Spencer looked at her. “That's not what I meant—”
“I know.” Natasha met his gaze. “Though it wasn't my intention to let this happen to Thalia, I was still the cause, which means I have to claim some responsibility for it. So, I should be the one to deal with this matter. You don't have to be very torn about it.”
Pursing his lips, he remained silent.
It was then Kenneth, who was at the side, turned to her with a dark look in his eyes. Moments later, he piped up, “All right, Nat... Call someone here to clean the place up first. We can talk about the other stuff at a later time.”
With that, Natasha retracted her gaze from Spencer, turned to gaze at Kenneth, and nodded.
After she left, Kenneth's gaze fell on Spencer, and he uttered in a low voice, “I hope you understand this is just an accident, Spencer. Without Nat, Thalia may not have survived until now. Thus, she's not responsible for this matter.”
Spencer retorted, “I didn't mean to blame her—”
“You didn't, but she's blaming herself, and you know very well what kind of person she is, don't you?” Kenneth interrupted, his voice deeper than before.
Again, Spencer remained silent while pursing his lips. Of course, I do. I've known her for so many years. I was just... expressing my worries. It was never my intention to sound like I was blaming her.
Upon taking a deep breath, Kenneth continued, “You're a man, so I hope you can remain composed and rational instead of letting your emotions get the better of you. As for the antidote, I will find a way to get it, by hook or by crook, even if it costs my life.”
“Kenneth, that's not what I—”
“I don't care what you mean. This discussion ends here.” Kenneth said abruptly, cutting Spencer's attempt at an explanation short. Throughout it all, his eyes bored into the other man.
After staring at Kenneth quietly for a moment, Spencer nodded and ultimately swallowed all his negative emotions.
Soon, a housekeeper came upstairs to clean up the room.
Natasha also returned to help the housekeeper out since the room was a mess. There did not seem to be any trace of anger in her countenance.
The two men kept quiet as though nothing had happened between them.
Kenneth watched Natasha as she tidied the area without uttering a single word, then he walked over and grabbed her hand to lead her out of the room.
“What's the matter?” she inquired.
Despite that, no response came from the man, who did not stop walking until they arrived outside.
“What's the matter?” she asked again, gazing at him.
Without warning, Kenneth pulled her into his arms.
Natasha was stunned for a moment before she squeezed out a smile. “What's this? Are you trying to comfort me?”
“It pains me to see you like this,” he answered.
His reply stupefied her. While his actions had gone beyond what he was saying, it still made her feel warm to hear him say it for the first time.
“Why? It's not like I was the one having an episode earlier,” she said flatly.
At that moment, he released her and gazed at her fair, delicate face. A tranquil smile was still playing on her lips. She's always like this, showing a smile to everyone no matter what sort of situation she's facing. But the more she does it, the more it pains me to see it.
Kenneth touched her face and spoke. “You don't need to disguise yourself before me, Nat.”
The smile on Natasha's face stiffened for a beat, but she soon composed herself. “I really am fine,” she assured, still smiling.
“I know you feel guilty because you believe you've dragged Thalia into this. I also know that you're aggrieved because Spencer's your best friend, and you feel responsible. However, you should realize he wasn't blaming you for what happened, Nat. He was just venting his emotions,” he explained.
“I know. I'm fine, really. I'm not angry either.”
The man remained unconvinced and was still worried. Thus, he did not retract his gaze from her face.
“I've known Spencer for years, so I won't get angry just because he said those things. Yes, I do feel guilty because I didn't expect my good intentions to go awry... But I'm not that fragile. You don't have to worry about me!” Natasha reassured, meeting his eyes.
It was not until Kenneth was absolutely certain she was all right that he eased up.
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