Zeres and Kenny sat on the sofa close to each other, their voices low as they discussed their plans for the upcoming mission to the summer palace. A few wine bottles were already empty, but the two men were still sober.
Zeres leaned in with excitement in his eyes. "Kenny, I have been thinking about our approach to infiltrating the summer palace. We need to gather as much information as possible before we make our move."
Kenny nodded, still deep in concentration. "I agree, Zeres. We can't afford to make any mistakes. Our mission's success depends on our careful planning and execution."
Just as they were about to go into the specifics, Kenny's phone rang, pulling both of them out of their discussion. Kenny wanted some calmness at that moment, he didn't want to get disturbed by any phone calls.
The always curious Zeres peeped at the ringing phone and then looked at Kenny. "Who's calling?" He had already seen the caller's name but decided to act as if he hadn't seen it.
Kenny sighed, with annoyance evident on his face. "It's my mother. I don't really want to pick it up right now." Kenny knew very well what his mother wanted to talk about. Being closer to her and Sophia made him uncomfortable, and he was sure they would delay his plans. He didn't want to have anything to do with those two evil human beings.
Zeres raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "Come on, Kenny. You can't ignore her call. Maybe we can get some more information that will help us with what we are planning to do. Pick up the call, buddy."
Zeres knew the relationship between Kenny and his mother was never good, and he knew how she was trying to pair up Kenny and Sophia. Kenny had never mentioned to him that he was sure that his mother had something to do with poisoning Natasha, but he lacked solid evidence. As much as she was evil, Kenny had to keep her close and pretend as if he wasn't aware of anything that she was doing. That would be the best way to draw the big fish near.
With reluctance, Kenny reached for his phone and answered the call. "Hello?" He kept quiet, he didn't want to start any conversation with her.
His mother's voice came through the speaker, filled with concern. "Kenny, where are you? I've been trying to reach it all day."
Kenny was on his phone all day and he hadn't seen her call or missed a call. He knew that it was her way of pretending that she cared about him.
Kenny's mind raced for a quick explanation. He turned to Zeres, his eyes wide with panic, before replying, "I'm sorry, Mom. I'm in a meeting that's about to end. I'll be home in a little while."
His mother sighed, and disappointment could be felt in her voice. "You should have informed me, Kenny. I came to your house but you aren't here."
Kenny's heart sank. Why was she in his house? Why were they entering and leaving his property as they liked? Why was he the one suffering? Why were they targeting him?
Kenny had never done anything wrong to his mother that deserved what she was doing to him.
He quickly shook his head, "I'm sorry, Mom. I should have let you know. I'll be home soon, I promise." Kenny, he knew, wasn't supposed to get emotional.
Zeres observed Kenny's expression, and he couldn't clearly understand what he was going through, being betrayed by people close to him. It wasn't something that a normal, kind-hearted person would manage.
Kenny nodded, appreciative of Zeres' support. "You're right, Zeres. I need to get going, I need to pretend as if we are on the same page, maybe we can get something useful. We need to keep moving forward with our mission. There should be no more delays."
Zeres smiled. "Absolutely, Kenny. We will reschedule our discussion and come back even stronger. If we can't communicate via the phone, they might keep tabs on us. Take your time and go home. We will meet again soon."
With an agreement reached, Kenny left the cafe, his head still with thoughts of both the mission and Natasha's well-being. As he walked away, he couldn't shake off the feeling that someone might be watching him.
Kenny hurriedly made his way home, with thoughts of how Natasha was doing.. The journey seemed longer than usual, and he felt guilty of everything that Natasha had gone through. As he reached the front door, he took a deep breath, ready to face his evil mom.
Opening the door, Kenny was greeted by a familiar warmth and the comforting aroma of home-cooked meals. This was the same smell of food he received from his mother when he was at work, but he never tasted it.
His mother stood in the living room, her eyes lighting up at the sight of him. "Kenny, you're finally here!"
When looking at the sweet smile on his mother's face, no one could believe that she wasn't as nice as she seemed. She acted as a caring mother who always wanted the best for her son.
Before Kenny could say a word, he heard a voice coming from his bedroom. "Is Kenny home?"
Kenny was not surprised; it was Sophia's voice. He expected his mother to bring her along.
Wait, why was she in his bedroom? He never allowed anyone to enter his room except Natasha.
She had an obsessive-compulsive disorder, and he never liked people touching his things. He blamed himself for allowing the two to have his door pass code.
Still confused, he saw Sophia coming outside his bedroom, and to make matters worse, she had seemed to have come from the bathroom.
Wait, was she putting on Kenny's bathrobe?