After laying Tony on the bed, Alpha Kilian pulled over the quilt to cover the former.
Tony lay neatly on the bed, his palm-sized face looking soft and rosy. At times, others might even mistake him for a girl.
Tony 's appearance was undoubtedly a complete inheritance of all Alpha Kilian 's features.
Looking at him, Alpha Kilian felt as if he was seeing his own childhood self. He reached out, almost instinctively wanting to stroke his son's hair. Tony was sleeping deeply. Upon closer inspection of his long eyelashes, there were tear stains on his face, evidence of recent crying. Seeing this, Alpha Kilian 's gaze instantly darkened, his hand stopping mid-air.
Alpha Kilian simply watched him for an indeterminate amount of time. Eventually, he withdrew his hand, lowered his gaze, and turned to leave the room.
Only after the door had closed and the room had fallen into complete silence did the person lying on the bed slowly open his eyes.
Tony 's gaze shifted toward the door, his eyes filled with complexity and conflict.
In fact, from the moment Dave carried Tony into the living room, the latter had already woken up. Of course, he had heard their conversation, too. It was just that his feelings were quite complicated at the moment, and he genuinely didn't know how to face them, so he simply pretended to be asleep.
Looking at the entrance, Tony 's mind was filled with their conversations and the way Alpha Kilian had
looked at him just now. Even though he hadn't seen it, he could still feel it.
At that moment, his eyes expressed an indescribable melancholy.
When Alpha Kilian walked into the study, Dave was already there, sitting and drinking wine.
Seeing that Alpha Kilian had entered the room, Dave raised his eyebrows slightly and asked, “Care for a drink?”
Alpha Kilian didn't say a word. He just walked over, picked up Dave's glass, and drank it.
Dave looked at him, seemingly perceiving his anger. Without a word, he picked up another glass and poured some more.
“What's wrong?” Dave asked.
Alpha Kilian was a man of great self-control. A single drink was enough for him to vent his feelings. He quickly composed himself and then looked up at Dave. “What do you need from me?”
Dave said, “I think we might have to bring forward our plans!”
“Huh?” Alpha Kilian squinted, then looked at him. “Although I'd like that too, I'm curious why.”
Dave took out something that resembled a strip of paper and placed it on the table, sliding it toward him.
“What?” asked Alpha Kilian .
“Take a look,” Dave said.
Alpha Kilian picked it up and examined it closely, then narrowed his eyes. “Is this a number?”
Dave was pouring a drink when he heard his words and couldn't help but laugh. “Alpha Kilian , even a fool can tell it's a number!”
Unperturbed, Alpha Kilian glanced at him once before turning his attention back to the string of numbers. After a long pause, he asked, “Time?”
Dave paused at his actions, turning back to look at Alpha Kilian . At first, there was surprise, but it soon gave way to calmness. Indeed, this is the Alpha Kilian I know.
Dave held the glass and gently swirled it in his hand.
“Why have you gone silent?” Alpha Kilian asked him. “Was I right?”
Dave nodded. “That's right.” With that, he walked around the table and sat across from Alpha Kilian . “This number is from a person at DX Group. The entire dark web system spent an entire afternoon analyzing it. It's a time!”
Alpha Kilian narrowed his eyes. “So, what exactly are you trying to say?”
“This is what I was talking about today. Tony helped me out,” Dave said.
Alpha Kilian casually placed the note on the table, picked up the red wine in front of him, and said, “Continue!”
“This is a set of numbers from the dark web... No. To be precise, it's a set of numbers someone deliberately placed on the dark web. If it reaches the time indicated here, it will start to automatically delete some important things from the inside. When that happens, it's easy for outsiders to break in. If it's attacked by a skilled hacker, then the entire dark web system and DX Group's financial system will have problems. What do you think will happen then?” Dave asked him in a low voice.
“You're suggesting someone deliberately put it there?” Alpha Kilian asked.
Dave nodded and answered, “That's right. If we hadn't agreed to let Tony use the dark web today, we probably wouldn't have discovered this issue. So, we should thank him!”
Alpha Kilian listened, his brows slightly furrowed. “So what?”
“This matter was orchestrated by Midnight fang pack behind the scenes, back when you guys hadn't arrived last month.”
A grim look appeared in Alpha Kilian 's dark eyes when he heard that. “Are you suggesting that they've been targeting DX Group for a while now?”
“That's right,” Dave replied. He then enunciated, “So, as I've been saying, this isn't just about you anymore. You don't need to constantly feel burdened by me because if I don't take action, they will be the ones to strike first!”
Alpha Kilian looked at him, wanting to say something, but his deep, dark eyes were filled with complexity.
“I'm not trying to get you to do something. If you don't believe me, you can ask Tony . He's the one who discovered the issue. He was involved throughout!” Dave said.
Alpha Kilian composed his thoughts and stared fixedly at Dave. “I'm not doubting you. I'm just wondering why they would set it at this particular time? Why not earlier, or a bit later?”
Dave looked at him. “Your question is also something I've been trying to understand, but the question itself isn't important. What's important is how to solve it. As long as we catch Boss, everything will become clear!”
Alpha Kilian lifted his gaze to look at him.
“Alpha Kilian , Boss must be taken down!” Dave said to him, emphasizing each word.
Just as Dave said, the problem itself isn't what matters. What's crucial is how to eradicate this issue from its roots. Narrowing his eyes, Alpha Kilian looked at Dave and asked, “So, what do you want to do?”
“The time indicates we have three days. This is only what has been discovered. As for what hasn't been discovered, I'm not sure. If we can bring forward the plan, even if something unpredictable happens, we will still hold absolute power!”
Alpha Kilian nodded when he heard that. “All right!”
“So, you're agreeing, then?”
“Why wouldn't I agree if it means Nelly can suffer one less day of pain by starting a day earlier?” Alpha Kilian
queried.
When Alpha Kilian recalled the tear stains he saw on Tony 's face, the former realized something. We always thought we were stronger than we imagined. Now, I know we aren't that strong. We were just pretending to be strong. Nelly has already suffered enough. I can't let the kids endure the same pain.
With that thought in mind, Alpha Kilian 's gaze became incredibly resolute. “Since we're doing it earlier, why don't we start tomorrow night?”
Dave looked at him and nodded. “Sure!”
The two reached an agreement. Alpha Kilian raised his glass, his eyes unfathomably deep and resolute. “In that case, let's toast in advance to our resounding victory!”
Dave also raised his glass. “Cheers.”
The sound of clinking glass echoed in the room as the two individuals gazed at each other firmly. This time around, we fight to protect.
After waking up the next day, Thalia stared blankly at the ceiling.
Where am I? A castle? Narrowing her eyes, she wondered, Wasn't I out drinking? How did I end up here? Could it be that everything that happened was just a dream?
Just as she was deep in thought, her eyes turning, she heard someone speaking beside her. “Awake yet?”
Upon hearing that, Thalia was momentarily stunned. She immediately turned toward the source of the sound, only to see Nelly sitting in a wheelchair, looking at her with a smile.
“Why are you here?” Thalia propped herself up, half-sitting as she looked at Nelly .
“I came to see if you're awake, of course. How are you feeling? Is your head hurting?” Nelly asked.
Thalia was still somewhat confused. However, upon hearing Nelly 's question, she obediently shook her head.
Nelly nodded. “You're not feeling a headache, but you must be hungry, right?” As she spoke, her gaze fell on the western-style breakfast placed on Thalia's bedside table. “Eat. It's been sitting there for a while now.”
Watching Nelly confined to a wheelchair, yet still caring for her meticulously, Thalia really didn't know what to say.
She picked up the bread from the table unwittingly, nibbling on it, while her thoughts were still adrift, “I... I...”
Nelly raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”
Thalia looked at Nelly , who was as serene as ever. At that moment, the words Spencer had said echoed again in Thalia's mind. She averted her gaze, subconsciously looking elsewhere with a hint of guilt.
“It's nothing...” she said.
“Is there really nothing?” Nelly asked.
Thalia remained silent.
Nelly chuckled lightly. “You seem fine now. Do you know how worried everyone was about you?”
“Who?” Thalia looked up, her gaze meeting Nelly 's as she asked softly.
Nelly 's gaze subtly shifted, examining Thalia before she leisurely spoke. “For instance, me, Tony , and Spencer.” She deliberately elongated the last syllable of Spencer's name, her eyebrow slightly raised as she looked at Thalia.
In response, a cold smirk appeared on Thalia's face. “Oh, he's worried about me? You must be joking.”
Nelly looked at Thalia seriously. “Thalia, Spencer may not be good at expressing himself, but you can't deny his concern for you. You don't know this, but when he heard you were in trouble at the bar yesterday, he was so worried that he immediately took Tony and went there. If you didn't beat those people badly, Spencer would have done it for you!” Nelly was a bit out of breath after saying all that. She leaned back slightly, changing to a more comfortable position to speak.
However, upon hearing Nelly 's words, Thalia was slightly taken aback.
After a brief pause, Nelly continued, “Thalia, sometimes it's not about what a person says, but what they do. The form may vary, but the fact is undeniable!”
Thalia's eyes were slightly red. “I don't want anything else, though!”
Nelly nodded. “I understand, but that's a different matter. If you want my advice, it'll come at a different price!”
Thalia was slightly taken aback, lifting her gaze to look at Nelly in surprise.
Nelly was looking at her, smiling.
Thalia couldn't help but laugh. However, she quickly composed herself, looking at Nelly . She seemed to want to say something but hesitated.
The words she wanted to say were stuck in her throat.
It was because she knew all too well that even ten thousand apologies wouldn't change anything.
Nelly looked at Thalia as if she knew what the latter was thinking. Then, she leaned in and asked, “Are you still angry?”
Nelly spoke in a gentle and soft voice, which left Thalia momentarily at a loss for words. Even though she was the one who got hurt, she still came to ask about me.
Thalia spoke softly. “What right do I have to be angry?”
Even though Thalia's voice was soft, Nelly could hear every word clearly.
Nelly laughed lightly. “Thalia, you don't seem like the person I know right now. What happened to that carefree, passionate, lively woman? Why have you become so awkward?”
Thalia remained silent.
The reason Thalia was so carefree was that she had always been true to herself, especially when it came to the people she cared about.
Regardless of Spencer's initial intentions, in the end, it was all for her sake that he had put Nelly in that predicament.
As such, Thalia didn't believe she had the right to be angry, to be so carefree and unbothered.
Lowering her gaze, Thalia pursed her lips, unsure of what to say, but she knew she still had to say something.
After a long silence, Thalia finally spoke slowly. “ Nelly , you don't need to worry about my feelings. You're the one who's been hurt the most by this. Why are you trying to comfort me?”
In the end, Thalia still managed to steer the conversation in that direction.
Nelly looked at Thalia for a long while before she slowly said, “Thalia, things are not as you think. I made this decision not because of anyone else but because it's what I should do. It's also because I'm doing it for you!”
In response, Thalia lifted her gaze to look at Nelly .
“At first, Spencer did indeed have such thoughts, but he later apologized to me. He respects our choices, so this matter really has nothing to do with him,” Nelly said lightly. After finishing, she seemed to recall something. “If you must associate him with this, at most, he could be considered an informed party but nothing more.” Nelly shook her head.
Upon hearing that, Thalia was at a loss for words. “What he said was—”
“If I'm not mistaken, he said that just to prevent you from blaming yourself. He'd rather take responsibility for this matter. However, this is just my guess. As for what it really is, you'll have to ask him yourself.”
Upon hearing that, Thalia furrowed her brows, pondered for a moment, and then said, “He's a fool. Does he think I won't be upset just because he takes the responsibility? Even if it's not because of this, it could be because of something else that I... What an idiot.”
Listening, Nelly smiled slightly. “Exactly. What on earth are these men thinking? It's truly baffling.”
Thalia's gaze fell on Nelly once again, her eyes still filled with regret. “But—”
“Thalia, let me emphasize this once more. No one can force me to do anything against my will. I'm doing this entirely out of my own volition. However, don't think of me as being too kind-hearted. I do have my conditions. You promised me that you would protect the triplets for life, and so you must keep your word. Otherwise, I won't let you off the hook,” said Nelly .
When Thalia heard that, her eyes welled up with tears.
She knew that Nelly 's words were merely meant to comfort her.
Additionally, she understood that no matter what they said, it couldn't change the past.
All she could do was to accept the matter and fulfill her promise.
“Rest assured. From today onwards, their lives are my responsibility. I will protect them just as you have,” Thalia uttered one word at a time.