You're Out, Daddy novel (Natasha and Kenneth)

"Kiddo, are you really Boss J's son?"

"I've never heard that Boss J has such a grown-up son, and he's quite handsome, too!"

"Didn't someone say before that Boss J was against marriage? How come he has a child now?"

"Kiddo, how old are you?"

"Kiddo, do you look more like your dad or your mom?"

"Kiddo, do you want a lollipop?" At that moment, a man extended a lollipop toward him, effectively putting an end to the barrage of questions. However, the look in the man's eyes was unmistakably that of someone teasing a child.

With an indifferent look in his eyes, Anthony glanced up, his gaze casually sweeping over the man. Seeing that he kept handing it over, Anthony finally reached out to take it. He unwrapped it neatly and directly popped the lollipop into his mouth.

"Thank you," Anthony said softly.

Although Anthony's gaze and movements seemed somewhat mature, he still appeared childlike in their eyes.

Seeing that, the others became even more enthusiastic.

"Kiddo, come with me! I'll treat you to some ice cream."

"I'm treating you to some drinks."

"Call me handsome, Kiddo."

"Call me handsome, too!"

The other few people were gathered around Anthony, teasing him with a flurry of words.

Anthony looked at them, his smile more of a smirk than genuine amusement. Then, his gaze shifted directly to a figure not far behind them.

While nonchalantly sucking on a lollipop, Anthony asked coolly, "Mr. Dave, did you bring me here just to waste time?"

As soon as he spoke, everyone's gaze turned toward Dave.

Dave knew that what Anthony couldn't stand the most was being treated like a child by others. However, the fact that he wasn't angry was already beyond his expectations. Dave feigned a cough, then turned his gaze to someone beside him. "Cosmos, get the people from the dark web to leave first."

Cosmos heard that and frowned. "Now?"

"That's right. Now."

"Why, though?"

Dave looked at him, not saying a word, just a glance, and Cosmos immediately fell silent. "All right. I understand."

And so, he turned around and did as he was told.

At that moment, Dave looked at the others. "All right. You all can leave now."

Everyone was still clueless at that point. One of them asked, "Dave, could we take the kid out to play for a while?"

They were a bunch of adults, so when a child finally showed up, it was a breath of fresh air. Everyone was absolutely fascinated.

The gaze of Dave swept over them directly. "Do you really think I invited him over as a joke?"

Everyone was taken aback when they heard that Dave had actually invited the child over. Even though he's Boss J's son, did Dave have to invite him over? After all, he's just a child. "Dave, what's going on?" someone asked.

"You'll find out soon enough," Dave said. He then promptly gestured for the others to leave.

No one dared to ask any more questions, and they headed straight for the exit. As they walked, they couldn't help but look back at the child sitting on the table. He sat there with an air of nonchalance, one arm resting on his leg, a lollipop in his mouth, his entire demeanor exuding indescribable maturity.

Everyone was curious, but none of them could tell what was going on.

As everyone left, the door was closed, leaving only two people in the room.

Anthony looked at Dave. "Mr. Dave, your welcome ceremony is certainly unique."

"So, do you like it?" Dave asked.

"Is this supposed to intimidate me?" Anthony raised an eyebrow.

Dave turned around and walked toward the chair, saying, "You're overthinking it. It was Luke who he carried you in here when he saw you sleeping." As he spoke, he glanced at Anthony. "It's also because you look too soft and cute, which is why you attract so much attention."

Anthony was rendered speechless. Soft and cute? Is he expecting me to take that as a compliment? That's utter humiliation!

Anthony jumped straight off the table and walked up to Dave. "Mr. Dave, I have every reason to suspect that you did this on purpose."

Dave didn't refute. "You can think whatever you want."

Anthony glared at him. "Mr. Dave, no matter how you put it, you need something from me. Shouldn't you be friendlier?"

"Am I not friendly enough?" Dave questioned. "I even invited you over here."

Speaking of which, Anthony looked at him. "By the way, I never agreed to take over DX Group's affairs."

"I know." Dave nodded.

"So why are you still talking about me being the heir or something?"

"Whether I give or not, that's my choice. Whether you want it or not, that's your choice."

"You-"

"If you don't want it, you can ignore it!" Dave said, glaring at Anthony.

Even though their acquaintance was not particularly long, Dave could tell that Anthony was a responsible person. Once a mission is entrusted to Anthony, he will undoubtedly shoulder that responsibility. So, if there isn't a suitable candidate after several years, Anthony will be the only choice.

Anthony looked at him, his brows furrowed. "Mr. Dave, you can't force others to accept things, can you?"

Dave also looked at him and retorted, "Who would refuse something given for free?"

"I..." For the first time, Anthony was at a loss for words, not knowing what to say when facing someone.

Meanwhile, Dave was sizing him up with his eyebrows slightly raised.

After pondering seriously for a moment, Anthony asked, "Aren't you afraid that I will merge DX Group into Darknetz?"

Upon hearing that, Dave scoffed even more dismissively. "It's in your hands now. If that's really the case, then so be it." "Mr. Dave, don't you have any limits?"

Dave looked at him and responded, "Well, what can we do? We're just short of talent, aren't we?"

"Why is there a shortage of talent? Are you short of people at DX Group?"

"Shortage of talent doesn't mean shortage of people, no?" Dave retorted.

"Mr. Dave, you're being too modest!"

"You're being too modest. I believe you can definitely distinguish between professional and personal affairs and manage DX Group very well!" Dave said.

Anthony didn't know what to say in response.

Dave's demeanor suggested that he wouldn't tolerate any further refusals.

Just as Anthony was about to retort, there came a knock at the door, and someone pushed it open and walked in.

"Dave, everyone has left," Cosmos said.

Upon hearing that, Dave nodded. "Okay."

As he spoke, he turned to look at Anthony. His expression changed instantly when he started talking about serious matters. He looked at Anthony and uttered, "This matter relates to some of my decisions, and also to our next actions. Anthony, do you understand what I mean?"

Anthony nodded. "I understand."

The corners of Dave's lips lifted. "I knew it. You're a smart kid."

Anthony went silent for a moment. Did I expose my intelligence?

"It seems like I have to play dumb sometimes," Anthony said helplessly.

Dave heard those words and looked at him. "Don't worry. If you can't do it, there's still your younger brother."

"Why can't you just leave us alone?"

Dave arched a brow and replied, "My hands are tied. If I had kids like you and your brother, I would then consider leaving you guys alone!"

Upon hearing this, Anthony immediately backed off. "Fine. Forget about what I said just now!"