Chapter 18 Bully
Not long after she and her sons slept in separate rooms, Phoebe and her men came and tried to steal Buddy away. Fortunately, Buddy was a little scaredy cat. He had been insecure ever since they slept in separate rooms, and his sleeps were fitful. He woke up the moment someone opened the door, and he started crying for Madeline. Aldo was woken up by his cries, and the first thing he did was whip out the Swiss army knife under his pillow to defend his brother.
She only knew her son had a Swiss army knife hidden under his pillow that day. It was also then that she knew that Aldo was also scared that they were sleeping in separate rooms, though he didn’t say that out loud. It’s my fault. I couldn’t give them a safe, happy home.
The Taylors were nice, but they were still not her family in the end. Her kids couldn’t feel safe under that roof, and that contributed to their fear after they slept in separate rooms. That was why Aldo had to hide a knife under his pillow, and that was why she took the kids and left despite her cousins’ dissuasion.
The reason she stayed with the Taylors despite Phoebe and Isabel’s objections was because of the kids. She was worried that she couldn’t take good care of them alone, but the Taylors proved to be more trouble than they were worth. In the end, she left and took care of the kids alone.
She thought she could avoid Phoebe after that, but that woman took it a step further, and this time, Madeline was the target. Aside from a barren niece, she also had an intellectually-challenged nephew who also had a limp leg. He only had a five-year-old’s intellect, while Madeline had photographic memory.
Phoebe’s sister-in-law wanted her to marry her disabled son. She said they could have a smart kid because of Madeline’s intellect, and Phoebe took her men to where Madeline was living at the time to abduct her and Buddy. She wanted Madeline to marry her nephew, while Buddy would be taken to her niece and be her son.
It did not end well. She couldn’t take it anymore, so she took the kids and left Worrick. She thought Dusktown would be a safe place as it was rather far from Worrick, but Phoebe still came all the way to capture her. Why is she so obsessed with me and my son? Why does she want to ruin our lives? Did I kill her family in my past life or something?
Buddy stood on a stool and looked through the peephole. “Mom! It’s Mr. Hart!” He turned around, looking excited.
It was obvious that he liked Sebastian. Madeline quickly took him off the stool and scraped his nose. “You could have asked me to see who it was next time. Don’t stand on the stool. You might fall and knock your head. That’s the fastest way to get stupid points.”
“Alright, Mom!” Buddy answered.
Madeline took the stool away and opened the door.
Sebastian was in casual attire, though it didn’t take away from his handsome looks. He stood outside quietly, looking like a god who just descended from Mount Olympus. It was easy for a man like that to gain two young boys’ affection, especially if one of them was a naive one like Buddy.
“Mr. Hart!” Buddy looked up at him, his eyes shining brightly.
His look melted Sebastian’s heart, and he smiled. He took two big hampers from Quinton and handed them to Buddy. “Hi. Here’s a little gift for you.”
