Thankfully, Thalia and Dave no longer fought with each other for the rest of the drive.
However, Thalia's stomach grumbled from time to time.
Benjamin suddenly rummaged through Anthony's bag as though he remembered something.
Perplexed, Anthony asked, “What are you doing?”
“I remember you have some chocolate in your bag!”
“Impossible! I don't even like chocolate in the first place!” denied Anthony vehemently.
Benjamin ignored his protests and continued digging through the bag. His lips curved into a smug smile a moment later.
“I said I don't have any...”
Anthony trailed off as his brother whipped a chocolate bar out of his bag.
Stunned, Anthony stared agape at the chocolate and then at his bag. He mumbled suspiciously, “W-Where did this come from?”
“I put it in your bag!”
Anthony was speechless.
Meanwhile, Thalia was almost drifting off to sleep from her hunger.
Benjamin reached out and tapped her on the shoulder.
She opened her eyes and looked at him, asking groggily, “What?”
He passed her the precious chocolate bar, and Thalia's eyes immediately lit up.
“Where did this come from?”
Benjamin replied, “I always carry some chocolate around with me. Since I didn't bring a bag with me this time, I stuffed it in Anthony's bag.”
Thalia smiled and received the chocolate gratefully. “You're the best, Benjamin!”
The car screeched to a sudden stop.
All three passengers turned to stare at Dave.
“I'm going to buy something!” Dave declared and abruptly left the car.
Anthony and Benjamin just stared at him without saying a word, while Thalia rolled her eyes and muttered, “Urgh, so pretentious!”
She promptly tore open the wrapper and ate the chocolate.
The chocolate was a lifesaver to the half-starved Thalia.
Though she was still hungry after eating the chocolate, her stomach no longer felt as uncomfortable as it was before.
Just then, Dave returned to the car with a bag in his hand.
He passed the bag to Anthony and Benjamin once he got in.
“Erm, what's this, Mr. Dave?”
“I went to get a coffee and bought some food too. We don't have time for dinner, so we'll have to make do with some light bites for now!”
The boys nodded blankly.
Dave started the engine and drove off without a further word.
Anthony almost passed some of the snacks to Thalia when he suddenly paused in thought.
He elbowed Benjamin, who was about to dig in.
Benjamin stared at him and asked, “What?”
Anthony's gaze darted from Dave to Thalia, and Benjamin immediately understood him.
“No. Really?” Benjamin mouthed the words at his brother.
Arching a brow, Anthony mouthed back, “Who knows?”
He shot Dave a final glance before handing some snacks to the woman in the passenger seat. “Have some, Thalia!”
When she saw the food in Anthony's hands, she immediately turned her head away and declared pettily, “I'm not eating that!”
“Why?”
“I won't simply eat food offered by my enemy!” drawled Thalia, who crossed her arms across her chest and stared ahead stubbornly.
Anthony was struck speechless by her attitude.
Did I just open a can of worms?
Dave suddenly chuckled, and Thalia immediately spun to face him. She scrunched her brows and demanded, “What are you laughing at?”
“It's funny!”
“Funny? What's so funny?” retorted Thalia. A hint of displeasure flashed through her beautiful face.
“Darknetz sure has some pretty funny rules!”
Thalia's frown deepened as she barked, “What did you say?”
“Am I wrong? The rules are really funny. You can't eat your enemy's food, but you can sit in your enemy's car.”
Thalia's indignance instantly vanished.
She pursed her lips and pondered a response for the longest time. At last, she sputtered, “I-I'm just trying to protect them.”
Dave smirked and drawled, “They may be members of Darknetz, but they're technically half-members of DX Group. I would never harm them.”
“Half-members in DX Group? What are you implying? Are you trying to scout them or something?”
“Scout?” Dave glanced at Thalia and continued, “They're Kenneth's kids. That makes them DX Group's future heirs. It's not wrong to call them half-members.”
Outraged, Thalia spat, “Does DX Group follow some royal hierarchy or something? What's with the whole heir appointment?”
“Oh? Doesn't Darknetz have the same thing in place or will it simply go to anyone who wants it?”
Outmaneuvered, Thalia could only stammer, “W-Well, the leadership of Darknetz will naturally pass on to the most capable member!”
Dave scoffed and said, “I can't wait to see that!”
“But of course!” Thalia arched a brow and added, “Anyway, Kenneth has already left DX Group. That severs the boys' only ties to your little organization. So, I'd advise you to drop your little scheme!” She even shot him a smug, triumphant smile.
“They can reject the opportunity, but that doesn't mean we won't offer it to them,” came Dave's reply.
Thalia's smile instantly morphed into a frown. “Are you going to force them to accept it?”
Dave did not gratify her with a response.
In the backseat, Anthony and Benjamin listened to their terse conversation quietly.
They were also hearing this for the first time.
Thalia glared at Dave furiously and hissed, “If it's truly a matter of inheritance, why don't you have a kid then? You can hand DX Group to your flesh and blood on a silver platter and settle this matter once and for all.”
Dave's eyes narrowed dangerously as he replied gruffly, “That's none of your business!”
“I never said it was!” Thalia instantly froze after the words left her mouth.
Oh my goodness. What nonsense am I spouting now?
Dave shot her a meaningful stare and remained silent.
In the end, she pursed her lips and stared at the boys in the backseat. Anthony and Benjamin immediately acted as though they had not heard a word of their conversation.
“Do the two of you plan on taking over DX Group?” Thalia cut to the chase.
The boys immediately shook their heads, bringing a satisfied smile to Thalia's lips.
She declared, “That's the Darknetz spirit!”
“Well, I haven't decided yet...” mumbled Anthony.
Thalia glared daggers at him, and Anthony burst into a fit of laughter.
“Fine. Mr. Dave was just kidding!”
To Anthony's surprise, Dave said, “I wasn't kidding. I've discussed this with your father a long time ago.” To Anthony's surprise, Dave said, “I wasn't kidding. I've discussed this with your father a long time ago.”
Flabbergasted, Anthony turned to look at Thalia, who appeared to be on the verge of blowing up.
He hastily asked, “But I've never heard Daddy talk about this before.”
“When your father left DX Group, we made a pact to pass down the organization to either one of our children. We just didn't expect him to embark on fatherhood sooner than I did! I can only call it fate,” explained Dave.
Anthony chuckled and replied, “It must've been a joke or something. I'm sure Daddy has forgotten all about it.”
He prayed he could simply gloss over the matter and put an end to the discussion.
Sadly, Dave insisted, “No. We talked about this a couple of days ago. In fact, your father was the one who brought it up.”
Anthony was exasperated.
Can't we just drop the topic altogether?
Comments
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