Novel Square
83
When he finally slinked inside, he straightened his disheveled clothing while baring his fangs in a feral snarl.
Thalia was perplexed as she gazed at the pint-sized, plump child in her car, a mixture of bewilderment and unease flickering in her eyes.
“Who the hell are you?” Thalia demanded, her voice dripping with suspicion.
“Who do you think I am?” Tony shot back, his head swiveling to meet her gaze.
“How am I supposed to know that?” Thalia retorted, though a theory immediately sprouted in her mind. “Wait. Did Tony send you?”
Tony hesitated, his nerve faltering under Thalia’s intense scrutiny.
“Where is he?” Thalia pressed, her eyes darting to the window, searching for any signs of suspicion. Finding none, she redirected her attention to the child. “And why did he send a sniveling brat like you to meet me?”
Tony was rendered speechless by her words, his mind scrambling to come up with a response.
With an intelligence as meager as hers, how on earth did Thalia rise to lead an underground organization?This text is property of Nô/velD/rama.Org.
“You’ve been watching too many TV dramas, haven’t you?” Tony remarked, a hint of condescension coloring his voice.
Thalia arched an eyebrow, her curiosity piqued.
Tony was too irritated to explain further, opting instead to show her his phone.
Thalia’s surprise deepened at the sight. “Did Tony actually give you his phone?”
Tony remained silent, his mouth agape.
Goodness gracious, her intelligence…
Tony pondered if there even existed an adjective in the realm capable of encapsulating Thalia’s shockingly low IQ.
Taking a deep breath, he finally spoke, “I am Tony.”
Thalia’s eyes widened in shock. She stared at him, a grin slowly creeping onto her face. She straightened up, her tone dripping with condescension. “Quit your lies. Tony is a whole other entity. He refuses to show his face, instead sending a mere child to try and deceive me. That infuriating imbecile…” Thalia appeared on the verge of losing her temper, teetering on the precipice of madness.
Tony weighed the situation carefully before turning to her, his voice calm and collected. “Did you bring your laptop?”
Thalia scoffed, retrieving a laptop from the backseat and handing it to him. “What? Going to prove that you’re truly Tony?”
Tony didn’t respond.
Instead, he let his actions speak louder than words.
As he powered on the laptop, his nimble fingers danced expertly across the keyboard, the interface shifting so swiftly that Thalia couldn’t keep up.
Before long, her private information and photos filled the screen.
A storm of obscenities erupted from Thalia’s unrefined lips. “What the f*ck?”
Seizing the laptop from Tony in the next instant, she scrutinized the screen with a peculiar glimmer in her eyes.
Crossing his legs with the air of a mob boss, Tony inquired, “Now, do you believe me?”
It took Thalia a moment to compose herself. She stowed away her laptop, her gaze fixed unwaveringly on Tony. At this point, denying the truth was simply impossible.
Only a select few possessed such skills, and Tony’s abilities were far more beneficial to their cause than in the hands of their enemies.
Thalia nibbled on her lip, momentarily at a loss for words.
“Alright, let’s get down to business,” Tony declared.
Thalia blinked in confusion. “Huh?”
“Remember that incident at Morris Corporation’s parking lot? The one where you witnessed someone tampering with a car?” Tony inquired.
In that moment, Thalia realized the sole reason Tony had graced her with his presence.
“I’ll drive you there,” Thalia offered.
Tony nodded his agreement.
Thalia pressed the accelerator, hurtling towards Morris Corporation’s parking lot.
Her focus remained unwavering on the road ahead. “That’s where it happened. I saw the culprit meddling with her car, which was parked right over there.”
“Did you see what the person did to the car?” Tony questioned.
Thalia shook her head. “No. My best guess is they cut the brake line.”
Tony swiftly exited the car and scanned the surroundings. Noticing a surveillance camera positioned overhead, he returned to the vehicle and hacked into the system to access the footage.
The culprit shrouded themselves in black attire and concealed their face with a mask, rendering identification impossible.
From her vantage point in the car, Thalia piped up, “Does your mommy have any enemies?”
Tony shook his head. “None that I know of.”
Thalia produced a lollipop out of thin air and popped it into her mouth. “Well, this was premeditated. The culprit didn’t act on impulse.”
Tony inquired, “What makes you say that?”
“For one, they were completely focused on your mommy. Secondly, neither of you live or work here, so how could a stranger be aware of which car belongs to her? Targeting that specific car indicates a prolonged period of surveillance,” Thalia explained, sharing her deductions. “Lastly, did you notice all the expensive cars in the vicinity? Why skip over all the others? Clearly, the culprit isn’t fixated on a particular color.”
Tony nodded, absorbed in his thoughts. The incident hit close to home, blinding him to Thalia’s observations.
“Oh, and if you look at their get-up, it’s clear they came prepared,” Thalia added. “If you truly wish to find this individual, investigate those close to your mommy.”
Tony copied the footage and fell into deep contemplation. “My mommy and I only recently immigrated from another country, and I know of no enemies she has. She’s a gentle soul, tends to let things slide. I honestly can’t think of anyone who would want to harm her.”
Thalia’s eyebrows shot up. “Well, that certainly complicates matters. We won’t get to the bottom of this until we find the culprit.”
Tony remained lost in thought for a considerable length of time. Despite scrutinizing the footage, the only thing he could discern was that the culprit was significantly taller than average.
“If Mommy’s enemy is truly behind this, then I must expedite my efforts to locate this person. Who knows when they’ll strike again?” Tony muttered, anxiety lacing his words.
He couldn’t bear to imagine the consequences if the criminal targeted them once more.
“There is a way rather simple to capture this person,” Thalia suddenly spoke up.
“Really? How?” Tony inquired.
Thalia pondered for a moment before answering, “While I can’t guarantee its success, if that individual truly despises your mommy to the extent of desiring her demise, then they won’t relent until she’s dead. In which case…”
“What?” Tony prompted, curious.
Thalia shot him a sly smile. “Can we discuss this over dinner?”
Confusion settled over Tony’s features, rendering him momentarily speechless.
“I’ve been running around all night helping you, and I haven’t eaten a thing. I’m famished,” Thalia explained.
Tony checked his watch. Ah, it’s late. Heck, it’s almost midnight.
“Alright, then,” Tony acquiesced.
Only then did Thalia start the engine, scouring the area for a place to eat. Due to the late hour, most restaurants were closed. Eventually, they settled for a 24-hour store, ordering sandwiches to satiate their hunger.