Tony fully understood what Ben 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.
Tony was also feeling distressed deep down. However, compared to the pain he felt knowing about Nelly 's situation, he was more inclined toward the anger he felt from their argument.
Tony definitely didn't want him to go through the same experiences again.
With those thoughts in mind, Tony 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, Tony looked at Ben . “It was an emergency. There was no time to inform you.”
“Excuses,” Ben looked at him.
“Believe it or not, that is the fact!” Tony 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 Tony still had no intention of admitting his mistake, Ben frowned and asked in a rather helpless tone, “Tony, what's really going on with you?”
“Nothing much.” Tony 's attitude remained the same.
“You--”
“Ben !” Tony 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.” Tony spoke word by word.
Ben 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,” Ben said.
“This is my secret, though.”
“You...” Ben looked at his brother, so angry he didn't know what to say. He stared at Tony , his eyes filled with helplessness. “You know that's not what I meant...”
“Ben .” Tony '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?” Ben 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?” Tony asked.
Ben looked at him, his thin lips tightly pressed together. His eyes, strikingly similar to Nelly 's, were filled with a sense of helplessness. I don't. There's nothing I can do in this matter.
Lowering his gaze, Ben didn't know what to say and just smiled bitterly.
Lowering his gaze, Ben 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 Tony . “I have nothing else to say.” With that, he turned around, ready to leave.
Tony gazed at his departing brother, his brows slightly furrowed. An inexplicable discomfort arose in his heart.
“Wait a moment.” Tony couldn't help himself and called out to stop Ben .
Ben paused slightly, looking back at his brother without expectation, and spoke weakly. “Is there anything else?”
Taking a deep breath, Tony suggested, “Do you want to join me in this operation?”
Upon hearing that, Ben '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.
At that moment, Tony continued, “This mission was originally Nelly 's. She fell ill. As such, they were short of one person, so they let me join. Otherwise, do you really think Daddy would agree to let me come?” Tony said, looking at his brother pensively.
“You're not—”
“What I'm saying is if you're willing to join me, we can definitely achieve more with less effort.” Before Ben could respond, Tony interrupted again, expressing his thoughts and intentions directly.
After Tony finished speaking, Ben stared at him blankly.
Ben was still confused.
Yet, he could subtly sense that Tony was looking for a way for both of them to back off gracefully.
Narrowing his eyes, Ben spoke. “No need—”
“Ben , I promise you that once today's operation is over, I'll tell you everything,” Tony said, pausing after each word.
Looking at his brother, Ben hesitated for a moment before he couldn't help but ask, “Are you serious?”
Tony nodded. “I am serious.”
After a moment of thought, Ben sighed. “All right. I understand!”
“Does that mean you've agreed?” Tony asked.
At that moment, Ben looked at his brother. “I know you actually don't need my help. You never need anyone when it comes to this.” As he spoke, he continued to gaze at Tony . “However, I'll wait until everything is over and for you to tell me the truth!”
At that moment, it was as if the telepathic connection between the twins had taken effect. They looked at each other, their gazes intertwined.
“All right!” After o long while, Tony nodded.
“All right!” After a long while, Tony nodded.
Ben took a deep breath. “I'll be going then. I wish you all the best for tonight's operation.” Without another word, Ben turned and left.
Tony stood still, watching his brother leave with an indescribably complex gaze.
Even though the two had clarified everything, Ben still felt as if a barrier had formed in the depths of his heart.
Tony 's words kept echoing in his mind, impossible for him to shake off.
He kept thinking about what Tony 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 Tony clearly understood Ben 's intentions, the former still said those words to the latter.
Even though Ben said it didn't matter, it bothered him.
With his gaze lowered, Ben 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 Midnight fang pack 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, Ben walked on. Instead of returning to his room, he found himself heading straight toward Nelly 's room.
He was not one to pour out his heart. However, at that moment, it seemed only the presence of Nelly could soothe his pain.
Before he knew it, he was already at the door of his mother's room.
Just as Ben was about to raise his hand to knock, he noticed that the door was slightly ajar. Through the narrow gap, he could perfectly see Nelly inside the room.
Alpha Kilian and Spencer were both present.
Ben hesitated, unsure whether to go in or not. At that moment, he saw Spencer squat directly in front of Nelly , take out a needle, and jab it straight into her arm...
Ben stared with furrowed eyebrows.