When Her "Death" Couldn't Break Him (Cecilia and Nathaniel)

Jon kept still, answering silence with silence.

Irritation flared in Felix's eyes. He reached out. "Hand over the mask now."

Jonathan rolled his eyes, turned his back, and folded his arms as if Felix had vanished into thin air.

Felix's cheeks burned. This kid is ignoring him on purpose.

"How dare you ignore me!"

He lunged, fist closing on thin air, intent on ripping the mask away.

Jonathan reacted fast, shoving Felix aside with a single firm push.

Caught off guard, Felix staggered back several steps and landed hard on the polished floor.

Eyes wide, he sputtered, "Y-you pushed me!"

Still sitting on the floor, Felix craned his neck toward the showroom and hollered, "Mom! Mom! Someone's bullying me!"

The instant Miranda heard her son's panicked cry, she let the silk blouse slip from her fingers and charged toward the break room. Felix was on the polished marble, legs splayed, tears and screams ricocheting off the mirrored walls.

beside him, gathering the trembling boy into her

a pudgy index finger toward the lone child standing by the door, his

comic monkey mask stood a boy about Felix's age-calm, silent, unreadable. Rage flashed across her

hurried over as three sales associates appeared, the

sprees paid their commissions and, more importantly, her family name could ruin their jobs with

gun. "Is this how you run a

child? The words echoed in the air, sharp

Jonathan's gaze turned glacial, a winter too

associates exchanged bewildered looks, wondering who had brought the child

Noting Jonathan's neatly pressed

and polished shoes,

eye level. “Hi there kiddo. Where are your parents?"

thick as velvet, settled

this time, but the mask only offered its

"Maybe he can't talk.

as

confidence swell. A powerless

anything happens to Felix, this store is finished!"

between decency