You're Out Daddy

Chapter 804 Not For Kids

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?”

Anthony 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 Anthony had replied to her in a perfunctory manner. She pondered momentarily

before raising her brow and saying, “Seven out of ten?”

Anthony 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?” Denise 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.

Anthony 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 Natasha.

“Hello.”

“How are things? Have you reached?” Natasha's voice came through the speakerphone.

Denise's eyes brightened when she heard Natasha's voice. “Is it Nat?”

Thalia nodded.

Denise leaned in closer to the phone. “Nat.”

Natasha's tone softened at the sound of her daughter's voice. “Yes, it's me.”

“Nat, 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, Denise 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, Natasha 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.”

“... Natasha, 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,” Natasha

replied.

Thalia's heart skipped a beat when Natasha called her “friend,” and her expression softened at that. Getting to

know Natasha had changed Thalia's perspective of her.

Natasha 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 Natasha 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 Anthony and Benjamin?”

“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,” Natasha replied.

“Wait for me. Don't open the bottle just yet.”

“I'll try my best,” Natasha replied before they hung up.

Anthony turned to Thalia and asked, “What did Nat say?”

“She told all of you to listen to me,” Thalia answered.

“That's impossible!”

“Why?”

“Because Nat would never say something like that,” Anthony said confidently.

“If you don't believe me, you can call her and ask.”

“No need to call. I'm certain those words will never come from her,” Anthony enunciated.

Thalia glowered at him. What a difficult child.

She then checked her phone for any missed calls or messages from Spencer.

Shouldn't he be reaching out to me during times like these?

Thalia continued eating, but her attention kept shifting to her phone as she checked for new notifications.

Anthony, Benjamin, and Miguel were scanning their surroundings from time to time, whereas Denise watched

Thalia in amusement. “Are you waiting for a call?” she teased.

Thalia lifted her head. “No!”

“Tch. You must be waiting for Spencer's call, right?” said Denise.

“No! Who told you that?” Thalia denied it and continued to eat.

“Ah, just call him if he doesn't call you. One of you should take the initiative,” said Denise.

Thalia paused. “Who said I'm waiting for his call? Besides, why can't he be the one to take the initiative?”

“Well, because Spencer is a good-looking man. And good-looking people need to be more modest, right?” asked

Denise.

Thalia stared at her incredulously. “Am I not good-looking?”

“You are. But not as good-looking as Spencer.”

Thalia was about to argue back, but then she realized that Denise had a point.

Taking a deep breath, she put her fork down, picked up her phone, and left the table.

“Where are you going?” Denise looked at her.

Thalia smiled. “To call Spencer!”

“Is the conversation not for our ears?” Denise chuckled.

“Yes. Our conversation is not for kids.” With that, Thalia got up and left.