Thalia found herself outside Natasha's room. Just then, she unexpectedly bumped into Denise.
Spotting the little girl emerging from the room, Thalia greeted her with a playful smile, “Oh, you're up early too.”
Denise yawned. “Good morning, Thalia.”
“If you're feeling tired, maybe you should go back to sleep for a while,” Thalia suggested before entering the room herself.
“Are you looking for Nat?” Denise asked.
In response, Thalia gave a dip of her head.
“But Nat's not in the room.”
“She isn't? Where did she go then?”
“I just made a call and it seems like they're all outside, enjoying the sunshine,” Denise informed her.
Hearing this, Thalia chuckled lightly. “Nat sure knows how to enjoy herself, huh?”
“That's exactly what I'm thinking too. It's really strange.”
“Let's go and take a look,” Thalia suggested.
“Okay.” Denise nodded, and the two of them walked outside together.
The sun rose in the east, signaling the arrival of autumn. The morning air carried a subtle chill, but its warmth was gradually spreading as the sun climbed higher.
As Thalia and Denise stepped outside, they scanned the surroundings for a while before finally spotting a figure dressed in white sitting not too far away.
From a distance, Natasha was wrapped in a deep khaki blanket, her white robe contrasting with the surroundings, giving her an ethereal and enchanting appearance. She seemed like a fairy who had found her way into the mortal realm.
As Thalia drew closer to Natasha, her eyes lit up with delight, and she couldn't help but comment, “Nat looks truly...”
A perplexed Denise queried, “Truly what?”
“Beautiful!”
Denise chuckled, a faint smile gracing her lips, with a touch of satisfaction evident. “Absolutely!”
The two of them strolled along, engaged in light banter. “I was complimenting Nat, so why are you acting so smug?”
Denise's eyes glimmered with mischief as she gazed at Thalia. “Of course, I should be proud. Let's set aside the rest; she's my Nat after all. Even if I can't inherit all of her genes, I should be able to claim at least half, don't you think?”
Thalia playfully averted her gaze, her tone feigning seriousness. “But you know, they say daughters often resemble their fathers. What if you end up inheriting less than half of that?”
Denise remained unfazed and responded with a smile, “Well, even if I take after my daddy, it wouldn't be too bad, would it?”
“Who told you that? You'd turn out ugly!” Thalia retorted, looking at her.
“You're just biased against my daddy!”
“I'm unbiased, but he's still ugly!”
“Hatred has clouded your judgment!” The little girl shook her head helplessly.
Thus, the two of them bantered as they walked, quickly reaching Natasha's side.
“Mommy!” As soon as she got close, Denise immediately called out and ran straight to Natasha.
Natasha gazed at them, and at that moment, Denise affectionately launched herself into her arms, nuzzling her head against Natasha's, “Nat, Mommy, I've missed you so much!”
Natasha's lips curled into a smile. “Denise, it's about time you changed your opening line. It's getting stale!”
“I meant what I said!” said the little girl.
“Okay, I missed you too,” Natasha replied warmly.
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