Once again, Benjamin left Anthony's room in a huff. This time, however, he bumped into Denise, who had just appeared at the doorway, as soon as he opened the door.
Denise was puzzled when she saw Benjamin standing there. Her gaze then shifted to Anthony inside the room. She froze. “Are you guys quarreling, Ben?”
Benjamin lowered his gaze to conceal his emotions. “No!” he said. Then, he strode out, brushing past her.
Uh...
Denise furrowed her brows as she watched his resolute figure walking away. That doesn't seem like nothing.
She turned her gaze toward Anthony. “What happened between you two, Tony?”
Anthony took a deep breath and met her gaze, forcing a smile. “We're fine. What about you? Did you need something from me?”
“Nothing, exactly. I didn't see you and Ben earlier, so I came to look for you...” As she spoke, her brows knitted together, fixing him with a curious gaze. “I've never seen the two of you argue before. What caused it?”
Anthony studied her languidly. “So, you came to me for the scoop, haven't you?”
“What? No. How is this gossiping? I'm just concerned about you two!” Denise protested.
Anthony turned away. “Instead of spending time asking me, you might as well comfort Ben. It would be more effective.”
Denise shuffled closer and leaned on the door frame. “How can I comfort you if you won't tell me what's wrong, Tony?”
“Ask Ben!”
“Tony...”
Anthony turned around and placed his hand on the door. “Is there anything else? I'm going to shut the door!”
With a frown, Denise gazed at him coyly. “Tony...”
Anthony stepped forward and rapped her forehead gently. “Acting coy won't work on me. I'm not Ben. I'm closing the door if there's nothing else you want.”
Denise pouted at his snark. “Hmph!” With a toss of her head, she turned and strode off.
As he watched her receding figure, Anthony called out, “Denise!”
Denise paused and turned back to look at him. In a delicate and sweet voice, she asked, “What's the matter?”
Anthony stared at her, wanting to say something but hesitated. After a pause, he said, “Nat isn't feeling well. Spend some time with her if you can.”
Denise paused for a moment at the mention of that and turned to study him. “Speaking of which, what's really going on with Nat?”
“Stomach issues.”
“Stomach issues?” Denise murmured, her brows furrowed with thought. Just as she was about to ask further, Anthony interrupted, “All right. Off you go!”
Without waiting for Denise to say anything else, he shut the door, leaving her standing outside, hesitating to speak.
After the door slammed shut, Denise sighed helplessly and turned to leave.
Meanwhile, inside the room, Anthony leaned against the door, his little face taut, his gaze indescribably heavy and complex.
I don't want to burden them with this pressure, but I also don't wish for them to harbor any regrets, which might lead to them resenting me later. I have no choice but to do this. I hope you understand, Benjamin and Denise.
With those thoughts weighing heavily on his mind, Anthony took a deep breath.
...
Denise went after Benjamin, pursing him all the way.
Benjamin finally stopped when they reached the courtyard outside. Denise went after him, gasping for breath.
“You're walking too quickly, Ben. I can't keep up!” Denise called out from behind him.
Benjamin was looking straight ahead. Pursing his lips, he did not say a word.
After catching her breath, Denise stepped forward. “Are you upset, Ben?” she asked gingerly upon noticing his rather angry expression.
“No!” Benjamin said simply.
“Always speaking in riddles and acting mysterious,” Denise muttered.
“What did Tony say?” Ben asked.
“He didn't say much, just... um, mentioned that Nat isn't feeling well and asked me to spend more time with her,” Denise said, thinking aloud.
Benjamin's eyes narrowed. “And? What else did he say?”
After thinking carefully, Denise said, “Nothing else. That was it.”
“Didn't you ask further?” Benjamin asked.
“I did ask him about Nat's condition,” Denise said.
“What did Tony say?” Benjamin asked, looking at her anxiously.
“He only said that Nat has a stomach issue...” As she spoke, Denise furrowed her brows as if she, too, was not satisfied with the answer.
Benjamin relaxed when he heard what she said. He should have guessed that that was Anthony's default response.
Since he had told me that, he would certainly have told Denise the same thing. Otherwise, he would be contradicting himself.
As he arrived at that conclusion, the look in Benjamin's eyes remained indescribably complex.
Suddenly, Denise seemed to have recalled something. She turned to Benjamin to ask, “Why do I get the feeling that what Tony said sounds a little far-fetched, Ben?”
Benjamin glanced at her. Even Denise thought the matter was far-fetched; it showed how unconvincing the answer was.
“Well, I'm not too sure about this either, but let's just do as Tony suggested for now,” Benjamin said.
Denise raised her eyebrows in amusement. “Oh? Weren't you just arguing with Tony? Why have you suddenly changed your tune to do as he says?”
As she spoke, she looked him in the eye. “Ben, why were you arguing with Tony earlier?”
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