You're Out Daddy

Chapter 321

“Uh... No particular reason. I'm just not as good as you are.” Anthony giggled.

Natasha folded her arms in front of her chest and stared at him silently.

He immediately gave up and lowered his eyes when he saw that. “Fine. I felt pretty conflicted about it

because I knew you would learn the truth one day. Rather than waiting to be discovered, I thought it

would be better if I turned myself in instead. At least I'd be coming in clean.”

“In that case, why did you give me a fake address?” Her eyes narrowed.

“Because I hesitated at the last second, so I sent that fake one instead...”

She continued to stare at him. I didn't expect him to consider that at the last second. He's still a child. I

really have no idea what kind of person he'll grow up to become.

Seeing how she remained silent, he continued, “Besides, didn't you also show me mercy? Don't you

know that's a blatant insult to a hacker?”

“You were insulted?”

Anthony took in a deep breath. “Maybe a little bit, but it doesn't matter because I can't win against you,

anyway...”

“Really?”

He nodded seriously. “Of course! It was a close call, but I did need more time! You didn't think I was

letting you win, did you?”

“It's not impossible for me to think that way if you're good at acting.”

“I admit, in the beginning, I did think about doing it. If I were somehow better than you, I would have to

lose to you to protect your status as the number one hacker in the world. However, after I started

battling with you, I realized I was being naïve. I shouldn't have thought I could win.”

Natasha found his explanation amusing, regardless of whether what he said was true.

“I'm not kidding, Nat. If we have another battle next time, don't show me any mercy. I want to know just

how big of a difference there is between your skills and mine!”

“Okay.” She nodded.

“If I have something I don't understand in the future, can I ask you about it?”

“Sure you can.”

“You're so great, Nat. You're the smartest mommy in the world!” Anthony smiled innocently and brightly

at her.

Truthfully, Natasha had never seen him being that excited before. As she gazed at his smile, the edges

of her lips curved upward, too.

Moments later, she spoke up. “Anthony.”

“Hmm?”

“Promise me that no matter what happens, you must protect yourself first. You're the eldest brother, so

you need to be a good role model for Benjamin and Denise, okay?”

“I know, Nat. Don't worry! I'll do that.” He nodded.

In response, she smiled. “Don't forget about your promise, okay?”

“I won't!”

Natasha wanted to say something else, but when the words arrived in her mouth, she didn't let them

out.

“All right, it's getting late. You should rest early!” As she spoke, she stood up, preparing to head back to

her room.

“Nat!” Anthony called.

“Yeah?”

“Please don't tell Daddy about my hacking thing yet, Nat.”

She nodded without inquiring why. “Okay.”

“You're not going to ask why?”

“It's your matter, so it's your decision to make, like what you did today. I only found out about it because

you wanted me to know.”

Anthony felt he was lucky to have an open-minded mother like her.

At that moment, his heart was urging him to give her a hug and tell her that he loved her.

However, he wasn't the type of person to do that, so he suppressed the desire to do so.

In the next moment, he asked, “Have you reconciled with Daddy, Nat?”

“Why do you ask?”

“That morning, Denise and I saw Daddy walk out of your room.”

Natasha wasn't sure how to reply to that.

“Denise said you're interested in Daddy. You like Daddy, don't you, Nat?”

While he didn't want to admit it in the past, he was fully aware that his mother treated his father

differently.

The gears in her mind turned as she stared at him silently.

“I have no intention of stopping you, Nat. If you really like Daddy, then I'll support you!”

“I thought you were against it in the past?”

“I was against it because of how he used to treat you. However, from what I've seen of him lately, his

dedication is evident. Most importantly, it was just a misunderstanding back then. Now that Daddy has

decided to change, I approve of him, maybe just a little. Of course, the most important thing is still

whether you like him!”

Natasha couldn't help but smile. “Your daddy will be happy to hear that!”

“So, do you like Daddy, Nat?”

Her eyes were lowered before she muttered, “I have liked him for many years. My love for him started

when I was a young girl, and it has never changed.”

Anthony's eyes widened. He didn't expect her to admit to it that openly.

“Nat, you...” It made him so emotional that he wasn't sure what to say.

“Is there a problem?”

He shook his head. “I'm just shocked. You actually had a crush on Daddy?”

“He told me he liked me first when we were children.”

It was then the boy recalled something. “Did he lose his memories sometime after that and forget about

you?”

“How did you know that?” She narrowed her eyes.

“Benjamin, Denise, and I made Gramps tell us about it before...” he answered in a small voice.

That rendered her speechless, though she wasn't angry.

“He lost his memory because of me!” she explained.

“Then there's no reason for me to get angry at Daddy at all!”

Natasha gazed at him with a smile. “It doesn't matter what my relationship is with your daddy. However,

he's a great father, so you should learn how to reconcile with him too, Anthony!”

“It's not that I don't want to reconcile with him. It's just that... I'm not used to calling him something

else!”

“All right, fine. It's your choice.”

“What about you, Nat? Do you plan to reconcile with Daddy?”

She became deep in thought as she stared at him.

The call resurfaced in her mind, as did Kyle's news.

After so many years, she had finally gotten a lead on what had happened to her father. There was no

way she was going to give up, even if she didn't know what lay ahead. The one thing she was certain

of was that the journey would be a perilous one.

It was hard to tell if she would make it back alive.

When her train of thought ended there, she turned to Anthony.