Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO novel Chapter 1409

James had just started speaking when the bedroom door flew open with a loud bang. Two little toddlers charged in like cannonballs. Joey led the charge, crashing into James's side of the bed and tugging at their blankets. Dolly stumbled in right behind him, babbling happily as she ran.

"Wake up, sleepyheads! The sun is shining!" Joey yelled, his big eyes, an exact replica of James's, sparkling with anticipation. "Play with us! Let's play hide and seek!"

Emmy immediately pulled back from James's embrace, slipping out of bed to hug the two soft little bundles.

"Hide and seek again?" she coaxed gently, smoothing Dolly's hair. "We have been playing that for days. Mommy and Daddy have completely run out of hiding spots. How about we play something else today?"

Dolly tilted her little head, thinking hard about what else could be fun. Joey, however, immediately raised his hands in excitement the moment he heard they were skipping hide and seek.

"Ride the helicopter! I want to fly!" Joey shouted. "Mommy, I want to go up in the sky! Vroom vroom!"

Emmy paused in surprise. Ever since she had taken the kids on an emergency helicopter evacuation to Cloudrest Peak, Dolly had been terrified. The little girl had clung to her, trembling, and had woken up crying for days afterward. Joey, on the other hand, was entirely different. He had been scared at first but quickly became addicted to the thrill. Whenever he got the chance over the past few days, he begged to ride the big metal bird again.

To Emmy's surprise, Dolly seemed to understand her brother this time. The little girl's eyes lit up as if she had forgotten all her previous fears. She tugged on Emmy's hand and swayed excitedly.

"Mommy, I want to fly too!" Dolly cheered. "Fly high! Way up high!"

Emmy found herself caught between amusement and exasperation as she turned to James. "Look at your son and daughter."

James could not hide the fond smile in his eyes as he looked at his family. He got out of bed and effortlessly scooped Dolly up with one arm. "You want to fly?" he asked.

The soldiers sweating on the training grounds instantly shifted into combat readiness. Sentries in the watchtowers raised their binoculars. The ground anti aircraft systems began to warm up, snipers quickly took their positions with their muzzles aimed at the sky, and radar dishes on the missile trucks spun wildly to lock onto the black dot above. The tension spiked to a breaking point, making it feel as if open fire would commence at any second.

However, the helicopter never crossed the perimeter. It simply strolled along the edge of the base in a lazy circle, as if it were casually touring its own backyard.

The base commander rushed out of the command center with his coat draped over his shoulders. He snatched the binoculars from a sentry, took one look, and cursed as he shoved them back.

"Stand down! Stand down!" the commander barked. "That is Captain Nelson's private chopper! What are you all getting worked up for? Can't you see he is just taking his wife and kids out for a joyride?"

The crowd of combat ready soldiers instantly froze in disbelief. They all tilted their heads back, shielding their eyes from the sun as they stared into the sky.