“Ms. Jackson , I finally received your call,” Boss uttered on the other end of the line. Nelly contemplated briefly before saying, “I can go and help you, but I have a condition.” “What is it?”
“I need the antidote.”
“That's for sure. I'll definitely give you the antidote if you come here.” “Really?”
“Of course.”
“Aren't you afraid I'll run away again?”
Boss chuckled after hearing that. “Rest assured. I've got a plan.”
Nelly pursed her lips. “Wait for my phone call, then.” With that, she hung up again. Mixed emotions churned within Nelly as she stared into the distance.
Meanwhile, Ben and Donna followed Tony into the room. Tony immediately lay on the bed and covered his head with a blanket.
Ben and Donna exchanged glances at the sight of his demeanor. Ben walked over and sat on the couch while Donna approached Tony . “Tony, you can let us know what's bothering you. Maybe we can help.”
“It's nothing. I'm fine,” Tony replied gloomily. “You don't look like you're fine,” Donna said.
“It's better if you don't know about this. There's no need to spread this misery.” Donna turned to look at Ben , who was seated on the couch.
Ben pondered briefly before uttering, “That's enough, Donna . Tony is just a little troubled. Give him some time to mull things over, and he'll be fine.”
Donna knitted her brows while listening to him. Does he need to be so ruthless?
Ben added, “Let's go. Let's go back to our rooms and let Tony have some time alone.” She glanced at Tony and nodded. “Okay.”
Subsequently, the two ambled to the door, repeatedly turning their heads around to look at Tony . Still, the latter showed no inclination to halt them from leaving.
When they reached the door, Tony piped up, “Hold on.” Ben and Donna whirled around at once.
“Close the door behind you. Thank you.”
Hearing that, Donna and Ben were momentarily stunned and a little disappointed. “Okay,” they responded and exited the room.
The two kids stood outside the room after shutting the door.
“I can't believe Tony didn't fall for our trick,” Donna said.
Ben sighed. “That means the problem between them should be pretty serious.” He let out another sigh while staring at the door. “Tony is a prideful person. I'm afraid Thalia has said something to hurt his dignity.”
“T-That couldn't be, right?”
“Who knows? We can only know what happened when Tony is ready to tell.” With that, Ben moved away.
Donna stood rooted in her spot and frowned at his leaving figure from behind. Tony lay on the bed inside the room.
He waited until his siblings left before lifting the blanket off his head. Complicated emotions glinted in his eyes as he stared at the ceiling.
The experiences he shared with Thalia, from when they first met until they ultimately grew inseparable, flooded his mind.
Thalia had genuinely taught him too many things.
He was reluctant to believe her words, but no matter the reason, what she said had hurt his pride. He would be lying if he said that he wasn't mad.
Tony had always been proud of his intelligence. No one had ever criticized him in that manner, not to mention hearing those words from someone he trusted the most.
He felt a twinge in his heart.
Tony rolled over on the bed, forcing himself not to dwell on that matter further. He shut his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
He woke up only when he heard someone knocking on his door.
At that moment, the sky outside had turned dark. Gazing at the door, Tony said, “Come in.” Donna and Ben opened the door and entered the room carrying food.
“Tony, I suppose you're hungry. You didn't go downstairs for your meal, so we brought some food up for you,” Donna said.
She walked over and placed the dishes on the table.
Tony 's mind felt more relaxed after he took a nap. He was no longer as sulky as before. “Thank you,” he uttered.
Donna arched her brow upon hearing that. “Tony, I'm at a loss for words because of your abrupt change in behavior.”
“That's right. This is scaring me a little,” Ben concurred. Tony 's lips twitched as he bored his eyes into them in silence.
“That's enough. Food is one of the basic necessities of life, so hurry up and have your meal. You can get some good rest after you're done eating,” Ben added.
Bobbing his head, Tony got off the bed and walked over to the table. Ben and Donna watched him eat without saying a word.
Although his mood had improved, Tony still felt as though he was chewing on wax when consuming the food.
After eating a few mouthfuls, he turned around to gaze at his siblings behind him. “What's the matter?” Donna asked after taking in the look in Tony 's eyes.
Tony pursed his lips. “Aren't you two curious to know what happened?” Donna froze at the mention of that.
Ben replied, “It's all right if you don't want to talk about it. That's not important.” Tony thought for a few moments. “Thalia wants to cut all ties with us.”
“Cut all ties?” Donna asked.
Ben furrowed his brows in response.
“That's right. She also mentioned some unpleasant remarks. It doesn't seem like she's joking.” Donna muttered, “Why is this happening...”
Ben contemplated for a few seconds before asking, “Do you believe her?”
Nelly sat in front of the computer in the evening.
After a brief hesitation, she texted Thalia under the name of “Shadow Seeker.” She asked: Where are you?
After a while, Thalia replied: What's up? I thought you'd never ask such a question since you're the famous Shadow Seeker.
Shadow Seeker: Are you still in Xyperia?
Thalia replied with a laughing emoji: As expected of Shadow Seeker. You know everything. Shadow Seeker: You sound a little upset.
Thalia: How do you expect me to sound optimistic when I'm almost dying? Shadow Seeker: Dying?
Thalia: Yes. I've been poisoned. I probably won't live much longer. Shadow Seeker: I can grant you a wish.
Thalia: Really? Shadow Seeker: Yes.
Thalia: I want to meet you.
Shadow Seeker did not reply immediately.
Thalia: Shadow Seeker, I've been looking for you for three years, and we've also been friends for three years, even though we have not met. Why can't you meet me now that you know I'm dying?
Shadow Seeker: Is that your wish? Thalia: Yes.
Shadow Seeker: What a waste. You could have asked for a better wish.
Thalia: It's not a waste at all. Being able to see your face before dying means the world to me. As usual, Shadow Seeker remained silent whenever she came across a remark like that.
Thalia continued texting: You said you would grant me a wish. Don't tell me you regret it. Shadow Seeker: We can meet, but I have a condition.
Thalia: What is it?
Shadow Seeker: You must agree to my condition after the meeting. Thalia: And that is?
Shadow Seeker: I'll need you to come with me. Thalia: Please don't tell me you're in love with me. Shadow Seeker: Don't overthink.
Thalia: Can you blame me? We've never met, and all of a sudden, you said you wanted to take me away.
Shadow Seeker: I'll give you some time to think about it. I'll wait for your answer. Thalia: I'll give you my answer now. I agree.
Shadow Seeker: Are you sure you don't need to think about it first?
Thalia: What for? I'm not worried even if you plan to kill me. I'm dying anyway. Shadow Seeker: All right, then.
Thalia: Where and when?
Shadow Seeker: I'll text you again tomorrow.
Thalia: Don't keep me waiting. I don't have much time left! Shadow Seeker: You'll be fine.
Looking at Shadow Seeker's reply, Thalia froze for a moment. She asked: What do you mean? Yet, Shadow Seeker stopped replying to her message.
Thalia stared at her phone screen and knew Shadow Seeker would leave her hanging. She always does this to me.
Nonetheless, she was still intrigued by Shadow Seeker's last message. What's the meaning of that?
Three years ago, Thalia had an encounter with Shadow Seeker online. Shortly after, Darknetz had tasked her with recruiting the elusive hacker. From then on, Thalia had been tirelessly searching for Shadow Seeker, but to no avail. Despite her best efforts, all she could uncover was the general location of the hacker, either in a pack or a country.
On the other hand, Shadow Seeker seemed to be aware of her whereabouts all the time.
At first, Thalia was worried, but after getting to know Shadow Seeker for three years, she had put her guard down. As time went by, their friendship evolved, even though she still did not know much about the hacker.
Thalia had overcome her fear of Shadow Seeker, who seemed to know everything about her. Though they had not met in person, they would contact each other, much like how people kept in touch online.
Thalia's greatest wish was to meet Shadow Seeker before she died.
That was why Nelly seized the opportunity to lure Thalia to make the first move.
Reading the chat history between Nelly and Thalia, Alpha Kilian spoke up. “Have you made up your mind?”
Nelly nodded. “Yes. It's been three years. It's time to see her.”
Alpha Kilian looked at her with conflicting emotions. “When Thalia appeared in Moonwalk Pack , was it because she was looking for you?”
Nelly nodded. “Yes.”
Alpha Kilian gave her a grin. “It's karma, isn't it?”
Nelly responded with a faint smile. “I never thought I would stand before her as Shadow Seeker. But now, I have no choice but to do it.”
Alpha Kilian inclined his head in agreement. “Now, I understand why you trust her so much and why you entrusted the three kids to her.”
Nelly looked at him and offered a silent smile. Sometimes, silence spoke volume.
“When are you planning to meet her? I'll accompany you,” Alpha Kilian asked. “Tomorrow,” Nelly replied. The sooner, the better.
Alpha Kilian thought about it before responding with a nod. “All right. I'll make the arrangement for the meeting.”
Nelly bobbed her head in response.
When Alpha Kilian was about to leave, he seemed to remember something. “By the way, I think the three kids may have suspected something. We should be more careful about our actions.”
Nelly nodded. “Got it.”
“Let's not tell them about tomorrow's meeting, then,” Alpha Kilian said.
Nelly inclined her head in acknowledgment. “Once Thalia returns, everything will fall into place, and all the problems will be resolved.”
Alpha Kilian nodded in agreement before turning around and walking away.
Nelly 's eyes were fixed on the view outside the window as she remained lost in thought while sitting in front of the computer.
The next morning, Alpha Kilian and Nelly departed.
Meanwhile, Ben was leaning against the window in his room, which happened to have a view of the direction of the garage. After he saw Alpha Kilian and Nelly get into the car and drive away, he instantly became alert.
He hopped down from his bed and walked to Tony 's room. “Tony! Tony!”
Ben barged into Tony 's room when the latter was awake, lying on the bed and staring blankly at the ceiling.
Upon noticing Ben 's presence in the room, Tony looked over. “You forgot to knock on the door again.”
Ben looked at his brother. “Daddy went out with Nelly .”
Tony froze for a moment when he heard that. He immediately turned his gaze to Ben . “Why do you sound surprised? It's nothing unusual anyway.”
“Are you not curious where they're going?” Ben asked.
“Where else could they...” Tony paused right there before looking at Ben with his widened eyes.
“My instincts tell me Daddy and Nelly are going to look for Thalia,” Ben deduced. Tony got up from the bed.
Ben went up and nudged him. “Now it's not the time to think about all these. Let's follow them!” “How?” Tony asked.
Ben pondered for a moment before answering, “Miguel! Let's look for Miguel!”