Inside the room, the mother and son talked for a long time. Yet neither of them mentioned a word about the poisoning incident.
However, Nelly understood that Tony knew everything.
It was just that no one was willing to say it out loud.
The two of them chatted about other things, with Nelly asking about their visit to Magus. Gradually, the atmosphere became less oppressive and sad.
As they were chatting, there was a knock at the door.
Nelly looked toward the door and said, “Come in.”
At that moment, Donna cautiously poked her head in and looked around. Upon seeing that only Tony and Nelly were present, she finally pushed the door and walked in.
“Tony, what are you doing here?” Donna asked as she walked in, with Ben following behind her.
Seeing them approach, Tony quickly composed his expression, then took a deep breath before turning to face them. “Can't I be here?”
Every move he made, Nelly saw it all. Seeing that Tony still wanted to hide things from his younger siblings, she could not help but feel a pang of heartache.
Even though they were all the same age, Tony was only born a few seconds earlier than them. Yet, he already carried the demeanor of an adult and shouldered the responsibilities of an elder brother...
In fact, Nelly did not want their relationship to be defined by who was older and who should tolerate whom. On the contrary, she believed that all children should be treated equally. It should never be a matter of who came first or who arrived later, as it would be unfair to anyone involved.
At that moment, looking at Tony , all Nelly could do was feel heartache, but she did not say anything.
Then again, those were merely her thoughts and her approach to education. She knew that the siblings had their own way of getting along. Nelly did not want to disrupt this balance. As long as they were happy, that was all that mattered.
Donna walked over to Ben , who then spoke up, “No wonder we couldn't find you anywhere. You've been hiding out with Nelly all along.”
“What do you mean by hiding? I'm here to chat with Nelly , unlike you guys, who can't be found anywhere,” Tony said. In front of Donna and Ben , he had to put on a facade of being okay, no matter how hard it was.
Ben was just about to say something when Donna suddenly noticed something. She leaned in closer to look at Tony . “Tony, have you been crying?”
Tony was momentarily taken aback and instinctively denied, “No, not at all.” As he denied it, he immediately turned his face to the side.
Ben watched, and his eyebrows slightly furrowed. It was clear that Tony was feeling guilty.
Donna did not give up. She went straight around and asked, “What's the matter, Tony? Your eyes are both red and swollen!”
“That's from staying up all night!” Tony said.
“You've pulled plenty of all-nighters before, but I've never seen your eyes look like this!” Donna questioned.
Nelly watched from the side and said, “Don't listen to him. He didn't stay up all night. He clearly spent it crying!”
“Crying?” Donna looked at Nelly , noticing that her eyes were also red.
Tony also lifted his gaze to look at her.
Surprisingly, Nelly remained utterly composed.
“Why was Tony crying?” Donna asked softly.
“Because I criticized him!” said Nelly .
Upon hearing her reply, Tony 's eyebrows slightly furrowed.
It was not just him. Even Donna and Ben felt the same way too.
Clearly, neither of them believed it.
Throughout her life, Nelly had only given out a handful of “criticisms” to them. She educated them quite a bit, but serious criticisms were indeed few and far between.
Especially making Tony cry because of her criticism, it was hard for them to buy the story.
However, Ben did not expose them. His intuition told him that there must be something going on. Since they were not talking, he decided to wait and see how they would handle it.
Donna also chimed in cooperatively, “Why did you criticize Tony?”
Speaking of which, Nelly pretended to ponder for a moment before turning her gaze to Tony . “You ask him!”
Tony was at a loss for words.
Initially, he thought Nelly would have something to say, but she ended up throwing the question back at him.
Looking into Nelly 's eyes, Tony blinked repeatedly.
She was also looking at him, and her eyes seemed to say, I haven't thought of an excuse yet. It's your turn.
Tony felt helpless, and his gaze shifted toward Donna and Ben .
Their gazes were fixed intently on Tony . Their eyes seemingly challenged him. Go on, I'd like to see how you're going to spin the story.
With a helpless sigh, Tony knew that those two were not easy to fool. After some hesitation, he finally spoke, “Actually, it's nothing much... It's just that when I told Nelly about looking for Magus, Donna almost got kidnapped. So, Nelly scolded me a bit.” After much thought, that was the only explanation Tony could come up with.
There was something somewhat believable about that excuse.
Just now, Tony did not mention this matter to Nelly . Upon hearing it, her eyes widened in surprise. If it were not for Ben and Donna being there, Nelly would have immediately retorted.
the gaze of Ben and Donna , Nelly finally nodded reluctantly. “Yes, indeed, this matter deserves criticism!”
Donna was somewhat skeptical but still began to explain, “ Nelly , this matter has nothing to do with Tony. It was me. I was the one who wasn't cautious enough. I stood too close, and that was how someone took advantage of the situation!” Donna explained.
Upon hearing that, Nelly , despite wanting to ask about the situation at the time, had to pretend as if she understood everything. “Even so, you deserve criticism. Acting on your own without a foolproof plan shows a lack of safety awareness!”
Nelly , on the other hand, did not mention that Tony failed to protect them. To her, such words contradicted her beliefs. In her view, everyone should take care of themselves, rather than others. Although Donna was his younger sister, she was only a minute younger than Tony .
She did not want to impose such matters on any of them. What she desired was for them all to be equally content and happy.
Upon hearing her words, Tony immediately spoke up, “ Nelly , I was wrong. I won't do it again!”
Nelly glanced at him. “What I want is not an acknowledgment of your mistake but a guarantee that such things won't happen again!”
“No way. I promise!” Tony said.
Only then did Nelly nod in satisfaction and say no more.
Ben , who was standing to the side, watched them, and his eyes narrowed slightly. Although he did not say anything, his gaze seemed to suggest that he knew they were doing it on purpose.
It was as if something was being deliberately concealed.
Ben narrowed his eyes and felt that there was more to it.
Just as he was pondering what to ask, Tony 's phone suddenly rang. He pulled out his phone. Upon seeing that it was Magus calling, he answered immediately, “Hello...”
Upon hearing the words from the other end, Tony 's eyebrows suddenly furrowed. “Alright, don't panic. I'll bring people over immediately!” With that, he promptly hung up the phone.
“What's wrong?” Nelly asked.
“ Nelly , there's something going on with Magus. I need to go over there!”
Upon hearing his reply, Nelly nodded. “Go ahead!”
“I'll come back to see you in a little while!”
Nelly nodded.
At that moment, Tony stood up and looked at Ben and Donna . “Spend more time with Nelly !” he said, and without waiting for their response, he walked straight out.