Chapter 91: Welcome home

This time, when the kids heard the now familiar honk pattern of Clancy’s driver, David and Daniel dropped their forks onto their plates, scraping their chairs loudly against the floor as they bolted toward the front entrance.

Diana leaped up from her seat right behind them, her competitive streak showing as she tried to overtake her brothers down the hallway.

Marta, one of Selen’s household maids, quickly stepped forward to clear the children’s abandoned breakfast dishes since they were almost done.

Selen remained seated at the head of the long table for a moment, taking a slow sip of the coffee another staff member had freshly prepared for her. She offered a brief nod to Maria, signaling she would handle the door herself, and stood up to follow the noise.

By the time Selen reached the foyer, the heavy front door was already open. The other housekeeper had stepped aside to let the children pass, watching with a smile as the triplets practically threw themselves on Clancy.

Clancy was stepping inside, his travel jacket slung over one arm. The exhaustion on his face vanished the moment the kids hit him like a whirlwind. He dropped his jacket straight onto the floor and knelt down, catching David, Daniel, and Diana in a single, heavy embrace.

"Whoa! Easy there, you three," Clancy laughed, his voice heavy with tiredness from his trip. He squeezed them tightly against him, burying his hand in Daniel’s hair while David wrapped his arms firmly around Clancy’s neck, and Diana squeezed in right between them, hugging him tightly around the waist.

"Did you get the stuff from the list?" Daniel demanded loudly into Clancy’s shoulder, completely bypassing any sentimental greetings. "Daniel, mind your manners," Selen said calmly as she walked into the foyer, standing a few feet back near the archway.

Clancy just laughed, a deep, rumbling sound that filled the room. He stood up, giving Daniel’s head a playful rub and winking at Diana before finally looking up to meet Selen’s eyes. He offered her a tired but genuine smile.

"Good morning, Selen," he said. "Good morning, Clancy. Welcome back," she replied simply. Her tone was polite and brief, keeping the exchange professional. She gave him a perceptive look, noting the dark circles under his eyes.

"I see you made it in one piece." She added.

"Barely. But I did not forget a single thing," he said. Before the kids could drag him further into the house, a throat cleared behind him.

The driver stepped through the open doorway. He was loaded down heavily. In each hand, he carried several large shopping bags from a premier department store, and balanced awkwardly under his left arm was a long, rectangular box wrapped in brown shipping paper.

"Just bring them into the main living room, Thank you," Clancy instructed, stepping to the side to clear the hallway. "Good morning, Miss Selen," the driver murmured respectfully as he shuffled past her, carefully navigating around the energetic triplets.

Sarah immediately stepped in to assist, taking two of the heavier bags from the driver’s hands to help him transfer the load to the large coffee table in the center of the living room.

The kids did not wait. They swarmed the coffee table like a pack of hawks. "Is that the drone?" David asked, pointing directly at a large, glossy box peeking out from one of the bags. "The one with the stabilized camera?" He asked further.

"Check the label, David. I do not break my word," Clancy said, walking past Selen to join them on the rug. He pulled the sleek quadcopter box out and handed it over. David’s eyes went wide, and he immediately sat flat on the floor, using his fingers to tear at the plastic sealing.

Daniel was hovering over the long, brown package, his hands practically vibrating. "What about this one? Is it the racing track? The one with the double loops?" He asked with excitement laced in his voice.

"Only one way to find out," Clancy said, sitting down cross-legged right next to him on the floor, completely indifferent to his expensive travel clothes getting wrinkled.

Daniel ripped the paper open with pure, chaotic energy. Inside was the deluxe electric slot-car racing kit he had asked for over the phone, complete with four miniature sports cars and a massive track layout. "Yes! David, look! He got the exact one!"

Diana reached into one of the department store bags next, pulling out a beautifully bound, professional-grade sketchbook and a premium set of imported drawing pencils she had mentioned weeks ago.

"You remembered," she said, a bright smile breaking across her face as she flipped through the heavy, textured pages.

"I told you I took notes," Clancy smiled, nudging her shoulder playfully.

Selen walked over to the edge of the living room, resting her hand on the back of an armchair as she watched the display. She glanced over at Maria, who was standing quietly near the kitchen corridor, and gave a small hand gesture.

Maria nodded and disappeared, returning a minute later with a fresh bottle of sparkling water and a glass on a silver tray, placing it on a side table near Clancy before slipping away.

As the triplets scattered the wrapping paper across the floor, Selen’s eyes landed on a massive, heavy cardboard box that the driver had placed near the window. It was completely unlabeled, but the square dimensions were unmistakable.

She shot Clancy a sharp, direct look.

Clancy caught her gaze from the floor and immediately held his hands up in mock defense. "I swear to you, it is not a drum set," he said quickly, keeping his voice low enough so the boys wouldn’t stop playing with their current toys.

"It had better not be," Selen said, her voice dropping to a warning register. "Because if I hear a single snare hit in this house today, Maria is going to help me throw it directly into the swimming pool." she threatened.

The kids all turned to their mother and Clancy, listening to their interaction, to know if they were going to have the mysterious present or not.