Not twins novel (Natasha and Kenneth) novel Chapter 803

Chapter 803 Drawing Competition

Denise stared at Thalia and explained, “It's just a guess based on what you said earlier and also the fact that you've been looking around non-stop since we sat down, almost as if you're looking for something.”

Thalia forgot others were observing her while she was doing the same.

She pinched Denise's chin playfully and said, “Not bad, huh? Your observation and deduction skills are perfect.”

Denise smiled, basking in her praise.

“So, will he really be here later?” Anthony asked.

Thalia nodded and poured herself some tea. “I've done my research on him before we came here. Our target likes the dishes at this restaurant and comes here every week. Whether he shows up today or not would depend on our luck.”

During Thalia's explanation, Anthony's assessing gaze swept across the restaurant.

Miguel listened carefully to them. He did not know why, but at least he knew they were here to track someone down. With that in mind, he asked, “Do you have a photo of him? We can look for him together.”

“I asked my friend for a photo of him, but I haven't received it yet.” Thalia whipped out her phone and checked it for new messages. “Nope, still nothing.”

“Have you seen this person before?” Miguel continued.

She nodded. “I have.”

Exasperated, Miguel suggested, “Then you can draw his face!”

“Erm...”

Benjamin did not pick up on Thalia's hesitation and chimed in, “Oh yes! Why don't you draw his face? We can all keep a lookout for him, then.”

After some thought, Thalia nodded and replied, “I'll give it a try?”

And so, she found herself asking a waiter for a pen and paper under everyone's expectant gaze.

They scrutinized her drawing from the very first stroke.

Feeling pressured by their staring, Thalia proposed, “Just give me a sec, all right? Order some tea or something. I'll be done in a jiff!”

Thankfully, they all looked away and obediently sipped on their tea.

Thalia began drawing in earnest, her brows scrunching and relaxing as she worked through the sketch.

She was still drawing when all the dishes had been served.

Anthony, on the other hand, continued observing their surroundings. He had never seen their target before, but his gut instinct told him that he would be able to recognize the person at first sight.

“Please go ahead and eat. Don't wait for me. I'm almost done,” Thalia offered.

Everyone was too hungry to stand on ceremony and dug in.

Finally, a few minutes later, Thalia set her pen aside, looking almost relieved. “Done.”

Everyone looked up from their food and at her.

Thalia flipped the paper around and showed them the drawing. Miguel, who had just taken a gulp of tea, spat it out when he saw her drawing.

Thalia was not amused.

The children were not any better. Anthony appeared to freeze in astonishment while Benjamin frowned.

Denise struggled to describe the painting.

Their silence caused Thalia's brows to knit in displeasure. “Hey, what's with that reaction?”

“What did you draw?” Miguel tried his best to repress his laughter.

Thalia replied, “It's a portrait. Can't you tell?” As she spoke, she leaned forward and commented on the drawing, “There. That's the face and the eyebrows. And here are the eyes, the nose, and the mouth. Isn't it obvious?”

“Well, now that you mention it, I guess I can see the features. But your drawing... how should I put it? A kindergartener can probably draw better than that.” Alas, Miguel failed to hide his laughter.

He earned a murderous glare from Thalia, who demanded, “Ever heard of social courtesy?”

Miguel instantly made a zipping motion across his lips.

“Well, what do the rest of you think?” Thalia turned her attention to the triplets.

Anthony pretended to cough and picked up his teacup, abstaining from commenting.

“It's not bad,” Benjamin said kindly.

Thalia puffed up in pride. “I always knew you had the best taste, Benjamin.”

The young boy ruined it a second later by adding, “It's definitely better than a kindergartener's doodle!”

Miguel piped up, “Really? Have you seen kindergarteners' drawings these days? They're quite good.”

Thalia's smile froze as she gritted out, “Shut up!”

Benjamin and Miguel zipped their lips.

“What about you, Denise?” The youngest of the triplets was Thalia's last hope.

Denise stared at the drawing for what seemed like an eternity before saying seriously, “I think it's quite well-drawn!”

Once again, Miguel jumped in and asked disbelievingly, “Are you sure?”

Benjamin tamped down his amusement and added, “Don't be so surprised. My sister can't draw half as well as this!”

The comment took Miguel aback, though he soon burst into laughter. “I see!”

Thalia shot Denise a disgruntled glare. The young girl's lashes quivered as she cajoled Thalia, “I really mean it. I do think you drew the portrait very well. And it's better than what I can draw.”

“Just being better than you is hardly worth a celebration,” Thalia mumbled.

It was a most inopportune time, but Anthony chose that exact moment to burst into laughter.

Soon enough, everyone except Thalia dissolved into giggles.

Thalia could only pout in displeasure. Miguel's overflowing amusement had her staring daggers, and she barked, “Was that funny to you?”

“No, I'm sorry...” he replied through fits of laughter.

“Why don't you draw his portrait instead?” challenged Thalia.

Before Miguel could reply, Thalia leaned closer and threatened, “If you can't draw better than me, don't blame me for sending you back to your master in a sack!” She even cracked her knuckles to send the hint across.

Miguel lost the urge to laugh and swallowed nervously. “I'll give it a try.”

Thalia tossed the pen and paper at him. “On with it.”

“But I don't know what he looks like!”

“I'll describe his features to you, and you can draw.”

Miguel nodded and conceded, “Fine. Start explaining.”

“Male. Thirty-six years old. Just under six feet tall...”

“And his looks?” asked Miguel.

Thalia side-eyed him and drawled, “He has a squarish jaw and thick brows. Single eyelids, but his eyes aren't that small...”

Miguel began sketching with intense concentration as Thalia's description went on. Anthony and Benjamin scooted closer to observe him. It was not yet apparent from the first few strokes that Miguel was drawing a portrait, but as Thalia's descriptions became more detailed, a distinct face started to take shape on the paper.

Thalia continued describing their target in between mouthfuls of food. Her seat across from Miguel did not give her a good view of his drawing, even as she glanced at his paper from time to time. At last, she exhausted all the descriptions she could think of and declared, “That's all.”

The artist continued drawing after the cues were over. Several minutes later, he stared at the portrait he had drawn and frowned.

“What's wrong?” asked Thalia.

Miguel's expression remained troubled.

Assuming victory was hers, Thalia said generously, “Don't worry. Nothing's wrong if your drawing's a disaster. You just have to admit you're wrong.”

“I tried my best.” Miguel tossed the paper at Thalia.

When she finally got a good look at the drawing, she dropped her cutlery on the table in shock.

The drawing accurately encompassed about seventy to eighty percent of her descriptions.

The triplets were clearly in agreement with her. Though they had no idea if the portrait was a precise representation of their target, they could tell that Miguel was no amateur artist.

The prolonged silence prompted Miguel to ask, “Does this work?” Naturally, his question was directed at Thalia, the only person who had seen their target.