She bent down to hug him, speaking softly, âAtticus, youâre only four, still a kid, you should be having fun playing with other kids. Look, theyâre all having a blast, isnât that great?â
âBut I want to play on the tablet at home.â Atticus confessed, thinking the kindergarten games were too childish and heâd rather stay at home learning to code, playing those high-tech hacker games.
The games required thinking, but they were fun.
Thalassa was taken aback. She had no idea that Atticus was a genius hacker. She thought he was just addicted to video games, and now, at such a young age, he was missing out on the fun of real life.
She said seriously, âAtticus, the world inside the tablet is virtual, itâs all fake. The people and things around us are real. You canât just want to play games. How about this? Mom will make a deal with you:
you can only play on the tablet for half an hour a day and the rest of the time you read or play with your siblings, okay?â
Atticus thought for a moment. Half an hour was actually a lot of time to learn.
Seeing his momâs worried face, he knew she was worried about him.
To ease his momâs concern, he nodded in agreement, âOkay, Mom.â
âYouâre such a good boy and youâre amazing.â Thalassa was relieved.
Evelyn returned from grocery shopping and walked in to see Thalassa talking to Atticus. She gave Atticus a glance, then did a double take. âHmm, why does Atticus look familiar? I feel like Iâve seen a face like his somewhere. Where could it be?â
Evelyn massaged her temples, thinking hard.
Watching Evelyn struggle to figure out who Atticus resembled, Thalassaâs heart tightened with worry.
If Evelyn found out that the childrenâs father was Lysander, she would definitely go after him, making him acknowledge his children.
That would be troublesome.
Lysander had a fiancee, and he was bound to marry the heiress of the Ravensong group, Charlotte.
Where would that leave her?
She was nothing.
She only had four children.
She could not afford any risks..
âAtticus is handsome so he must look like some TV star.â Thalassa quickly said, successfully diverting Evelynâs attention.
âYes, he looks like some movie star, a handsome one, but I canât remember his name for the life of me.â Evelyn said, having an aha moment, and then walked into the kitchen.
Atticus was waiting for his mom to say he looked like her boss, but Thalassa said he looked like a star.
So, his mom still wouldnât admit Lysander was their dad.
So was Lysander their dad or not?
Atticus felt confused and lost.
âMom, where are the fries and fried chicken you promised to bring me?â
Thalassaâs sleeve was tugged, and looking down, she saw Elowen pulling her dress, her little cute face full of cravings for food.
Only then did Thalassa remember she had promised Elowen that morning to bring her some yummy food.
But she was called for dinner after work today, got into trouble with Charlotte, and was then driven home by Leopold.
She didnât even have a chance to buy fried chicken or fries, let alone remember them.
Feeling sorry, Thalassa said, âIâm sorry, Elowen. Mom was too busy and forgot. How about I go get it for you now?â
âWhatâs the point of buying it? Dinnerâs almost ready.â Evelyn stood at the kitchen doorway with a spatula and said, âYouâre the only one earning money for the whole family, we need to save where we can. I used the money you gave me yesterday to buy baby formula and pay rent, thereâs not much left.â
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