By the time they returned home from the party, it was already ten.
As a child, Queenie was used to going to bed early. Therefore, she headed straight for her bedroom when they got home.
The rest of the people also returned to their rooms to get some rest.
As Nathan prepared to do the same and wash up before bed, Colin came rushing in suddenly. He exclaimed, “Mr. Cross, guess who is here!”
Nathan and Penny exchanged looks of
confusion.
“Who is here?” Nathan asked.
Beaming, Colin replied, “The commander-in-chief of the West, Lucas! He came with his men.”
What?
Immediately, Nathan got to his feet and walked briskly toward the door. “What is Lucas doing here? Hurry, we have to welcome him in.”
Nathan, Penny, Colin, and Ava walked out of the house and spotted a few military vehicles outside.
Lucas, a muscular man, hopped off the vehicle with some of his subordinates when they spotted Nathan. They headed to the door.
“Chief Cross!”
Lucas greeted Nathan with a smile.
Shaking Lucas' hand, Nathan grinned. “We are not in camp, so you don't have to be so formal. Besides, there is no need to act uptight when we meet in private as friends.”
Chuckling, Lucas nodded. “Sure!”
“Hello, General Ziegler,” Penny also greeted.
At once, Lucas waved. “Hello!”
“Hey, why are you here in Channing?” Nathan questioned.
“Recently, I had matters to deal with in the South. Since I knew you were in Channing and heard that it's Mrs. Cross' birthday today, I came rushing here to join the party.” Then, Lucas sighed. “However, on the way here, I received an urgent report that there were some suspicious movements in Volk. Therefore, I held an emergency video conference with my subordinates and made the necessary arrangements to defend the West against Volk. The conversation took a long time, so the night had already fallen when I arrived in Channing. As a result, I missed the birthday celebration party.”
Nathan smiled. “It's all right. We appreciate that you tried to rush here despite the trouble.” Gesturing to the door, he continued, “Come, let's head inside to talk. Although you missed the celebration, we can have a few drinks together.”
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