After entering the room, Thalia sat down on the bed in an elegant posture and stared them down. “Go on, then. Ask away.”
The three kids exchanged glances. Eventually, it was Anthony who spoke up first. “Are you guys hiding something from us?”
Thalia immediately understood what he meant, but playing dumb was a skill she had developed after spending so much time around them.
“Who are you referring to?” Thalia asked.
Anthony frowned. “You adults.”
“And which 'us' are you referring to?” Thalia asked.
“The three of us, of course,” Anthony replied patiently.
There's no way Thalia wouldn't know what I'm talking about. She's definitely playing dumb!
Thalia simply nodded without saying anything in response.
The three kids were starting to lose their patience when they saw how relaxed she was.
“Well? Tell us, Thalia!” Denise urged her.
Thalia glanced at her and asked, “Tell you what?”
“Um...” Denise suddenly found herself at a loss for words.
Thalia let out a sigh and flashed them a confused look as she said, “You kids should be going after the people you think are suspicious. How would I know the answer to such things? We're on the same side, aren't we? I share everything I know with you kids. The four of us are members of Darknetz, so if they're keeping secrets, they're sure to keep me in the dark as well!”
The kids fell silent after hearing that.
They didn't know what to say as her explanation seemed to make perfect sense.
Anthony and Benjamin exchanged glances as they processed Thalia's words.
“Those are two different things, Thalia. We say you're keeping secrets from us. If it really is related to this, then Mr. Dave wouldn't have let you stay here while you recover from your injuries!” Denise said.
Thalia froze as she wasn't expecting her to be so sharp.
Upon realizing how they nearly let Thalia fool them, Anthony and Benjamin shifted their gazes back toward Thalia as they waited for her answer.
In the face of the three intelligent kids, all Thalia could do was continue playing dumb.
“I have no idea what you're talking about,” she replied while shaking her head and putting on the most innocent look possible.
Denise nodded. “Okay, fine, we'll assume you don't know that for now. What about Spencer's laboratory, then? You should know what he researches in there, right?”
Whoa... That question really hit the target! Great job, Denise!
Anthony and Benjamin were staring at Denise with proud looks in their eyes.
“I...” Thalia didn't know what to say.
“You should at least know about your relationship with Spencer, right?” Denise pressed on.
For some reason, hearing that question made Thalia a little happy. “What is my relationship with Spencer? Are we really that close?”
“You two were hugging each other!” Anthony snapped at her.
Thalia shot him a glare in response.
Anthony arched an eyebrow at her as he added, “Hey, I'm just stating the facts.”
“And you ruined the moment for us. Besides, that doesn't mean I know everything. As you all know, Spencer and I aren't exactly that close. He's avoiding me every day, so there's no way he'd tell me everything!” Thalia said with a pout.
“That doesn't make sense,” Denise protested.
“How so?” Thalia asked.
“Knowing you, there's no way you'd just sit by and let Spencer keep you in the dark. Are you not at all curious about what he's up to?” Denise asked.
Anthony and Benjamin both nodded in agreement when they heard that, much to Thalia's dismay.
Ugh... Could Denise just shut up?
Thalia pursed her lips and struggled to maintain her composure as she replied, “I only care about him as a person, so I don't know anything about his work. He could blow this entire place up, and I'd still take his side.”
“You know what, Thalia? I just realized you're better than Anthony when it comes to making stuff up!” Denise exclaimed.
Thalia arched an eyebrow at her. “What are you talking about? I don't know if Anthony is making stuff up, but I'm telling the truth!”
Denise flashed her a smile in response.
Looks like she isn't going to tell us the truth. The fact that she's still putting up an act suggests she has a reason for keeping it from us, not that she doesn't know the answer.
With that in mind, Anthony said, “Okay, maybe we're just overthinking things here. Thalia's probably tired, so we should let her get some rest.”
Thalia flashed him a teasing smile as she said, “Oh? What's this? Anthony is being caring for once?”
“We'll be on our way now. Make sure to get some rest,” Anthony replied with a grin that did not reach his eyes.
Right as they were about to leave, Thalia thought of something and called out to them, “Wait!”
The three kids stopped in their tracks and turned around to look at her.
“How is Nat doing?” Thalia asked.
“She's...” Anthony's eyes darted around as he tried to find the words.
Thalia looked him in the eye. “She's what?”
“Well, she's...”
“What? Come on, out with it!” Thalia pressed on with an impatient frown.
“You should go see for yourself,” Anthony replied with a sigh.
“Is she not doing well?” Thalia asked.
Anthony nodded without saying a word.
Feeling worried, Thalia was about to get off the bed and pay Natasha a visit when she realized something. Wait a minute... Why are these three here if she's unwell? They don't look worried about her at all!
Thalia narrowed her eyes at the thought of that. “Then why are you three wasting your time confronting me?”
Anthony fell silent.
“You really think I'm that dumb?” Thalia asked.
“Is it that obvious?” Anthony shot back.
Thalia clenched her teeth in anger and yelled, “Just you wait, Anthony! I'll teach you a lesson once I'm fully healed!”
Anthony simply flashed her a smug grin before running out of the room.
The look on Thalia's face turned gloomy after the door closed behind them.
She had only known the kids for less than a month, and yet, she couldn't bring herself to tell them the truth.
Despite how carefree and casual Natasha is about everything, she actually cares a lot about the people around her. That's especially the case since the three kids are her children.
Thalia felt her heart ache at the thought of that.
She had never expected to someday be so closely linked to Natasha.
Although she wasn't afraid of dying, there were still a lot of things that she wanted to do in life.
As much as Thalia hated it, she knew it was time she made some arrangements just in case.
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