Nelly shook her head. “Nope, but I can start having one now.”
A hint of mischief flashed across her eyes. Alpha Kilian knew she was merely trying to use that method to persuade him.
He bored his dark eyes into her and remained quiet because her effort was insufficient to convince him. Sensing his silence, Nelly knew he still had reservations about that matter.
After contemplating briefly, Nelly lowered her gaze, took a step closer to him, and reached out to gently tug the corner of his shirt before looking up at him. “All right, Alpha Kilian . I know you're worried about me and have my best interest at heart. But please just agree with this decision, okay?”
“What if I don't agree?” he asked.
“If you don't agree, you'll leave me with no choice but to keep you trapped in this room,” she threatened while staring at him.
He glanced at her. “Do you think you're capable of doing that?” “We'll find out the answer once we give it a try,” she replied.
Alpha Kilian swept his eyes across her and stood up to leave. At that moment, Nelly suddenly launched a sneak attack from behind.
Walking toward the door, he heard the sound of Nelly thrusting her fist. As if he had grown eyes in the back of his head, he extended his arm to grab her hand.
Noticing that, she continued to strike, and the two began to spar in the room.
When she saw Alpha Kilian swinging his fist at her, her eyes gleamed with a hint of cunning glint. The next second, she staggered backward and collided with the table.
“Ouch...” Nelly grunted and furrowed her brows in agony.
Seeing that, Alpha Kilian immediately withdrew his arm and approached her. “Nelly , are you all right?” “It hurts,” she murmured in a dulcet tone.
Alpha Kilian frowned, too anxious to remain cool-headed. “B-But I didn't exert that much force...”
“But it's really painful,” she said piteously.
He gazed at her with tightly knitted brows. The next second, he carried her and put her on the bed. “Where does it hurt? Can you show me?” he asked.
Taking in his concerned expression as he examined her body, Nelly 's eyes glimmered, and she pounced on him, pinning him onto the bed.
He looked up, and upon seeing that she seemed to be doing fine and catching the sly look flickering past her eyes, his gaze darkened.
“Well? Do you think I can trap you here now?” she asked with her brows arched. “Nelly , since when have you learned to put on a pitiful act to garner sympathy?”
She shook her head. “No, I'm not doing this to garner sympathy.” Nelly leaned forward, inching closer to his lips as she spoke. The look in her eyes became increasingly charming as she whispered, “This is an act to seduce you.” And with that, she pressed him on the bed.
Meanwhile, inside the lab, Spencer stared at the antidote with complicated emotions churning in his dark eyes.
Nelly 's words and various scenes from the past flashed across his mind. He knew that was a selfish act, but he had no other choice. Even if this is selfish, I'm willing to pay the price for it.
At that thought, he put the antidote away. His eyes shone with determination.
At the same time, inside the shooting room, Thalia walked around the place and couldn't help but nod at the interior design and layout. “It seems like Dave is very generous toward you, using all the best materials in the construction.”
Ben stood nearby. “But I designed this place.”
Thalia shifted her attention to him. “For someone who's even capable of designing firearms, designing a place like this is a complete waste of talent.”
Hearing her compliment, he smiled.
“Still, you've already set everything up here, so what do you need my help with?” she asked.
“Um... I didn't expect the place would be so perfect. In that case, why don't you look around and give me some suggestions?” he chirped.
Thalia glanced at Ben after hearing that. “I can't believe you've learned nothing useful from Tony except for being narcissistic.”
Ben pondered briefly before responding, “Actually, I'm not quite like Tony .” “Oh? How are you different?”
“He's a narcissist, while I'm just being honest,” Ben said.
Thalia couldn't stop herself from laughing. She considered anyone who would criticize Tony in front of her kindred spirits.
The two reached out and high-fived each other.
As they laughed and chattered, they turned around to look behind them. Usually, Tony would've chimed in to banter with them. However, at that moment, he sat not far away with his brows furrowed, seemingly having a load on his mind.
Noticing Tony sitting there absentmindedly, Thalia and Ben exchanged glances. “What's up with him today?” she asked.
“It's not just today. He's been like this for the past couple of days,” Ben replied. Thalia frowned, and the two walked toward Tony .
When they reached him, they sat down on either side of him.
Tony still appeared deep in thought, seemingly oblivious to their arrival, as he didn't react in any way.
Thalia didn't bother listening to his rambling. The only information she received from his reaction was that he had a secret but wouldn't tell her!
Frowning, Thalia fixed her gaze on him and said, “Tony , are you not a man of your word?” “I—”
“That's not what you said to me previously. You've changed!”
“I didn't—”
“Ben and Donna know about your secret, right? Yet you refuse to tell me!” Thalia appeared to be hurt by his refusal to tell her the truth. She then nodded in resignation and said disappointedly, “Okay, I understand. You never really considered me as a friend...”
Tony held his forehead in frustration and finally gave in. “Fine, I'll tell you.”
Thalia immediately regained her solemn demeanor. “You should've told me in the first place.”
Tony looked at her in exasperation. “Your acting skills are so good that I think you should become an actor like Donna .”
Thalia didn't think he was being sarcastic at all and replied seriously, “Darknetz has special acting classes, so you guys will have to learn it, too. Don't worry, for you'll soon be better at acting than me!”
Tony was speechless.
“Okay, cut the crap. Tell me everything,” Thalia urged.
Tony glanced at Thalia. He actually intended to consult her about this matter and just hadn't found a chance to talk to her yet. He was about to speak when Thalia suddenly thought of something. “Wait a minute.”
Tony 's words were stuck halfway in his throat as he stared at her.
“If it's really private, forget it. I'm not someone who likes to pry into other people's privacy,” Thalia said. “Really?”
Thalia nodded. “Of course.”
“Then we're done!” Tony shrugged with his hands spread out.
Thalia was dumbfounded. “That's it!” Tony said.
Thalia took a deep breath. “Tony Jackson , do you take me as a fool?”
Seeing that she was about to explode with rage, Tony couldn't help laughing out loud. “You said you wouldn't listen if it's a private matter!”
“Ben knows, so that means I can know too. I'm just being courteous yet you really think I mean it!” Thalia retorted.
“Women always say one thing and do another...” “Do you have a problem with that?”
“No, I don't!” Tony immediately admitted defeat.
Thalia kept her eyes trained on him, still feeling something was off. “You've been surrendering too easily lately. What's the deal? Have you become enlightened enough to start being all respectful and caring
toward others?”
Tony raised an eyebrow. “I'm just being considerate because you're not in good health.” “Oh, I see. Wow, you have sympathy for others now?”
“It's not about having sympathy. I just don't want to argue with the sick and the weak,” Tony replied. Thalia was rendered speechless by his quick-witted remarks.
His tongue is still as sharp as ever.
“But if you're not used to my current demeanor, I can still act like I did before,” Tony offered.
Thalia flashed him a halfhearted smile and urged him to get to the point. “Hurry up and tell me about that secret of yours!”
Tony took a moment to gather his thoughts and spoke while looking at her. “I have an idea.”
“What idea?” Thalia asked casually as she grabbed some snacks from the table, popping one into her mouth.
Tony pursed his lips. “I've revealed part of it to you before this.” “What is it? Just tell me!” Thalia stared at him.
“I'm thinking of forming a team.”
Thalia was momentarily stunned and turned to look at him.
“I mentioned it briefly when we were in the uninhabited zone. I've been thinking about it for a long time. I want a team that I can fully control and that only answers to me,” Tony explained his idea.
Listening to his thoughts, Thalia narrowed her eyes. “So... are you saying you want to leave Darknetz?”
“No, I don't have any intention of leaving Darknetz. I just want a team that completely works for me outside of Darknetz. That way, I can handle any personal grudges myself,” Tony explained.
Thalia instantly understood his point.
The look in her eyes darkened as she looked at Tony . “Tony , actually, you can already mobilize the forces in Darknetz. You know full well that you can do so if you need to. It's just a bit more difficult to handle the current situation due to the relationship between Alpha Kilian and Darknetz.”
“I know, and I understand,” Tony replied. “I don't know how things will turn out between Daddy and Darknetz, but what if this problem is never resolved? The main reason I joined Darknetz is to protect the people I care about, so if this issue limits what I can do, what's the point of me staying in Darknetz?”
Thalia frowned. “Tony , you can't say that. Are you not happy being in Darknetz? I know you're anxious about Nelly 's matter, but don't deny the significance of your presence in Darknetz. I can tell that you're happy being a part of Darknetz and you have big ambitions to achieve. Darknetz can help you realize your goals. Otherwise, you wouldn't have joined in the first place, right?”
Tony listened and frowned slightly.