Tanya trailed behind, reaching out to gently pat Skyler's head, "Skyler, were you frightened the other day at the park?" Skyler immediately puffed up his cheeks, "Aunt Tanya, go tell Geoffrey that Leopold has already made the antidote for Megan. If he wants it, he can go ask Leopold. | can't make antidotes. I'm just a kid, and kids shouldn't mess with dangerous stuff." Tanya was momentarily speechless, torn between whether he was genuinely naive or just playing dumb.
What on earth had Aurelia done to get him to concoct that poison? It was as if she had brainwashed him, turning him defiant and rendering all of Tanya's previous control ineffective.
Suddenly, Tanya felt a pang of regret for having sent him to Elysium. She needed to take him back to Eastwood Heights for some proper discipline.
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"Skyler, Grandma's ninetieth birthday is coming up soon. You're coming back to Eastwood Heights with me to celebrate her big day," she said.
"No way, I'm not going back to Eastwood Heights. | don't like it there," Skyler protested, shaking his head like a bobblehead.
Tanya frowned slightly, "Leopold and Jessica will be there too. Do you really want to stay here all by yourself?" Skyler glanced at Aurelia, "Will Angel and William be there too?" "Of course not," interjected Arnold, speaking for Aurelia. With Leopold set to marry Lana, Aurelia could return to his side. He had no ties to the Heninger family.
Skyler pouted, "If Angel and William aren't going, then | won't either. | want to stick with them." Tanya was at her wit's end. “Skyler, you're such an ungrateful child!” She thought.
"Don't be stubborn. You need to follow my arrangements. That's final." Skyler stuck out his tongue at her, "Why should | listen to you? | may be a kid, but my ID says I'm over eighteen.
| make my own decisions, and nobody can tell me otherwise." Aurelia jumped in, "Madam, Skyler has his own opinions. Perhaps it's best to respect his wishes. Let Leopold handle this. After all, young people have their own way of communicating." "Fine," sighed Tanya, "Ever since he came to Elysium, he's become more rebellious by the day." "As if seeing through your true colors isn't reason enough to rebel?" Aurelia thought to herself, "Skyler isn't a pawn in your power games.
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Just then, Tanya's assistant arrived, a flamboyantly attractive man, "Madam, your spa session is ready." As he lifted his arm, Aurelia's sharp eyes caught a glimpse of a hexagram tattoo on his wrist, identical to the one on the hypnotist they'd seen in the alley.
Once Tanya had left, Aurelia sidled up to Sierra and asked nonchalantly, "That handsome fella who just came by, what's his name?" "That's Thomas, Tanya's head assistant and personal nurse. She's quite fond of him." "Okay," Aurelia murmured softly, dropping the subject.
She let Arnold entertain the kids while she headed to Leopold's cabin.
Upon entering his room, she teased, "Is Lana here?" Leopold's arm shot out, pulling her into his embrace, his lips grazing her ear, "You know we're just acting, so why ask?" She gave him a sidelong glance, half in annoyance. Who knew whether Leopold could get carried away with his act? And how had he managed to get Lana to play along so convincingly? "There's something important | need to discuss with you. | noticed that Tanya's assistant Thomas has a hexagram tattoo on his wrist, just like the hypnotist's we saw in the alley. Could he be connected to Tanya? Was it Tanya who attacked Skyler at the square, not Geoffrey? Or, even though he works for Tanya, could his true loyalty lie with Geoffrey?"