Anthony fully understood what Benjamin meant.
The latter's eyes and expression were all telling a story.
That was what family love was.
Since childhood, they rarely argued or bickered, and they hardly cared about anything.
Anthony was also feeling distressed deep down. However, compared to the pain he felt knowing about Natasha's situation, he was more inclined toward the anger he felt from their argument.
Anthony definitely didn't want him to go through the same experiences again.
With those thoughts in mind, Anthony let out a gentle sigh.
Moreover, as long as the night mission was successful, all problems could be smoothly resolved.
When the time came, it wouldn't be too late for him to be honest.
With that thought, Anthony looked at Benjamin. “It was an emergency. There was no time to inform you.”
“Excuses,” Benjamin looked at him.
“Believe it or not, that is the fact!” Anthony spoke word by word. His voice wasn't loud, but his attitude was exceptionally firm. He seemed much more unfamiliar compared to his typical self.
Seeing that Anthony still had no intention of admitting his mistake, Benjamin frowned and asked in a rather helpless tone, “Tony, what's really going on with you?”
“Nothing much.” Anthony's attitude remained the same.
“You--”
“Benjamin!” Anthony interrupted, staring at his brother, and said expressionlessly, “You need to understand something. As people grow up, everyone has their own secrets. This is very normal. We will never be like when we were young again, with no secrets to speak of.” Anthony spoke word by word.
Benjamin listened, his brows furrowed. “Don't try to confuse me, Tony. These are two different things. What I want to know is not your secret.”
“What do you want to know?”
“I want to know what exactly you are hiding from me,” Benjamin said.
“This is my secret, though.”
“You...” Benjamin looked at his brother, so angry he didn't know what to say. He stared at Anthony, his eyes filled with helplessness. “You know that's not what I meant...”
“Benjamin.” Anthony's expression was serious, steady, and indescribably complex. “No matter what you want to say, let's put it on hold until after today. I'll tell you everything after tonight's operation.”
“Why does it have to be after the operation is over?” Benjamin asked.
“There's no particular reason. It's just that it'll be the best time to do so.”
“What if I say no?”
“Do you have a choice?” Anthony asked.
Benjamin looked at him, his thin lips tightly pressed together. His eyes, strikingly similar to Natasha's, were filled with a sense of helplessness. I don't. There's nothing I can do in this matter.
Lowering his gaze, Benjamin didn't know what to say and just smiled bitterly.
“You're right. I really don't have much of a choice,” he said, nodding his head and looking at Anthony. “I have nothing else to say.” With that, he turned around, ready to leave.
Anthony gazed at his departing brother, his brows slightly furrowed. An inexplicable discomfort arose in his heart.
“Wait a moment.” Anthony couldn't help himself and called out to stop Benjamin.
Benjamin paused slightly, looking back at his brother without expectation, and spoke weakly. “Is there anything else?”
Taking a deep breath, Anthony suggested, “Do you want to join me in this operation?”
Upon hearing that, Benjamin's brows furrowed in confusion. What does he mean? He was denying me the chance to just a second ago, and now he's asking me to join him? I don't understand what he's trying to do.
He narrowed his eyes, confused.
He kept thinking about what Anthony said about how they would all have their own secrets as they grew up.
However, what he yearned for was never to pry into anyone's secrets. What he desired was for them, as brothers, to discuss matters and decide together, to fight side by side, just as they had done before.
Even though Anthony clearly understood Benjamin's intentions, the former still said those words to the latter.
Even though Benjamin said it didn't matter, it bothered him.
With his gaze lowered, Benjamin walked back and forth.
While the castle was particularly bustling today, it seemed as if everything had nothing to do with him.
What he yearned for, apart from becoming stronger, was to live happily with his family. However, if he couldn't achieve even that, then everything he had would become utterly meaningless.
After that, he walked straight into the living room. Though he spotted Luke and Mike discussing matters, he showed no interest at all. Without raising his head, he headed directly upstairs.
Even though Vermillion Base deserved to be eliminated, he had no interest in it all. It didn't hold much significance to him whether they perished or not.
Hence, he wasn't particularly keen on getting involved in the matter.
And so, lost in his thought, Benjamin walked on. Instead of returning to his room, he found himself heading straight toward Natasha's room.
He was not one to pour out his heart. However, at that moment, it seemed only the presence of Natasha could soothe his pain.
Before he knew it, he was already at the door of his mother's room.
Just as Benjamin was about to raise his hand to knock, he noticed that the door was slightly ajar. Through the narrow gap, he could perfectly see Natasha inside the room.
Kenneth and Spencer were both present.
Benjamin hesitated, unsure whether to go in or not. At that moment, he saw Spencer squat directly in front of Natasha, take out a needle, and jab it straight into her arm...
Benjamin stared with furrowed eyebrows.
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