Tony hesitated for a moment and looked at her as he corrected, “I think calling it 'deliberate' isn't quite appropriate-”
Thalia had a sudden outburst and almost slammed the table. “I'm already polite enough by not pointing out how you're taking advantage of us! Tony , do you really think I will believe your vague explanation?”
Tony was stunned and looked at the angry Thalia. After a while, he blinked his innocent eyes and said softly, “I was showing you guys some respect. Understandably, Ben and Donna were used because they lacked experience or didn't guard against me, their elder brother. But you're Darknetz Ace. Isn't it more embarrassing if somebody finds out that you were manipulated by a child?”
These words undoubtedly added fuel to the fire.
Thalia glared at Tony , her eyes blazing with anger. Even at a time like this, he was still playing with words.
As she stared at him, her fists were clenched tightly and made cracking sounds. She sneered, “Yeah, you're right. If people find out that I, Thalia, was manipulated by a kid, I'll be d*mned. In that case, I have no choice but to silence you to protect myself!”
When Thalia reached for him, Tony immediately shouted, “Miguel, save me!”
Almost instinctively, Miguel reached out and shielded Tony behind his arm safely.
Thalia looked him in the eye and asked, “What is it? Are you willing to die for him?”
“I...” Looking at her, Miguel did not know what to say, but after a moment of hesitation, he blurted out, “He's my master. I can't just stand by and do nothing!”
Thalia chuckled lightly. “Can you beat me?”
“No,” he replied.
“Are you here to court your own death?”
“I don't want to die either!”
“Then get lost!”
After careful consideration, Miguel put his arm down. “Okay!”
The result had Tony 's eyes widened in disbelief, and he stared at Miguel. “Are you really going to just abandon your master like this?”
“Master, don't worry. In my lifetime, I will avenge you. Even when I'm a hundred years old, I will never let her off the hook!” Miguel swore.
Pfft! Nobody can wait until then!
Before Tony could even say anything, Thalia's hand reached out directly. Now, it was too late for him to escape.
Just as Tony was thinking about how to beg for mercy, his phone suddenly rang.
Regardless of who was the caller, Tony would praise them as his life savior.
When he checked the phone and saw that it was a call from Alpha Kilian , Tony turned to Thalia and said, “It's Daddy. I need to take this call!” With that, he stood up and walked to the side with his phone.
Thalia was genuinely angry, but she also knew that every phone call now was crucial.
Therefore, the anger she failed to vent out was stuck in her throat. Thalia stared at Tony 's retreating figure and could not help but say, “He's just like Alpha Kilian - always scheming against others!”
On the side, Ben and Donna heard it clearly.
If she was talking about Tony , why bring up Alpha Kilian too?
Just as Donna was about to speak up for her father, Ben grabbed her sleeve and shook his head at her.
Donna widened her eyes as she looked at him, and the two communicated through their gazes. She asked: It's about Tony . What does it have to do with Daddy?
Ben continued to shake his head and replied: It's just a couple of words; it won't hurt anyone. Their discord has been going on for quite some time now. If Daddy doesn't mind, why do you have to go out of your way to meddle?
Donna had a realization and said: That makes sense.
Ben signaled: So, stay calm!
Donna took a deep breath, gradually calming down and regaining her composure.
Tony stepped aside and answered the phone. “Hi, Daddy!”
“How's the progress going?” Alpha Kilian asked.
“It's hard to say, but we'll have the results in a day or two!” Tony answered.
There was a brief pause on the other end of the phone, and Tony sensed something, so he immediately asked, “Is there something wrong, Daddy?”
Alpha Kilian replied, “It's nothing. I'm just wondering when you guys will be back.”
“It's a bit more troublesome than planned. We were originally scheduled to leave this afternoon, but there's been a last-minute change. We might need another day or two!”
“All right, I got it. You guys take care and stay safe!”
“Okay!” Tony replied.
“That's all,” Alpha Kilian concluded.
“Wait a moment, Daddy!” Tony stopped him just in time.
“Is there anything else?” Alpha Kilian asked.
“Where's Nelly ? Is she all right?” Tony questioned.
Alpha Kilian said, “She's sleeping, and she's doing great!”
“Then, is she...” The words were on the tip of Tony 's tongue, but he hesitated.
“What is it?”
“Is Nelly eating well?”
“Of course. With me around, she'll definitely eat well!”
“That's great!”
“Is there anything else?”
“Nothing else.”
“All right, take care!” And with that, Alpha Kilian hung up the phone.
Tony held his phone and was in a daze for a while.
“What's the matter? Too scared to come back under the pretext of answering a phone call?” Thalia could not help but mock from behind.
Tony turned around and walked toward them, but he had a rather solemn expression on his face.
Thalia raised her eyebrows. “Are you putting on a show now?”
At that moment, Tony looked at her and said, “I feel like there's a hidden meaning in Daddy's phone call!”
Thalia did not believe a word he said and glared at him. “You think I'd still believe you?”
“I'm telling the truth!” Tony said earnestly.
Thalia observed his expression, and Tony did not seem to be faking it, so she furrowed her brows. “What's wrong?”
“I can't put my finger on it. Daddy rarely takes the initiative to call me, and today he asked me when I'm going back. I feel like there's something more to his words!” Tony explained.
Thalia did not find any fault that Tony pointed out. “It's normal for a father to call his son and ask when he's coming home. Where's the problem?”
Tony could not put it into words, but it was roughly a strong intuition.
“None can do. I'll give Nelly a call!” With that, Tony flipped through his contacts, found Nelly 's number, and dialed it directly.
Ben and Donna were watching from the side. Donna glanced at the time and said, “At this hour, Nelly is probably still sleeping...”
Tony did not respond. Even if it meant disturbing Nelly 's dream, he had to make the phone call.
Ben looked at Tony , noticing that something had been off with the latter lately.
There was an unspoken agreement between them; they would never disturb Nelly while she was sleeping. However, Tony seemed to have other plans.
To be more precise, Tony seemed to be overly concerned about anything related to Nelly these days.
Ben did not speak and just continued staring as if trying to discern something from Tony 's appearance.
Just then, the phone call was connected.
Nelly greeted, “Hey...”
“Nelly ” Upon hearing the voice on the other end of the phone, Tony felt relieved and instantly let out a sigh of relief.
Over at Nelly 's side, her voice was dripping with laziness when she asked, “What's up?”
“Um... are you sleeping?” Tony asked.