"Don't change the subject. I heard everything—one hundred and eighty million."
"That was virtual currency," Ella jumped in. "Not real money."
"Virtual currency?"
"Yeah, it's… money in a game," Ella said with a straight face. "We were playing a finance simulation game and earned some in-game coins."
Sophie looked at her, then at Hale. Hale nodded vigorously. "Yeah! It's just a game! It's really fun!"
Sophie was silent for three seconds. "Do you think I'm three years old?"
The three children closed their mouths again.
Con stood up from the grass, brushed off his pants, and said, "Sophie, just leave the kids' stuff alone. Even if you ask, you won't be able to do anything about it."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean," Con glanced at the three children, "they're smarter than you."
Sophie took a deep breath. "I know they're smarter than me, but one hundred and eighty million pounds is not a small sum."
