I see. He doesn’t hate us. He doesn’t hate me. We were wrong, then. Although he was on cloud nine, Anthony still seemed incredibly composed. That was because he was more interested in Kenneth’s actions rather than his words. After all, words could only mean so much.
Kenneth pursed his lips and pondered for a long time before giving Anthony a stern look. “Anthony, I know that no matter what I say, I can’t make up for my absence for the past few years. I don’t expect your forgiveness, but I’ll use the rest of my life to prove that I can be a good father.”
“How about Nat?”
Ultimately, Anthony was most concerned about Natasha.
If Natasha didn’t allow it, he wouldn’t even be having a conversation with Kenneth in the first place.
Kenneth’s gaze darkened when Anthony mentioned Natasha. With a smirk, he said, “Of course I would like to make it up to her as well. But you’re well aware of your mommy’s attitude. I doubt she would forgive me that easily!”
“So? Are you going to give up?”
“No!” Kenneth shook his head and smiled. “I would never give up. I’ll fight till the end!” he said confidently.
Needless to say, Anthony was happy with the reply.
After witnessing what Kenneth would do for Natasha and hearing those words from him, Anthony had gradually begun to accept Kenneth.
He shot him a serious look and asked, “Will you promise me something?”
“Go on.” Kenneth was willing to do whatever he was told.
After mulling over it for quite a while, Anthony uttered solemnly, “Don’t hurt Nat. I don’t know what your relationship with her will be like in the future, and I don’t intend to meddle in it. However, my bottom line is that Nat cannot get hurt. Otherwise…”
“Otherwise?”
“If you hurt her, I’ll dedicate my whole life to torment and punish you. I believe Benjamin and Denise would do the same as well.” Despite his age, Anthony’s words were vicious.
Kenneth pursed his lips and stared at him in response.
He wasn’t angry, nor did he feel threatened by Anthony’s words.
Instead, he suddenly recalled what Anthony had looked like when he had wanted to kill Gary with a knife.
Kenneth was having trouble trying to understand how a young boy could be so impulsive and vicious. It seems as if he knows everything, and he’s not as innocent as normal kids. Although he would occasionally display the traits of a child, he acts like a negotiator most of the time. I wonder what they have gone through over the years. A kid like him should live his life without any worries. Instead, he’s behaving like an adult who has been through a lot in life.
It would be a lie to say that Kenneth wasn’t heartbroken. While his eyes were flickering, he kept staring at Anthony in silence.
Anthony narrowed his eyes, and he seemed displeased. “Are you having second thoughts?”
Kenneth shook his head. “No. I’m just thinking about what to say to make you believe me.”
“You’ll need time to earn that. Now, you just have to promise me that.”
Kenneth knew he couldn’t treat Anthony like an ordinary kid. I can’t coax him like how I would do with other kids. Heck, I might even anger him if I were to do that. The only thing I can do now is show him my sincerity.
Kenneth nodded. “I promise you I’ll never do anything to hurt your mommy!”
Upon hearing that, Anthony nodded and said, “I’ll trust you this time. Don’t disappoint me.”
Kenneth curled his lips into a mocking smile. “Anthony, in your mind, am I a person who would do that?”
“Before this, yes.” Anthony didn’t deny it.
Kenneth was stumped. I’ve just shot myself in the foot! But I’ve got no one to blame but myself. Who would’ve thought that I would get dissed by my own son?
“How about now?” Kenneth looked him in the eyes. “Do you still feel the same way now?”
“Now?” Anthony stared back at him and mulled over his next words.
Kenneth waited patiently for his answer.
“Denise thinks you’re nice!”
Indeed, Denise’s admiration for him was beyond words.
“How about you?”
“Benjamin and I have the same opinion about you.”
“And what’s that?”
“Well, who knows? It’s too early to decide anything.”
In the end, Anthony still refused to admit that he liked Kenneth a bit more compared to before.
Kenneth smiled in response. He’s a smart kid, all right. He keeps his feelings to himself.
Kenneth didn’t want to ask further. After all, it wasn’t right to force an answer out of Anthony. “I believe that sooner or later, I can change how you feel about me!”
Anthony kept mum. At that moment, an indescribable feeling surfaced in his heart because his impression of Kenneth had gotten better.
However, he didn’t want to reveal how he felt.
Although the person before his eyes was his biological father, he couldn’t just ignore the fact that they had been separated for the past six years. He needed time to behave intimately with Kenneth.
After that, Kenneth decided to change the topic. “By the way, is Thalia your friend?”
Anthony was stunned. As he sized Kenneth up, he wondered if Kenneth had figured something out, or if he was just making conversation.
After giving it some thought, Anthony nodded. “Yes.”
“H-How did you guys meet?”
Kenneth didn’t give it much thought when he asked that question. Although he knew Thalia was a member of the underworld, he didn’t think that of Anthony.
In his mind, he just thought of Anthony as a kid who had matured at a tender age. Moreover, he thought Anthony had grown up being smart and vicious because of how his mother had suffered back then.
Anthony contemplated for a while before coming up with an excuse. “She’s my martial arts instructor.”
“You’re learning martial arts?” Kenneth was puzzled.
“That’s right!” Anthony nodded. “That way, I can protect Nat in the future.”
Although he was lying, he meant what he said about protecting Natasha.
Kenneth glanced at him and uttered, “She seems nice to you!” Even though Anthony’s statement did make sense, one still couldn’t help but get suspicious.
“She treats me like her brother!” Anthony said.
Kenneth couldn’t tell he was lying just by looking at him.
After pondering for a moment, Kenneth said, “Anthony, Thalia doesn’t seem like an ordinary person. I don’t know how to explain it to you. But if you wish to learn more about martial arts, I can get you someone better than her!”
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Not Twins (Natasha and Kenneth)