Animal Whisperer: Take Back My Life and Love Chapter 396: The Thirst Trap Incident

"I called you several times and you didn't even blink."

Nancy nearly jumped out of her skin. She reacted on instinct and shoved her phone directly under Snowball’s belly as the ermine napped on the sofa.

Snowball was confused.

The little creature had no idea what was happening, but it felt the urgency. It immediately curled its fluffy body into a thick white blanket, burying the phone completely. It clamped its tiny paws over the edges, looking determined to defend the secret.

But it was too late.

Simon looked at Nancy’s flushed face and frowned. "Nancy, what were you looking at?"

His eyes drifted to the phone hidden under Snowball. "I thought I saw... someone on the screen who wasn't exactly dressed for company?"

Nancy’s heart skipped a beat. Her mind went blank and she stammered out the first thing she could think of. "Oh! That! I accidentally swiped onto a thirst trap male streamer! It was a live broadcast!"

She regretted the words immediately, but it was the quickest excuse she had. She tried to look calm. "You know how TikTok is. It is very common. I just opened the app and it popped up. I didn't even have time to swipe away."

Simon watched her in silence.

His sharp gaze felt like it could strip away every lie she had. After a long moment, he let out a faint sigh. "But you were staring at the screen for a long time. You didn't even hear me knocking. I thought something had happened to you."

Simon looked troubled. He seemed to weigh his words before choosing a gentler approach. "Whatever. You are an adult. You have your own interests. I won't interfere."

He reached out and ruffled her hair, his voice dropping. "Just remember that the internet is a mess. Protect yourself. Watch out for romance scams. Getting obsessed with male beauty is a slippery slope."

The warning about not getting obsessed with male beauty made Nancy’s guilt flare up even worse.

The two were staying in a family suite with a connecting door. Once Simon turned and walked back into his bedroom, Nancy finally collapsed. She melted into the sofa and carefully pulled the phone out from under a very innocent looking Snowball.

"Snowball, you did a great job today."

Her fingertips touched the warm screen and her heart climbed into her throat. In all that chaos, did the call even disconnect?

Surely Barry didn't hear her blurt out that thirst trap line.

When she looked at the screen, she nearly dropped the phone. The video call was still connected.

On the other end, Barry had already changed into a dark silk robe. The collar was slightly open as he leaned back in his chair. He had one hand supporting his jaw, the other tapping the desk. He had clearly heard every word of the conversation between the siblings.

Seeing Nancy finally look back at him, Barry arched an eyebrow. He spoke clearly, dragging out every syllable. "A... thirst... trap... streamer?"

The way he said it made Nancy’s face burn.

He leaned forward, his deep eyes locking onto hers through the screen. "It seems my 'live broadcast' is quite captivating. Captivating enough that my fan didn't even notice someone entering the room?"

The culprit, Star, was sitting right next to Barry, panting with his tongue out.

"Is it good? Do you like it?"

On the other side of the screen, Star was wagging his tail while Barry’s gaze pinned Nancy in place. Those two sentences had turned her thoughts into a tangled mess.

"Have you seen enough?"

Barry’s voice felt like a hook. Nancy’s mind was a void. She instinctively shook her head, then realized that looked wrong and quickly nodded. Then she realized neither answer worked and just sat there, her face changing colors.

Barry was clearly entertained by her panic. A slow smirk spread across his face. He ran his fingers through Star’s fur, watching Nancy practically fume through the screen. He finally decided to let her off the hook for a moment.