The next day, at the break of dawn, Thalia was sleeping soundly in the car when she was suddenly awakened by the sound of someone opening the door.
It was Anthony who had hopped into the car.
“You’re back,” she mumbled, glancing at him.
“Yeah!” Anthony nodded, looking as energetic as ever.
“What’s the time now?” Thalia asked groggily.
“It’s not even five o’clock.”
Stunned, Thalia lifted her hand to look at her watch. A glint of disbelief flashed across her beautiful eyes. “You guys chatted for the whole night?”
Anthony nodded. He did not expect that he would be absorbed in a conversation with Kenneth for such a long time as well.
Thaila sat upright to look out of the window. After stretching herself and yawning, she could not refrain from muttering to herself, “I wonder how two guys can engage themselves in a conversation for the entire night! It’s not like they’re in a romantic relationship.”
With that, she threw Anthony a glance. “Where to next?”
Hmph! It seems that I’ve become his driver now!
Feeling completely at ease after having a long conversation with Kenneth, Anthony arched his brows and replied, “Go home to catch some sleep!”
In an instant, Thaila’s eyes lit up. She nodded fervently and cheered, “Yeah! You’d better catch some sleep. Since you’re still growing, it’s important to have enough sleep!” The next moment, she moved swiftly to the driver’s seat to start the car engine.
Anthony, on the other hand, adjusted himself to a comfortable posture with his arms folded over his chest. He planned to take a nap along the way home.
“Did you ask everything?” Thalia asked curiously.
Anthony opened his eyes at once. He had planned to have a chat with Kenneth to get a grasp on the situation, but the latter was undoubtedly quick-witted and observant. Thus, he had no choice but to dismiss the idea, fearing that he would give himself away.
“I didn’t ask!” Anthony shook his head.
“Why? Didn’t you take the risk of meeting him to get to the bottom of the matter?”
“There are still ways to find the truth. But I might reveal my identity if I took the risk of asking further!”
“Did he sense anything amiss?”
“I don’t think so!” Anthony shook his head.
Thalia heaved a sigh of relief. Notwithstanding, it never occurred to her that Anthony would drop her a bombshell the next second. “But he seems to be suspicious of you…”
Thalia was taken aback.
“So you told him everything about me?”
“Of course not! I’m not that type of person!”
Thalia glanced at him. “Then what did you guys talk about?”
“He told me to stay away from you!”
“What the f*ck!” Thalia could not restrain herself from cursing furiously. Kenneth Hamilton, how could you drive a wedge between Anthony and me? Pfft! You must be thinking of having him in the palm of your hand! Anyway, it’s just your wishful thinking to let him stay away from me!
She turned to stare at Anthony and questioned solemnly, “Will you pull yourself out of Darknetz because of your relationship with Kenneth Hamilton?”
“I… don’t think so,” Anthony replied hesitantly.
Thalia widened her eyes as she glowered at him. “You don’t think so?”
Seeing that she was about to blow a fuse, Anthony could not help feeling amused. “Okay! Okay! I won’t!” His lips curled into a smile as he tried to appease her.
Even so, Thalia still looked at him in suspicion.
“Thalia, safety first! Keep your eyes on the road!” Anthony reminded her.
“Safety? Pfft! I’m surprised that you’re still mindful of that! Heed my words, Anthony Watson. If you dare to pull yourself out of Darknetz, all of us will be doomed!” Thalia said in exasperation.
“I was just joking. I will never quit Darknetz!”
“Really?”
Anthony nodded. “Yeah!”
“What if Kenneth discovers your identity and forces you to quit the organization?”
“The decision lies in my hands, not his,” Anthony reassured her.
Ever since Anthony was young, Natasha had given him the right to make his choices. Therefore, he was used to decision-making and was not easily swayed by others. Furthermore, he was well aware that he should be responsible for his own life.
Somehow, Thalia had a hunch that Anthony would not make empty promises. After pondering for a while, she asked him warily, “Have you ever thought about how to get the matter resolved if Darknetz finds out the relationship between you and Kenneth?”
Anthony shook his head. “Undeniably, that’s a time bomb. Anyway, since he’s retiring from the underworld, I don’t think it will be an issue.”
“Anthony, I think there’s something I need to tell you,” Thalia said after much contemplation. There was even a hint of inexplicit uneasiness in her eyes.
“What’s that?”
“Do you know why Darknetz and Kenneth are at odds with each other?”
“Why?”
“It should be Holden, to be precise.”
“Holden?” Anthony knitted his brows.
Holden was deemed one of the essential members of Darknetz, but he seldom appeared in the chat room, as he was assigned missions all year round. Even though Anthony had only crossed paths with him once so far, they had had a pleasant conversation at that time. His gut instinct told him that the latter was a man who valued comradery although he seemed to behave frivolously.
Nonetheless, he was clueless about the issue between Holden and Kenneth.
After contemplating for a while, Thalia looked at him and said, “I’m not sure about the details too. I’ve only heard from someone from Darknetz that Holden used to have a fiancée, and they were deeply in love with each other. Years ago, they were on a mission overseas, and everything went smoothly as planned. But there was suddenly overwhelming news that she met her end tragically because of Kenneth. Nobody knew what had transpired before that. Holden was devastated after her death and had been living aimlessly in anguish for quite a while. When he eventually managed to pull himself together again, he told us that he vowed to avenge his fiancée by killing Kenneth.”
Anthony’s frown deepened as he asked, “Were they on a mission targeting Kenneth at that time?”
Thaila shook her head. “That’s the issue. They were not targeting Kenneth while carrying out their mission at that time but had somehow dragged him in. If I’m not mistaken, Holden’s fiancée met her end in a relatively gruesome state.”
“My goodness! That’s a blood feud!”
“You’re right! Don’t you know Holden’s impressive ability? So far, nobody targeted by him could escape other than Kenneth. Holden had sought him out for payback numerously throughout these years, but the matter could not be resolved. Anyway, I bet it’s a matter of time before everything comes to an end…” Thalia’s voice trailed off as she gazed at Anthony.
Ah, he could be the one to twist the situation! Even so, nobody can foresee what will happen in the end. If Holden finds out about the relationship between Anthony and Kenneth…
At that thought, Thalia was worried sick that Holden would switch to settle the score with Anthony instead.
All of a sudden, Anthony was fully awake. If it was merely competition or others, I could probably get the matter resolved. But how is it possible for me to deal with this blood feud?
“Did you ask Holden personally about what happened?”
“I was in Irushea at that time. When I heard about the tragedy, it was already half a year later. By the time I met Holden, he seemed to have turned into another person and had become unusually frivolous. I had only mentioned his fiancée’s name, but it was enough to drive him insane. In the end, a few members had to hold him before he was injected with a sedative and quietened down…” The petrifying snippets flashed across Thalia’s mind, sending a chill down her spine.
Anthony furrowed his brows again. Based on how much he knew about Holden, he was sure that the latter was deeply in love with his late fiancée. That explained why he went berserk when someone mentioned her name.
This is not going to be easy…
“What happened after that?”
“After coming to his senses, he regained his usual composure and behaved frivolously again. But everyone in Darknetz is banned from mentioning Kenneth and his late fiancée’s names since then.” Thalia paused to cast a look in Anthony’s direction. “I’m telling you this to remind you not to mention these two names in Darknetz. Also, you’d better not let Holden discover that you are related to Kenneth for the time being. Don’t let your guards down before there is a better way to get the matter resolved!”
Is it possible to keep things under wrap from him forever?
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