NovelEnglishNormally, even if you hit it off online, the first face-to-face meet-up was unlikely to be all buddy-buddy, like you were long-lost pals
or something.
"Did William have a buddy named Susanna back in Goldstone?" Leopold queried.
"Huh?" Aurelia hadn't given it much thought, but his question set off her internal alarm bells.
"What's up?" she asked.
"Oh, nothing. Just heard William mentioned his friend Susanna, and | thought I'd ask." Leopold shrugged nonchalantly, clearly
fishing for a reaction from Aurelia.
She sensed it. William talking to Leopold about his friends? Not likely.
"I've never heard of a kid named Susanna in our neighborhood. Maybe they met online." She played it coy to see how Leopold
would react.
His gaze darkened slightly. Was he overthinking this?
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He was, after all, a man with a keen eye for detail. At the pizza place, he'd picked up on something off. Unusual thoughts began to
swirl in his head.
If Susanna mistook Kane for William, then...
Munching on an apple, Aurelia stood up. "I'm gonna check on the kids."
No sooner had she stepped out than William pulled her into his room. "Mom, we ran into Susanna at the pizza joint today. Her folks
brought her to Elysium for a trip."
Aurelia's heart skipped a beat. So that was why Leopold brought it up. Was he suspicious, testing her?
"You didn't give us away, did you?"
William blinked innocently, "I don't think so. She mistook Kane for me, and he just went with it and said she's an online friend."
Patting his head, Aurelia said, "Leopold knows your real nis William. If he asks, just say Keith is your username."
"Got it." William nodded. "Kane said his online alias just happens to be William, like my real name." He paused, then added, "Mom,
can we invite Susanna and her parents over for a gathering at the villa tomorrow?"
"Sure." Aurelia nodded. Leopold had a business meeting all day tomorrow and wouldn't be home.
The next day, William took off his mask and was himself again. He and Aurelia left the house together.
Kane put on the mask, becoming William for the day.
As Skyler and Nina woke up and headed to the dining room for breakfast, they noticed "William" alone and asked, "Where's Kane?
Where did he go?"
Kane replied lazily, "He went out with Mom. They're meeting up with Susanna's family for lunch."
"Huh?" Skyler scratched his head. "Why didn't they invite us to the get-together?"
He loved parties and get-togethers.
Kane said, "Susanna is Kane's online buddy, not ours. We barely know her."
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"But didn't you go over with Kane to say hi yesterday? | thought you knew her well, too."
Kane shrugged, "I just thought Susanna looked cute, so | went over." That was very William-like.
Skyler pulled a face, "Isn't your real nWilliam? How cKane also goes by William?"
"That's his username. He has had it for ages, long before we met," Kane explained smoothly.
"Oh." Skyler gave him a long look, feeling like "William" was unusually compliant today, his tone different than usual.
As they chatted, Leopold walked in, having caught snippets of the kids' conversation.
Aurelia up early, taking Kane out, all to meet up with Susanna's family.
An online friend, that close?
Wasn't that odd, given her usual caution?
He quickly texted his security team, telling them to step up their vigilance.
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