One Night Stand, Eight Surprises: Pampered by My CEO Husband --- - Chapter 140: Chapter 140

The cafeteria had been transformed. String lights hung from the ceiling like constellations, paper stars dangled from fishing line, and tiny chairs filled with parents lined every available inch of the tiled floor. The scent of over-buttered popcorn, plastic-wrapped cupcakes, and childlike anticipation filled the air.
Arielle sat in the second row, flanked by Damien on one side and their toddler—half-asleep and cradling a juice box—on the other. Their middle daughter clutched her own handmade program, eyes darting toward the small stage, anxious to spot her older brother among the pint-sized cast.
“I still can’t believe they made him the lead,” Arielle whispered, half in awe, half in maternal pride.
Damien leaned closer. “Of course they did. He gets his drama from you.”
She smirked. “Says the man who once rehearsed his wedding vows with a spotlight and a full-length mirror.”
He chuckled, but his eyes stayed fixed on the curtain. “You think he’s nervous?”
“I think I am,” she admitted.
The lights dimmed.
The room fell into that hushed excitement unique to elementary school performances—equal parts dread and delight. A tiny narrator in a felt moon costume waddled to the mic and cleared her throat. “Tonight… we present… ‘The Magic Kite!’”
Arielle squeezed Damien’s hand. The curtain rose.
And there he was.
Their son, dressed in a patched aviator jacket and a paper pilot’s hat, stood center stage with a cardboard kite held high.
He spoke his first line with a confidence that surprised even Arielle.
“I may be small—but I dream of flying higher than the clouds!”
The audience collectively awed.
His cues were flawless. His voice carried. He hit every mark with the seriousness of a tiny Broadway actor.
Arielle felt her throat tighten.
She thought of how close she’d come to missing this. To missing him.
Then came the turning point.
One of the student actors playing the Wind Spirit suddenly collapsed into a coughing fit backstage. There was a shuffle, whispers. A frazzled teacher—face flushed, headset askew—hurried down the aisle and whispered something to the principal.
A few moments passed.
Then the teacher turned to the audience and, in a voice of barely veiled panic, said, “Ladies and gentlemen, we have a small change to our cast tonight.”
And that’s when Damien stood.
Arielle blinked. “Wait. What are you doing?”
He straightened his blazer, already halfway to the aisle. “Saving the wind.”
“You’re what?” she hissed.
But he was gone.
Five minutes later, the curtains opened again.
And Damien—Damien—walked onto the stage wearing a hastily pinned-on blue satin cape and a sparkly paper crown labeled "Zephyr."
Arielle stared in stunned horror as he raised his arms dramatically and boomed, “Who dares challenge the great Wind Spirit?”
The kids gasped.
Damien’s son blinked… then grinned.
“I do!” the boy declared, staying in character.
What followed was fifteen minutes of mostly improvised lines and questionable choreography. Damien pranced across the stage, swirling around children like a gale in a business-casual wardrobe. At one point, he spun too hard and knocked over a cardboard tree. The audience burst into laughter. Even the principal was doubled over.
Arielle laughed so hard she had to dab her eyes with a tissue.
By the end, their son held up the kite triumphantly. “With courage and a little wind… anything is possible!”
The crowd erupted in applause.
Backstage afterward, kids ran wild as parents took pictures. Their son beamed as he clutched his glittery participation certificate.
“Daddy was the best Wind Spirit ever!” he shouted.
Damien gave a mock bow. “Thank you, thank you. My debut—and likely last—stage performance.”
Arielle pulled him aside, wrapping her arms around his neck.
“You were ridiculous,” she said, kissing him.
He nuzzled her cheek. “But worth it?”
She nodded against him, voice thick with emotion. “Completely.”
They stood there in the flurry of chaos, surrounded by laughter, sticky fingers, and juice spills.
And for a moment, all the shadows that had haunted them felt far, far away.
Because in this school cafeteria, under streamers and star-shaped lights, their son had flown.
And Damien had made sure the wind carried him high.