Everyone turned to Thalia upon Miguel's words, seeking her verification.
She put her fork down, took the portrait from him, and pretended to scrutinize it, frowning. “It looks okay. I'd say it's slightly better than mine.”
The others rolled their eyes at her response.
Only slightly better?
Noticing their disapproving looks, Thalia retorted, “What? Am I wrong? Mine is abstract art. Abstract, you know?”
Tony looked at her skeptically. “Yeah, yeah. We know. You're the best artist out there. But how would you rate this portrait?”
Thalia felt pleased even though Tony had replied to her in a perfunctory manner. She pondered momentarily before raising her brow and saying, “Seven out of ten?”
Tony raised a brow. “There could be some margin of error to your estimate.” Thalia pursed her lips and scrutinized the portrait.
Suddenly, her eyes lit up and she reached out. “Give me the pen.” Miguel handed it to her, feeling skeptical.
Thalia picked up the pen and began to draw on the portrait while the others watched on nervously.
When she was finished, Thalia picked up the drawing and gazed at it with satisfaction. “Much better. It's now an eight or nine,” she announced.
The others followed her gaze and saw that she had added a crooked line on the man's forehead in the portrait.
“Is that... a scar?” Donna asked, puzzled.
Thalia nodded. “Yes, a crescent-shaped scar. There's always a slight difference between a portrait and the real person, but this will make him stand out.”
The others nodded in agreement.
Thalia raised a brow when she saw that everyone had fallen silent. “What's the matter? Is something wrong?”
They shook their heads in unison. “No, everything looks good.”
Thalia nodded in satisfaction. “All right then. I think I've made myself very clear. If you see him, it's most likely him.”
The others nodded in agreement.
“All right, let's eat,” Thalia said.
Everyone then picked up their utensils and dug in.
Tony would scan his surroundings from time to time, trying to spot any signs of the man from the portrait.
Thalia was about to start eating when her phone rang. She quickly answered when she saw that the caller ID indicated it was Nelly .
“Hello.”
“How are things? Have you reached?” Nelly 's voice came through the speakerphone. Donna 's eyes brightened when she heard Nelly 's voice. “Is it Nelly ?”
Thalia nodded.
Donna leaned in closer to the phone. “Nelly .”
Nelly 's tone softened at the sound of her daughter's voice. “Yes, it's me.” “Nelly , we've arrived, and we're all good here, so don't worry.”
“I'm glad to hear that. Be good and listen to your brothers, okay?” “Okay!”
After their brief exchange, Donna returned to her meal while Thalia held the phone up to her ear. “Don't worry. We'll return as soon as we're done here. I'll make sure your kids return in one piece as well.”
“You know me. I just called to ask how things are going. I'm not worried.” “Your kids will be very sad to hear that.”
“They're used to it by now.”
Thalia laughed. “I don't know if I should consider them lucky to be your kids or not.” “Of course they are. It's hard to find open-minded parents like me these days.” “How narcissistic of you.”
After their little banter, Nelly spoke up. “Just let me know if you need any help.”
“Oh? Do I need to pay for your help?” Thalia teased. “If it's work-related, then yes, definitely!”
“What if it's for personal matters?” “I can get it from Spencer then.”
“... Nelly , do you only care for money?”
“It's better to make things clear and fair when it comes to money between friends to avoid conflicts,” Nelly replied.
Thalia's heart skipped a beat when Nelly called her “friend,” and her expression softened at that. Getting to know Nelly had changed Thalia's perspective of her.
Nelly was someone with exceptional talent who had achieved great success at a young age. She had channeled all her energy into reaching the pinnacle of her field while others were busy making friends. As a result, she had few close family members and friends. Hence, when Thalia heard Nelly call her “friend,” Thalia truly believed that she meant it.
Thalia's lips curled up into a smile. “Okay, friend. I won't hold back with you then.” “Don't hold back, especially when it comes to money.”
Thalia chuckled and asked, “Do you want to talk to Tony and Ben ?” “No need. I trust that they are in good hands.”
“Okay. We'll eat first. I'll message you if there's anything else,” said Thalia.
“Sounds good. I've prepared some fine wine to celebrate your return,” Nelly replied. “Wait for me. Don't open the bottle just yet.”
“I'll try my best,” Nelly replied before they hung up.
Tony turned to Thalia and asked, “What did Nelly say?”
After Thalia left, the few of them continued eating.
Miguel inched closer to Tony and asked, “Master, who exactly are we looking for?”
“Someone,” Tony answered. Miguel asked further, “Who is it?” “The person you drew!”
“Did that person offend you?” Miguel probed further.
Tony gazed at him and responded nonchalantly, “Nope.” “So...”
“Do you really want to know the answer? Or are you asking for someone?” Tony questioned him.
Upon hearing that, Miguel immediately raised his hand and denied it. “Master, even though I report to Dave, you're still my master. I'll not do anything that will betray you.”
“So you won't tell Alpha Dave about it?” Tony needed his assurance. “Absolutely not!”
“What if he pressed you for an update?” “Over my dead body!”
Tony burst into laughter.
“Master, Dave was just pulling your leg. He has never instructed me to keep an eye on you,” Miguel explained.
Tony took a sidelong glance at the surroundings but kept mum.
“I'm just worried about the consequences of me accidentally releasing him. It would be disastrous if the person were your enemy. That's why I need to know what I'm allowed to do in certain critical
situations,” Miguel added.
What he said made sense.
The fact that Tony was willing to take him along showed that he had nothing to hide. He then turned his attention to Miguel and said, “I want to form a team, and I want that person to be on it. That's why I came here to look for him.”
Miguel nodded after falling into deep thought upon hearing that. “Got it.”
“So when he appears, don't hurt him,” Tony reminded.
Miguel bobbed his head in response. “All right.”
Just when Tony was about to take another bite of his food, Miguel voiced another question, “What kind of team are you planning to form, Master?”
“I'd like to keep that a secret for now,” Tony uttered.
Hearing that response, Miguel nodded. “All right then. You're my master, and nothing's gonna change that, no matter what sort of team you're forming.”
Tony remained silent and continued munching on his food.
In the meantime, Donna kept glancing outside in hopes of spotting Thalia.
She could not help but knit her brows as the woman had not returned even after it had been a while. “What's wrong?” asked Ben , sensing that she was worried.
“Thalia has been out for some time now but hasn't returned. Do you think something could have happened to her?” Donna asked.
“Of course not. Thalia has traveled far and wide. Who could possibly harm her?” Ben replied reassuringly. Despite his words, he still pulled out his phone to give her a call.
Yet, after the phone rang several times, Ben 's brows creased with worry. “What's the matter?” Tony asked.
“No one's answering the call,” Ben said. Everyone could not help but frown.
“Should I go and take a look?” Miguel asked.
Tony replied, “That won't be necessary. Thalia can take good care of herself. If you leave, it'll just be the three of us left at the table, and if something happens, it could be problematic.”
Miguel nodded in acknowledgment.
“Keep calling Thalia,” Tony suggested.
Once again, Ben picked up his phone. Right as he was about to make another call, Thalia walked in. “Thalia's back!” Donna noticed her from a distance.
Everyone looked in Thalia's direction.
As soon as she walked in, they noticed something different about her, but they could not quite pinpoint what it was.
“Thalia, did you fight with someone?” Donna asked. “How did you know?” Thalia asked back.
Donna responded by helping smooth an errant lock of Thalia's hair. Thalia pressed her lips together and answered with a hum. “Yes, I did.”
“What happened?”
“You guys don't need to stay here anymore. The person won't be coming today,” Thalia said. “How come?”
“The person came when I was making a call at the entrance earlier,” Thalia said. Everyone's eyes widened when they heard that.
“And?” Tony continued asking.
“Before I could say anything, someone called his name. A group of men then surrounded him and beat him up. I couldn't just stand there and watch, so I stepped in. While I was fighting off the attackers, he took the opportunity and ran away!” Thalia sighed.
They did not know what else to say upon hearing that. Donna then asked, “Are you hurt?”
“Please, do you think those hooligans can hurt me?” Thalia said. Donna flashed a grin. “You're right. Because you're invincible.”
Thalia responded with a smirk before turning around to look at the boys. “Let's finish the food as soon as possible. We don't want those people to come after us.”
“Didn't you say they were just hooligans? Do you think we can't handle them?” Miguel questioned her.