Chapter 1004

The car pulled up next to Thalassa and the kids.

The door swung open, and a shiny black leather shoe hit the pavement with an authority that was echoed by the crisp, wrinkle-free line of the suit pant that followed.

Just from the sight of that foot, one could feel an air of prestige that made your breath catch.

Then, he appeared in Thalassa’s view — a tall, dashing man radiating an intimidating aura. His handsome features were sculpted as if from marble, his posture regal, and the sun draped his chiseled face in a golden glow.

He looked cold, dignified, unapproachable, and even fearful .

It was Lysander!

As she saw Lysander, Thalassa’s heart, once fluttering with excitement, suddenly skipped a beat. She gripped Atticus’ hand tighter, and her gaze nervously fixed on Lysander as he approached.

Today was her day to take the kids to school and to pick them up.

What was Lysander doing here?

Did he not trust her to pick up the kids?

Thalassa’s heart clenched, and her breath was caught at the sight of him.

His deep, profound eyes locked onto hers, and she felt her breath hitch even more.

Without realizing it, her grip on Atticus' little hand tightened even more.

Atticus winced and furrowed his little brows. He looked up at Thalassa, “Mom, what’s wrong? You’re hurting me.”

Snapped back to reality, Thalassa quickly said, “I’m sorry, honey. Mommy didn’t mean to.”

“Is Mommy nervous ‘cause she needs Atticus’ help with something later?” chirped Elowen, her voice soft and sweet.

Elowen, the little foodie, had promised to keep it a secret that morning, and now she was perilously close to forgetting her solemn vow.

Thalassa knew Elowen could be a scatterbrain at times.

Hearing Elowen’s words, she panicked and worried Lysander might pick up on something. She quickly played it off and said, “Mommy’s just not very good with the new software and needs Atticus to help with some work. Elowen, didn’t we agree not to point out Mommy’s shortcomings?”

Thalassa’s tone was teasing as she addressed Elowen.

She effectively diverted the secret of needing Atticus to delete a video into a harmless work-related confession.

She had dropped out of college in her sophomore year. Though she had learned all she needed from the society, she missed out on the tech skills normally acquired in the last two years of university. While she had tried to catch up with online tutorials in her spare time, she still felt insecure about her software skills.

Now, this cover story was to protect what she really wanted Atticus to do, to keep the kids from spilling the beans.

Elowen blinked her big, innocent eyes, trying to make sense of the new words she had never heard before, looking utterly confused and adorably clueless.

Dorian, the more astute of the siblings, caught on to Mom’s play immediately. He nudged Elowen’s chubby arm and reminded her, “Right, sis? Mom already said no teasing her for not being a computer whiz. Did you forget already?”

Elowen turned her plump face towards Dorian, a puzzled frown creasing her features.

Dorian surreptitiously winked at her, signaling her to get with the program, or their promise to keep Mom’s secret would be out the window.

Seeing Dorian’s frantic winking, she was still a bit lost. “Dorian, do you have something in your eye?

Why are you blinking so much?”

Dorian was dumbfounded.

Thalassa was also left speechless. Her heart raced.