubled over in laughter, his small hands gripping his stomach. “This,” he said through his giggles, “is to freeze your lips from talking too much! Maybe now you’ll finally be quiet for five minutes!”

Shivering, drenched, and stunned, Elena stared at him, her mouth agape.

“Oh, you think you’re clever?” she muttered, then narrowed her eyes. “How about I freeze you, too, since you’re such a loudmouth?”

Before he could blink, she charged toward him. Nathaniel squealed and turned to run, his laughter echoing through the garden as Elena chased him down the lawn.

“Truce! Truce!” he shouted between laughs.

“You started this war, little man!” she laughed right back..... 

Nathaniel backed himself into the hedges, still grinning ear to ear, his breath ragged from all the running. “Please, please!” he begged, giggling. “I surrender!”

Elena finally caught up, her clothes still soaked and hair sticking to her forehead. She planted both hands on her hips, towering over him like a very soggy but determined soldier.

“Oh, now you want mercy?” she said, raising a brow. “After turning me into an ice sculpture?”

Nathaniel gave her his best innocent face. “It was a social experiment?”

Elena leaned in slightly. “You know what I think?” she said, narrowing her eyes dramatically. “I think I’m going to tie you to a chair, feed you broccoli, and make you watch documentaries about... tax laws.”

“Noooo!” Nathaniel shrieked with a laugh, trying to dash away again, but Elena caught him by the back of his shirt.

“Uh-uh! You prank me, I prank back,” she said proudly.

They both burst out laughing..... 

.................... 

Elena paused, her smile softening. “Wait... really? Never?"

“I told you you were going to like this ice cream,” Elena said grinning as she watched him. 

Nathaniel didn’t look up. “I never had ice cream before,” he muttered. “So I never knew what it tasted like.”

Elena blinked. “Wait, never?”

He shook his head slowly. “Mom didn’t like me eating things like this. She said too much sugar would ruin my focus. I just… never tried it. Even after she…” His voice trailed off.

Elena’s heart ached a little. She looked at him, this serious little boy trying so hard to live by rules that didn’t even need to apply anymore.

“Well,” she said gently, “a little sugar won’t hurt now and then. Especially if it comes with good memories.”

Nathaniel kept eating quietly for a moment, then murmured, “It’s really good.”

Elena smiled. “Then I think your mom would be okay with it today.”

He gave her a quick glance, then returned to his bowl.......

........... 

After finishing their ice cream, Nathaniel sat up a little straighter.

“Let’s play something,” he said.

Elena raised an eyebrow. “Something like what?”

“Hide and seek!” he grinned. “I bet I’m better at hiding than you are.”

“Oh really?” Elena said, pretending to stretch. “Challenge accepted.”

Nathaniel counted loudly while covering his eyes. Elena tiptoed away and ducked behind the long curtain near the hallway. It barely covered her shoes.

“Ready or not, here I come!” Nathaniel called, running through the living room like a tiny detective. He peeked behind the couch, under the table, and even opened a cupboard. Then he spotted her shoes sticking out.

“Aha!” he yelled, pulling the curtain back. “Found you! That was way too easy.”

Elena gasped. “No fair! You’ve got eagle eyes.”

“Your turn to count!”

Elena turned around and started counting with her hands over her eyes. “One… two… three…”

Nathaniel sprinted off, giggling. He squeezed himself into the laundry basket with a blanket over him.

“Ready or not, here I come!” Elena searched the house, calling his name. “Nathaniel? Hmm… where could he be?”

She almost missed him until the basket wiggled slightly from his silent laugh.

“Found you!” she shouted, pulling the blanket back.

“Noooo!” Nathaniel groaned, falling out of the basket in laughter.

Both of them lay on the floor giggling. Elena looked at him and smiled. “Okay, okay… maybe you are a little good at this game.”

Nathaniel grinned. “Told you. I’m full of surprises.”

..... 

It was Nathaniel’s turn to hide again, and he had darted off so fast Elena barely saw which way he went. After giving him a fair head start, she started the search.

She checked the living area first, behind the curtains, under the coffee table, even inside the TV console. Nothing.

Went to her room and he wasn't there

His room? It was quiet and untouched.

She stepped outside into the backyard, quickly scanning the garden, peeking behind bushes and calling, “Nathaniel, please don’t hide too far!”

Coming back inside, her pace picked up. She glanced up the stairs, her heart now starting to pound a little.

“Nathaniel?” she called again, louder this time. “Nathaniel!”

She climbed halfway up the steps, voice tight. “Please don’t go too far.”

It had been fifteen minutes now and not a single sign of him.

Her smile had faded. The game wasn’t fun anymore.

As Elena made her way down the hall again, something caught her eye, a door, slightly ajar. She paused. That door was always closed. Slowly, she stepped closer and realised it was Mr. Hughston’s room.

“Nathaniel?” she called softly, her hand hovering over the handle. No answer.

After a moment’s hesitation, she pushed the door open fully. Her breath caught in her throat.

“Whoa...” she whispered.

The room was like something out of a magazine, elegant, grand, and completely different from the rest of the house. Every detail was precise, masculine yet warm. She stepped in carefully, her eyes wide as she took small, cautious steps.

“Nathaniel, where are you?” she called again. “This place isn’t part of the hideout... please show yourself.”

Her voice echoed gently in the quiet.

As she explored, she noticed a sleek elevator built into the corner wall....one she hadn’t seen before. Curiosity got the best of her. With a hesitant breath, she stepped inside and pressed the only button.

The elevator hummed quietly as it carried her up.

When the doors slid open again, she stepped into a master bedroom even more breathtaking than the first floor. Her eyes moved slowly over the deep-toned furniture, the soft lighting, and the massive bed. Then her gaze landed on a framed photograph above the headboard a picture of Mr. Hughston and Nathaniel, both smiling, frozen in a rare moment of warmth.

Still stunned, she whispered, “Nathaniel... please come out. I’m not playing anymore.”

But her voice was softer now, distracted by the quiet intimacy of the room....