Anthony snapped his head back. The instant he caught sight of Kenneth, his eyes brimmed with delight.
“Daddy!” With his eyes pinned on the man, he promptly trotted over.
Kenneth merely stood frozen on the spot. He could distinctly perceive the joy in Anthony's eyes as the latter gazed at him.
That was something he had never seen before.
“What's wrong?” he inquired, holding his son's gaze.
Upon seeing that he hadn't left and was perfectly fine, Anthony immediately shook his head. “Nothing. I'm just glad to see you!”
Kenneth was rendered speechless.
When has he ever cherished me so much? This is the very first time. Has hell frozen over?
Right then, Benjamin was also watching everything from the side. Verily, he found Anthony's remark utterly nauseating.
When did he start flattering Daddy in such a manner?
Subsequently, Kenneth swept his eyes over them both. “Have you had breakfast?”
“Nope!” Anthony shook his head.
“Go and eat something.”
“I'm not hungry, Daddy!” Anthony stared at Kenneth, contemplating how he should tell the latter about his plan.
“You two are still growing, so you must eat. If Nat were to learn about this, she'd shove the blame on me again,” Kenneth countered.
“I've got something to tell you, Daddy!”
“Put it on hold until after you've eaten,” Kenneth asserted.
Anthony's eyes remained fixated on him. “Then, Daddy, you won't be going out today, right?”
At once, something seemingly dawned upon Kenneth. He looked right at Anthony, his ebony eyes scrutinizing for more information.
Anthony did the same. They both stared at each other.
A moment later, Kenneth closed his eyes and admitted softly, “Not necessarily.”
Anthony's brows abruptly furrowed. “What does that mean? You're going out, Daddy? Where are you going?”
Kenneth eyed him probingly. “Why? Is something the matter?”
After pondering for a while, Anthony decided to lay his cards on the table. “Regarding Nat, Daddy, I've figured out a method.”
No sooner had his words rang out than Kenneth frowned. “Hadn't I said that you two are not supposed to get involved in this matter anymore?”
“But—”
“If you refuse to listen to me, I'll have no choice but to have someone send you both back!” Kenneth warned, glowering at Anthony.
Anthony went silent for a moment.
Aggrieved, he was just about to argue further when Benjamin saw that and instantly clapped a hand over his mouth.
Then, Benjamin turned to Kenneth. Smiling, he explained, “Daddy, Tony has always been stubborn. Go and get busy. I'll watch over him!”
Kenneth nodded at him before he swept a gaze over Anthony and left.
When the man had disappeared into the hidden room, Anthony pushed Benjamin's hand away and demanded impatiently, “Why did you stop me?”
“Why would you continue arguing when Daddy has already made things clear? Or were you really planning to force Daddy to send us back?” Benjamin retorted.
He has always been exceedingly rational.
To his surprise, a frown marred Anthony's countenance. He appeared to have something to say yet was hesitant to speak. “That's because you don't know...” He wanted to reveal the truth, but ultimately, he swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue.
By then, Benjamin had noticed that something was amiss. He's rarely in such a panic. There was only twice that he was in such a state. That was back when something happened to Nat and Denise. This is the third time...
In a flash, he regarded Anthony suspiciously and questioned, “Is there something I don't know?”
Anthony's brows were knitted together, his lips pressed into a thin line. He wore a conflicted expression on his face.
In response, Benjamin bobbed his head. Then, they both went to the dining room.
Before Anthony could utter a single word, Benjamin's phone rang. It was a call from Thalia, so he answered it right away.
“Where's Anthony, Benjamin?”
“Uh well, he's with me.”
“He's with you, yet he didn't take my call? What's the meaning of that?” Thalia snapped.
Following that, Benjamin looked at Anthony. “Where's your phone?”
“I was in too much of a hurry when I came out, so I forget to take it with me.”
Subsequently, Benjamin said to the person on the other end of the phone, “He forgot his phone in the room and didn't take it with him. Why? What happened?”
“Ask him what he did yesterday. He actually put up a bounty list. Has he lost his mind? Or is he afraid that those from Vermillion Base can't find him?” Thalia snarled.
Benjamin promptly snapped his head over to Anthony.
Anthony held his gaze. “What's with the look in your eyes?”
In the next second, Benjamin hung up the phone. With his phone in hand, he logged in to Hacker Community. When he saw the bounty list Anthony put up, he lifted his head and stared at the latter fixedly.
“You posted this yesterday?” he queried, holding his phone out.
Sweeping a gaze over it, Anthony nodded. “Yes.”
“Have you lost your mind? Do you know that the person with the code name Boss will learn about it when you put this up? Aren't you afraid that he'll target you instead? And aren't you afraid that those from Vermillion Base will target you?” Benjamin lambasted, both furious and worried.
“Yes, of course, I'm afraid. But that's only if they can find me,” Anthony countered.
“How outrageous!”
“Besides, how can I disrupt his plan if I don't do so?” Anthony added.
Stunned for a moment, Benjamin gaped at him. “Are you saying...”
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