CHAPTER 65: THREE STRIKE

Becca cleared her throat. "Um, I have to follow my heart this time. I want to see baby Jacob, so my vote is yes!"

Everyone was shocked by Becca’s heartfelt statement.

An expression of astonishment flashed on their faces. They didn’t expect her to vote yes.

Deborah was stunned by her friend’s decision. Why did Becca betray her during this very important moment in her life? How dare she? She looked at her friend sharply but Becca avoided her gaze. She clenched her teeth in anger.

"We have a tie!" Alpha Nelson announced. He stood up, fishing some coins from the pocket of his pants. "Now let’s finish this by flipping a coin in the air. And I will give Deborah the privilege to do it. May the Moon Goddess favor her this time," he said and handed the coin to his future daughter-in-law and said, "Good luck!"

"Thanks Dad. I bet on head, it’s my winning bet." Deborah said confidently, but deep inside she was worried about the result of the coin toss.

"Then the tail is mine, in favor of my son," Alpha Maxwell said grimly.

"Wait, Deborah is not the right person to flip the coin!" Grandma Franchia objected.

"Why can’t I?" Deborah pouted. "I have all the rights to toss the coin!"

Alpha Nelson sighed. "Just let her be. Let’s finish this mess," he said. "Flip the coin now!" He commanded his future daughter-in-law.

"Yes, Dad." Deborah took a deep breath before tossing the coin in the air, praying to the Moon Goddess that she would favor her.

Everyone held their breath. Deborah flipped the coin in the air and it landed on the floor with a thud.

They all stood up, eager to see the result.

Everyone was shocked. It was a tail!

Alpha Maxwell’s heart swells with happiness, silently thanking the Moon Goddess for favoring him and baby Jacob.

Grandma Franchia gushed with delight. "We have won! The result is in favor of baby Jacob!"

Deborah was furious. She couldn’t believe the Moon Goddess didn’t favor her. "It’s a mistake! I will repeat the process!" she said in desperation, grabbing the coin and flipping it back in the air before anyone could object.

Stunned, they stared at Deborah, shaking their heads in absolute amazement at the way she was behaving shamefully after the coin toss. She refused to accept defeat.

When the coin landed on the floor the second time around it was tail again. Deborah was humiliated by her own stupid actions.

"Nooooooo, this can’t be! This is sorcery!" Deborah shouted furiously. She still couldn’t accept that the Moon Goddess refused to side with her. "I will try the third time!" she said. She picked up the coin and flipped it in the air to everyone’s astonishment.

"She doesn’t want to give up and accept defeat," Grandma murmured with a sigh.

When the coin landed on the floor it was tail again. Destiny itself refused to be corrected after it had already decided the fate of an innocent child.

Alpha Nelson decided to put an end to Deborah’s madness. "That’s enough! No more coin flipping. The Moon Goddess has already given her decision. Baby Jacob can stay on my property, just not inside the mansion," he said in a vexed tone and left the living room.

Deborah was super mad, clenching her teeth in anger as she picked up the coin and tossed it again into the air. To her delight when the coin finally landed on the floor it was the elusive head this time. "Guys, I finally did it. It’s a head! I won!" She exclaimed happily.

"It’s no longer valid, dear. You already lost the game thrice, just accept it," Grandma Franchia said casually, amused to see the desperation in Deborah’s eyes.

They all leave the living room except Becca and Deborah.

"I’m sorry you lost, Deb," Becca sincerely apologized.

"It’s all your fault! You have betrayed me. I thought you were my friend?" Deborah hissed angrily.

"I’m your friend... but you have to understand that we are talking about an innocent baby here. And that baby is my nephew. I want to see him and make sure he is well taken care of every day," Becca explained.

"You still betrayed me. You should not have voted at all, if you did, I would surely win — no need for that damn coin flipping!" Deborah said, her nostrils flaring in anger and humiliation.

Becca took a deep breath. "I know you are mad and upset. I’ll talk to you later when you are already calm," she said and walked away, leaving Deborah alone to deal with her frustration.

Deborah was furious that her friend refused to side with her. She can’t believe that a mere coin betrayed her. She could have won if Becca hadn’t sided with her brother. She is starting to feel that she is losing supporters in this house. How can they allow that other woman’s son to live in the same place as her which is a big insult to her?

Luna Adela came back to the living room and sat beside her future in law. "Dear, don’t be sad, since the Moon Goddess has already decided that baby Jacob will stay here with us, you should learn to accept it. The good thing is, the two siblings will grow up together. They will form a good relationship with each other. They will have each other’s backs when they grow up from childhood to adulthood. Aren’t you happy about it?" she said gently, rubbing her back to comfort her.

"But Mom, my heart boils with hatred and jealousy if I see my husband’s son with his mistress in this house! I can’t tolerate it!" Deborah exclaimed angrily.

Luna Adela sighed. "Dear, you still call Naomi a mistress when you knew they got married first? You got your uncle involved and erased the marriage records from the government database. In reality, you are the mistress and not Naomi. Right? Just admit it," she said, her tone laced with irritation.

Deborah refused to accept her fault. "But Naomi is still the mistress because I’m the woman your son was supposed to marry before the kidnapping took place. I came first in his life and she came second..."

"But that doesn’t change the fact that the one he married was not you, it was Naomi. Now that you have successfully dissolved their marriage, you have a chance to marry my son. But if you want the relationship to go smoothly, you should not let your hatred for Naomi’s son get in the way of your duty as an obedient wife to your husband. You will never get his love back if you continue to hate baby Jacob," Luna Adela elaborated further.

Deborah was pretending to listen attentively to her future mother-in-law’s lecture and advice.

Luna Adela continues to share words of wisdom with the stubborn girl. "Acceptance is the key, dear. There is no such thing as a perfect husband. All men have flaws. As a wife it is our duty to understand them and tolerate their flaws because if we keep pushing for perfection on their faces, you will only get disappointed. My advice for you is don’t try to control my son. You will lose him that way. Try to be a good and understanding wife. You will win his heart that way. I hope you learned valuable lessons from my lecture today. It’s only for your own good."

"Thank you for your brilliant advice, Mom. I appreciate it," Deborah said thoughtfully. "I shall remember and apply them all in my marriage to your son."

"Good. I hope you feel better now. I’m going to the garden to tend to my flowers. Join me there with baby Zed." Luna Adela rose to her feet and left the living room.

A few minutes later, Deborah can be seen heading to the garden, cradling baby Zed in her arms.

Meanwhile, on the second floor of the mansion, Alpha Maxwell can be seen chatting with Zero in the Windowless Lovers chat room to finalize baby Jacob’s arrival at the mansion.

Zero: Alpha Maxwell, please listen carefully. We will release baby Jacob at City National Park at 6:00 in the evening tomorrow. Remember, no hanky-panky business, which means no cops in the vicinity of the park. If my men saw cops near the area, we would not release baby Jacob. Do you understand?

Alpha Maxwell: Copy, you have my word. I will not bring anyone to the park, it is just me and my grandmother.

Zero: OK, that’s clear. We will do the necessary preparations to make sure the transfer of baby Jacob into your hands will be smooth and safe. We want to reunite you with your son, so make sure you will not be trailed by your father’s men. If your father asks about the details, what will you tell him?

Alpha Maxwell: I won’t tell him anything. I will keep my mouth shut.

Zero: Great! For baby Jacob’s safety, let’s keep this transaction private.

Alpha Maxwell: Copy. I’m excited to see my son. Rest assured the cops won’t be involved.

Zero: Alright, I’m going offline. I have some important things to do. I will chat with you tomorrow. Tomorrow, you will know the exact place in the park where you can see baby Jacob.

Alpha Maxwell: OK, copy.

Zero: Since Naomi is not online yet, just tell her what we agreed on. If she could go to the park tomorrow night, that would be nice. The three of you will be reunited even for a few hours. But I doubt she can leave her house. Poor Naomi. Anyway, chat with you tomorrow. Bye bye.

Alpha Maxwell: Bye Zero.

Zero and Maxwell both left the chat.

Naomi entered the chat and backread the men’s conversation.