When she saw the three of them wearing the same expression, Natasha knitted her brows. “What's wrong? Is there a problem?”
Anthony was the first to shake his head. “No, not at all. Your sudden appearance just gave us a scare. That's all.”
Benjamin nodded to second his brother's words.
Natasha swept a suspicious gaze across the three of them. “You wouldn't be on your toes if your conscience was clear.”
Anthony eked out an awkward smile.
“Spit it out. What are you hiding from me?” Natasha refused to let the matter go.
The sudden question caused the three of them to exchange panicking glances.
Having little patience, Natasha turned her attention to Kenneth. “You tell me.”
The question stunned Kenneth. “Me?”
Natasha nodded at him.
Anthony and Benjamin shifted their gaze to Kenneth, grinning in schadenfreude.
Kenneth cleared his throat as he walked up to her and wrapped his hand around her slender waist. “Well, the boys asked me not to tell you, so...” Kenneth put on a conflicted expression.
His sons were immediately dumbfounded.
Daddy, how could you do this to us?
The boys stared at their father in disbelief.
What was I supposed to say? It's not like I have a better choice.
He cleared his throat again and averted his gaze.
Whatever.
It was then that Natasha's gaze fell upon her sons. From the look in her eyes, she had clearly run out of patience.
Benjamin decided to take control of the situation. “Fine. I'll come clean, Nat. We met this girl called Alexia, and it was she who sent us home. After that, Daddy reminded us not to tell you about it.”
What the...
This time, it was Kenneth who gave his son a stunned look, and he wasn't alone in doing so.
Anthony was equally shocked, for Benjamin had blurted out those words while he was still racking his brains about what to say.
He tilted his head and gave his brother a look of surprise.
Since when did he become so sharp in his speech? I have to admit, it's a really good alibi. Even I didn't think of it.
Ignoring his father's shocked look, Anthony nodded in agreement. “That's right.”
Natasha turned to look at Kenneth, who shook his head in denial, again.
Unexpectedly, Natasha didn't seem quite bothered at all. Instead, she asked calmly, “Did you manage to find Thalia?”
Anthony shook his head. “No.”
Anthony shook his head. “No.”
“So why were you out for so long?” Natasha probed.
“We ran into Alexia halfway, which took up some of our time,” Benjamin said in an innocent tone.
Kenneth was flummoxed.
This isn't the story we agreed to.
This time, it was Benjamin who repeated Kenneth's reaction by averting his gaze with an oblivious expression.
Upon hearing their words, Natasha nodded slightly. “All right, I understand.”
“So...”
“Why don't you boys go back to your room? I'll call you if I need you,” Natasha said.
Anthony and Benjamin nodded in unison. “All right.”
“Go on now.”
With that, the boys turned and left.
While walking, both of them whispered to each other, “Benjamin, what has gotten into you today?”
“What are you talking about?” Benjamin asked.
“Your innocent act just now,” Anthony replied.
“What's wrong with it?”
“Since when did you have a way with words?”
“I was forced to speak up because you didn't say anything.”
“I was still thinking of what to say.”
“In that case, why were you so slow just now?”
“How is this my fault?”
“It has always been that way...”
The boys began to argue as they climbed up the stairs.
After watching the boys leave, Natasha shifted her attention back to Kenneth. With a serious tone, she asked, “Did you manage to get in touch with Spencer?”
Kenneth shook her head. “No. What's wrong?”
“I can't reach him.” A crease formed between Natasha's brows.
“I'll check on him right away.” With that, Kenneth gave Spencer a call.
At that moment, something dawned on Natasha, and she returned upstairs.
While waiting for the call to connect, Kenneth quickly followed her when he saw her leaving.
“I can't get through,” Kenneth said.
Natasha's brows furrowed. She looked as if she was in deep thought.
“He was driving Dave's car, which should be equipped with a tracker. I'll get Dave to check,” Kenneth proposed.
Natasha nodded in agreement. “Okay.”
With that, she returned to her room.
Kenneth's eyes glistened with concern as he stared at her leaving silhouette. After having a quick word with Dave on the phone, he swiftly ended the call.
He was prepared to pacify her upon entering the room but was surprised to find her sitting in front of the computer, deliberating upon something.
He approached her and rested his hands on her chair. “What's wrong?”
Natasha raised her gaze to look at him. “What did Dave say?”
“He's investigating and will update me once he has any news,” Kenneth replied.
As she continued to stare at her computer, Natasha gave him a faint nod.
Kenneth finally asked, “Nat, are you angry with me?”
Natasha looked up at him as she regained her senses. “What?”
It was clear from the look on her face that she wasn't, causing Kenneth to realize that his worries were unnecessary.
Taking a deep breath, Kenneth replied in relief, “It's nothing.”
She stared at him with something on her mind. “I want to hack into the Overseer System to track Thalia down. However, it will be extremely tedious to do so. Do you have anyone who specializes in AI programming that can locate someone via their facial features or movements?”
Kenneth gave her an earnest look. “Do you think it's worth going so far for Thalia?”
“I'm the reason this happened to her. Only by finding her quickly can we guarantee her safety. This is my responsibility after all.”
“But she doesn't care about her own life. Why should you?”
“She isn't someone like that at all. In fact, she treasures her own life a lot. She just doesn't want Spencer to see her in that condition and for us to feel guilty. That's her true intention, but it's not something my conscience can accept. More importantly, she's a friend of the children. That's why this is something I must do.”
Kenneth nodded in acknowledgment. “All right, I understand. I'll get it done.”
“Good. In the meantime, I'll download all the surveillance feeds from the city that day.”
As Kenneth walked to the side, Natasha returned to her computer with her eyes burning with conviction.
After taking a few steps, Kenneth turned around to throw her a glance. Expecting her to be upset over the incident with Alexia, he furrowed his brows when he saw how focused she look.
Do I still mean anything to her?
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