MainNovelChapter 243: Long Night VII
Ewan couldn't get annoyed at his daughter, not with that cute pouty gesture her mouth was making, while she
blinked at him innocently.
Instead, he chuckled, thoroughly amused. "You have a sharp mouth on you, Kathleen. I'm pleased."
He laughed, delighted when Kathleen joined in, her giggle infectious.
The little girl had expected a sharp retort, a rebuke of sorts, just as was customary from elders. But this man
here, who seemed genuinely interested in them, was laughing instead.
Worse still, his laughter was surprisingly contagious—a laughter that was similar to hers and Nathaniel's.
"You are pleased that she has a sharp mouth? Mother doesn’t think so," Nathaniel interjected, cutting the
laughter short. Yet, the barely concealed tug at the corners of his lips revealed that he, too, was entertained by
their banter.
"I doubt it," Ewan replied, his eyes widening comically as if the very thought was a revelation. "Your mother has
a sharp mouth too. Have you seen her in action?"
Nathaniel smiled, thinly but genuinely. "I think so. And yes, | get your point."
The three of them shared smiles again, a brief moment of unity. But then, almost immediately, Nathaniel’s
expression changed. A frown creased his brow as he was suddenly overtaken by a cloud of contemplation.
He realized with a pang that he was actually relaxing in the presence of this man, the very man who had hurt his
mother so deeply. While he could allow Kathleen this moment of levity, Nathaniel felt he shouldn't permit himself
the same. After all, he was her protector; he couldn't be swayed too easily.
Who was to say this man wouldn't hurt them again?
Ewan, sensitive to his son’s shifting moods, caught Nathaniel’s eye and winked at him, eliciting a surprised look
from the boy, followed by confusion.
Nathaniel darted a glance at Kathleen, who appeared oblivious to their exchange, blissfully okay with her
newfound rapport with their father.
"Mr. Ewan, you are quite funny. I'll have to admit that," Nathaniel finally spoke, folding his arms across his chest,
his demeanor still guarded.
Ewan chuckled softly, enjoying the playful banter. "Sandro will be shocked to hear that," he mused, a glint of
amusement dancing in his eyes.
Understanding flashed through the eyes of the twins.
"Back to our discussion..." Ewan continued, his tone shifting slightly. "I have to support your statement, Kathleen.
You both got your brains from your mother. But your looks? Those cfrom yours truly." He smirked, placing
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt
his hand on his chest, feigning pride. "Don’t you think that counts for something? No one really fancies an ugly
person."
Kathleen giggled, her approval evident as she gave him a thumbs-up. At that moment, Ewan felt as though he
had been gifted the treasures of the world.
Nathaniel huffed in mock disapproval. "Mother says that what matters is inner beauty..."
"That is true," Ewan interjected, his voice light, "but one can have both. Or do you wish to trade your physical
beauty for something else? Would you prefer to be ugly?"
Nathaniel grunted in response, his arms remaining crossed defiantly. Kathleen, however, giggled again, earning
herself a glare from her brother. Yet, Kathleen's amusement wouldn't be so easily punctured.
"Nathaniel is rarely put speechless," She mentioned brightly, nudging her shoulder against her brother's, as if to
encourage him to loosen up.
Nathaniel huffed but didn’t glare or shift away from her touch, and Ewan noted this with a smile; his children
valued each other.
"Speaking of your computer skills," Ewan transitioned, trying to keep the mood light, "you know hacking and all.
Have you put those skills into action before? Antomentioned something earlier along those lines..."
Ewan stopped short when he saw the first notable smile break across Nathaniel’s lips. Yet it wasn’t just the smile
that took him aback; it was the slyness accompanied by a mischievous glint that sent a shiver through him.
Without Nathaniel even saying a word, he could already tell that whatever was coming next wouldn't be pleasing
to his ears.
His gaze flicked to Kathleen, who seemed to share in the conspiratorial glee, her eyes sparkling with mischief. It
becclear that both of them were in on something.
"Well, it seems | have my answer," Ewan said, his curiosity piqued. "Can | have the details, then? Please..." He
added the last word when he noticed Nathaniel raising an incredulous brow at him.
Kathleen clapped her hands, eager to share their tale. "We were the ones behind the raid on your company’s
software smonths ago, and a year ago."
Ewan chuckled and shook his head in disbelief. "That's impossible. You are pushing it too far. There's no way that
His words dried up in his mouth when he noticed the twins exchanging glances, both of them crossing their legs
simultaneously, obviously relishing his astonishment.
But how could they be serious?
He chanted the word "impossible" in his mind as he considered their claim. The virus that had infiltrated the
company’s software was cutting-edge, not easily operable by just anyone, let alone children.
Yet, Ewan shook his head again, laughing disbelievingly. How could six-year-olds hack into a billion-dollar
company? The thought was ludicrous.
But then reality struck him harder than a cold splash of water: it made sense. They could have done it to
retaliate against him for hurting Athena—he recalled that he had engaged Fiona around the tof that cyber
attack.
But a deeper thought nagged him. Could the cyber attack have happened because he hadn’t even recognized
his daughter at that time? Even if that were so, the sheer audacity of the act left him baffled. How could six-year-
olds commit such a significant cybercrime?
"Haaa! He's still struggling with the truth!" Kathleen piped up, turning to her brother.
Nathaniel shrugged his shoulders. "Well, didn’t you just say that he was quite dull in thinking?"
"Would you blhim though? We are not normal," Kathleen murmured.
"I've told you not to use that statement again!" Nathaniel stated firmly. "We are normal. We are just on a higher
plane than our age mates."
Ewan paused, a mixture of confusion and astonishment swirling as he gazed at them.
"Hey, can you stop looking at us like that?" Nathaniel requested, his tone turning sharp. "You're making my sister
uncomfortable. Next, she will start thinking we are aliens!"
"Sorry about that!" Ewan sputtered, struggling to regain his composure amid his disbelief. He shook his head and
stood up, a little anxious.
"Is it that hard to believe there are child geniuses?"
Ewan raised an eyebrow at Nathaniel’s question, suddenly stopped his pacing. "So, let's say you both were
actually behind the hack..."
"It’s either you believe us, or we are out of here," Nathaniel interrupted sharply, his resolve apparent. "I can’t
have my sister thinking she is abnormal."
Ewan paused, pursing his lips as he looked at Kathleen. She was staring at him with an unreadable expression, a
depth that certainly didn’t belong to a mere child. Children were supposed to confront you openly, not with this
kind of inscrutable look that made his heart ache.
"Can | see sproof?" Ewan asked, the skepticism in his voice evident.
"If you need proof to believe us, then there's no point. We can’t keep providing proof at every turn," Nathaniel
shot back, his tone defensive but tinged with hurt.
Ewan swallowed hard, returning to his seat. "So, you two are behind the hack. What else?" he asked, pushing
through the haze of incredulity hanging thick in the air.
"The papers, the KN, we are behind that too."
Nathaniel’s revelation left Ewan momentarily speechless.
His mouth opened to speak, yet only air puffed out. "Is your mother aware of this?" He finally managed to ask
after what felt like an eternity.
The twins nodded.
Ewan nodded slowly in response while recalling the conversation he had with Athena after the near collapse of
his company. She had mentioned speaking to the individual responsible for it all...
A laugh escaped him, holding a mix of shock and resignation that filled the room. So, the person was the twins.
"Did she ask you two to commit this blunder so she could claim sshares in her company?" He asked without
thinking, realizing his mistake as the duo glared at him in response.
"I'm sorry. | just... | just needed struth to that story."
"No, she didn’t. We just felt you deserved it," Nathaniel replied coldly.
Ewan nodded, acknowledging Nathaniel’s response.
"She was actually upset with us when she found out," Nathaniel continued. "But you know her; she is good at
making lemonade out of lemons. It is what pushes her far ahead from her contemporaries."
"Yeah, that’s true." Ewan muttered, clasping his hands together, trying to absorb the staggering amount of
knowledge his children possessed. "So, how do you two run the KN paper and manage distribution?"
He considered the potential incthey must be raking in and shook his head, his mind reeling at the very
thought. A few weeks ago, he had worried about covering their expenses, not realizing that the reverse was true
—they were financially thriving.
No wonder Antowas ambitious towards them; they were a gold mine.
"We work with speople. They do the most work. Most of the time, we just bring the ideas—the hacks too,"
Nathaniel explained, his tone shifting back to a lighter register.
"We're in a group... they don’t know our ages, of course. We stumbled upon them by mistake, or rather, Kathleen
word
word
mmMwWLIII0fiflo&1
mmMwWLIII0fiflo&1
mmMwWLIII0fiflo&1
mmMwWLIII0fiflo&1
mmMwWL1i10f1ifl0&1
mmMwWLIII0fiflo&1
word
word
mmMwWLIII0fiflo&1
mmMwWLIII0fiflo&1
mmMwWLIII0fiflo&1
mmMwWLIII0fiflo&1
mmMwWL1i10f1ifl0&1
mmMwWLIiI0fiflO&1
Visit our social media platform to read fascinating stories every day and connect with the community!
