chapter2079

Nathaniel offered no answer. He simply strode past Miranda, each measured step drawing him closer to Jonathan.

By then, Felix had already tugged the monkey mask free. The instant Jonathan's face came into view, shock rattled him. His hand jerked, and the mask thudded to the floor like a dropped verdict.

Color drained from Felix's cheeks. The memory of Jonathan's earlier pummeling flashed behind his eyes, vivid as a bruise that never healed.

"J-Jon, it's you?" The words trembled out of him, thin as tissue paper.

"Pick up my mask," Jonathan said, each syllable clipped and cold, as though spoken through frost.

Felix dared not argue. He dropped to one knee and scooped the fallen monkey mask off the floor with the reverence of a servant retrieving his master's crown.

Miranda stared, stunned. That little brat is Jonathan Smith? Impossible! I didn't even recognize his voice! And why in heaven's name does my own son jump at every word he utters?

Felix hovered beside Jon now, toy mask in hand, looking every bit the dutiful lackey.

Adrian was already spineless around Nathaniel, and now Miranda discovered her son was also as cowardly.

Similar to how Adrian was scared of Nathaniel, Felix was frightened by Jonathan.

"Oh, Jon, it's you!" Miranda forced a brittle laugh. "Why didn't you tell me sooner? I nearly mistook you for some trouble-maker."

She despised her son's sycophantic bowing, but not even she dared expose the irritation in front of Nathaniel.

"So," Jonathan asked Felix, eyes glinting like steel. "Do you really like this mask?"

Haunted by the memory of Jonathan's fists, Felix's shoulders twitched. He shook his head so fast it nearly blurred. "N-no."

"You don't like the mask I bought?" The chill in Jonathan's tone could have iced over a midsummer lake.

Felix's answer came in frantic ripples. "N-no. That's not it. I do like it. I swear I do." Felix would never dare to say otherwise.

Jonathan's voice softened, yet it carried an authority no child could ignore. If you like the mask, then wear it," he said, his small hands telaxed at his sides as though the whole quarrel meant nothing.

s

Felix blinked, startled. "H-huh?" The syllable slipped out before he could stop it.

For a breathless beat, the boutique fell silent. Every clerk, shopper, and mannequin seemed carved from stone.

The attendants who had been pinning Jonathan's wrists abruptly let go, as though the boy's skin had turned to fire.

Jonathan walked toward Felix, each

step slow, deliberate, like a knight approaching a skittish colt. He plucked the monkey mask from

Felix's fingers, then smiled. "I've already worn this one. Tell you what.

buy you a brand-new mask. You can keep that one. Deal?" s

Felix opened his mouth, closed it again, the yes and the no tangling on his tongue until no sound emerged.

Seeing the silence, Jonathan simply nodded as if the matter were settled and turned toward the adults. This content belongs to find[?]ovel.net

"Mister, could you run downstairs and buy me another mask, the same one Elliot picked?" Jonathan asked the hulking bodyguard who shadowed Nathaniel.

The bodyguard straightened like a saluting soldier. "Yes, Mr. Jonathan," he answered and strode out.

Miranda let out a relieved laugh that rang a little too bright. "See? Jon understands manners. It was all a misunderstanding just now."

Jonathan did not so much as glance her way. The boy's gaze stayed fixed on the

shop window, as though Miranda's voice floated in from a distant radio.

She pivoted to Nathaniel, forcing a contrite smile. “Nathaniel, I truly didn't recognize Jon with the mask on. Please don't hold it against me."

Nathaniel's eyes, colder than polished steel, slid over her. His lips parted just enough for words to escape. "If the masked child had been someone else's son, would you have bullied him the same way?"

Miranda's throat clicked. "I-It was because Jon pushed Felix first."

Without replying, Nathaniel walked over to Felix, every step measured. "Tell me exactly what happened, and do not lie."

Felix, who feared Nathaniel above all, trembled so hard the mask in his hands bobbed like a buoy on rough water.

"I'm sorry, Uncle Nathaniel. I tried to snatch Jon's mask first."

Nathaniel ruffled the boy's hair, his palm gentle, his voice not. "It's good that you can admit fault From now ontact so high-handed in ? you public. Otherwise, I'll toss you into the sea and let the fish teach you manners. Understood?" s