A sense of foreboding began to spread within him.
Ben instantly became much more alert, standing at the door, his gaze fixed on the inside.
Initially, it was thought that Spencer was treating Nelly 's illness. However, as time ticked by, the transparent bag in Spencer's hand gradually began to turn red.
He's drawing blood, isn't he? Instantly, Ben realized Spencer was drawing blood from Nelly .
Nelly has already become so frail. Why do they still need to draw her blood? Ben was confused.
His intuition told him that there had to be more to the matter than met the eye.
Leaning against the door frame, Ben stared intently inside. Upon confirming that blood was being drawn, he narrowed his eyes. Even with my lack of common sense, I know it's impossible to draw blood from someone so weak. Unless...
At that moment, flashes of his argument with Tony came to mind, especially the unusual reaction when he mentioned Nelly 's health. Ben also remembered that when he and Donna came in to find Tony , Tony had tearful eyes. Also, Ben 's inspection of the kitchen ingredients pointed to one thing, and that was Nelly 's drastic weight loss wasn't due to any so-called gastrointestinal issues. There was another reason behind it.
There and then, Ben figured that reason was related to drawing blood.
When Ben looked inside, he saw Alpha Kilian wearing a serious expression and keeping mum. If I can understand the principle, they must know it as well. Furthermore, Spencer is a doctor! He sure
knows he shouldn't draw blood from an extremely weak patient. Well, unless he has no choice but to do so. That's very likely the cause of Nelly 's drastic weight loss.
Ben was almost as smart as Tony . Just from that scene alone, he had already pieced everything together. I don't know if my assumption is right or not, but since it has come to my attention, I must get to the bottom of it.
With that thought in mind, Ben pushed the door open and walked right in.
At that moment, Spencer had just finished drawing blood from Nelly and was about to pack up his things after removing the needle. That was when he noticed someone standing at the door.
Everyone at the scene frowned when they saw Ben .
That was especially the case for Nelly .
First, she furrowed her brows, then looking at him, she asked nonchalantly, “Ben , why are you here?”
Ben didn't speak. Instead, he walked toward them step by step. By the time he reached Nelly , Spencer had already discreetly put away the items.
“I'll be off now!” Spencer said to Alpha Kilian and Nelly .
Alpha Kilian glanced at Spencer and nodded.
Just as Spencer was about to get up and leave, Ben suddenly asked, “What did you just pack up?”
Spencer turned toward Ben and answered, “It's nothing.”
“May I take a look?” Ben asked.
There were no superfluous expressions between the two of them. It was as if they had already known what was happening next.
Spencer was looking at him, not saying a word.
Ben was also staring back at Spencer silently.
Right then, Nelly looked at Ben and asked in a soft tone, “Ben , what's wrong?”
Ben averted his gaze, and when he saw Nelly 's face turned even paler, his eyes suddenly welled up with tears.
“All I want to know is what Spencer was doing just now!” Ben said.
“He is helping me improve my health!” Nelly sighed.
“Did he need to draw blood to do that?” Ben asked.
As soon as those words fell, Nelly found herself at a loss for words.
Looking up at Alpha Kilian , Nelly 's gaze was filled with helplessness. She didn't know Ben had seen it.
As she was pondering on what to say, Alpha Kilian uttered, “There's another reason for drawing blood. It's for a test to see if there are other issues!”
“Why did he need to draw so much blood for the test?” Ben questioned.
He appeared calm and unhurried, yet his eyes held a reddish hue. His voice was indescribably deep and filled with an oppressive tone.
At that moment, everyone fell silent.
“Daddy, Nelly , I'm just a kid, and I'm not as capable as my Tony. However, I'm not stupid. You can't fool me with those words!” he said, looking at them.
The voice, low and somewhat choked with emotion.
He didn't know exactly what had happened to Nelly , but by observing her physical state and everyone else's emotions, he could sense something serious had happened.
Nelly 's heart was filled with indescribable complexity when she saw Ben choking up.
She then lowered her gaze and composed herself. Afterward, she lifted her gaze to look at Ben and smiled. “Who told you weren't as smart as Tony? You're just different in your own ways!”
“Is that so? Why does Tony know everything, and I don't?” Ben retorted.
Nelly furrowed her brows when she heard that.
Spencer, who was standing nearby, observed the situation carefully. He knew that under those circumstances, Nelly had no other options.
Therefore, Spencer said, “I'll head out first to prepare what we need for tonight. You guys carry on chatting!”
Nelly nodded.
At that moment, Ben suddenly reached out and grabbed Spencer.
Spencer furrowed his brows, lowering his gaze to look at him.
Ben clutched tightly to the corner of Spencer's clothes, refusing to let go. His palm-sized face was filled with defiance.
Spencer knew what Ben wanted. When he looked at the latter, his heart was filled with pain.
Seeing that, Nelly suddenly instructed, “Ben , let go of him!”
“ Nelly ...”
“I'll tell you what you want to know,” Nelly said.
“Really?” Ben asked.
Nelly nodded. “Yes!”
At that moment, Ben hesitated for a while before reluctantly letting go of Spencer.
Spencer glanced at Ben , then Nelly , before finally getting up and walking out.
As the door closed, Ben stood tensely two meters away. It was as if he was waiting for something or, perhaps, afraid of something.
At that moment, Nelly looked at him and waved. “Ben , come here.”
Ben approached Nelly .
“Sit,” she said.
Ben looked around, then sat down next to Nelly .
Tears welled up in Ben 's eyes. Nelly had rarely seen him cry, not even the last time when he had tumbled down a cliff and injured his arm when they searched for Donna . I've never seen him like this. People often say that the child who cries will get pampered. I've never seen Ben show any weakness, let alone shed a tear.
Looking at him, Nelly felt a soft numbness in her heart, and she was filled with an indescribable mix of sadness and complexity.
Seeing him like that, Nelly said, “Ben , you're all grown up now, and this is the first time I've seen you cry. Do you want to cry it out?”
Ben knew Nelly did that on purpose.
“No,” Ben answered. Immediately after, a tear streamed down his cheek before he had the chance to wipe it away.
In the next second, Ben immediately wiped it off with his arm.
He didn't want to cry, but for some reason, all sorts of fears about the future flooded his mind when he looked at Nelly 's pale and frail face.
If anything were to happen to Nelly , he couldn't even begin to imagine what his future would look like.
He had never indulged in such imaginations and assumptions before.
Seeing Ben clearly upset and scared yet still pretending to be strong, Nelly felt her heart aching.
At that moment, she slowly raised her hand and gently wiped his cheek.
“You know what? You actually look pretty good when you cry,” Nelly teased as she looked at her son.
Ben furrowed his brows. “ Nelly ...”
Nelly laughed lightly, leaning halfway on the bed, watching him as she slowly began to speak. “Out of the three of you, you resemble me the most. Our personalities are similar, and even our eyes are alike. I've never known what I look like when I cry, but I found out just now.”
“ Nelly , you're still in the mood for jokes,” Ben said to her.
“Of course. As long as all of you are with me, I can always make a joke,” said Nelly .
Ben looked at her, his dark eyes filled with a mix of anticipation and caution.
“ Nelly , what's really going on with your health?” Ben asked, looking at her.
Nelly pondered for a moment, then let out a heavy sigh. “I knew I couldn't keep it from you for long. Since you want to know, I'll tell you.”
Ben remained silent, simply gazing at her.
“But before I speak, I have a small request,” Nelly said, looking at him.
“What?” Ben asked.
“No matter what happens in the future, you must face it with optimism. Even if you encounter something very sad, you can only be upset for a short while, okay?” Nelly asked.
Ben stared at her blankly. Her words caused the uneasy premonition in his heart to intensify. “ Nelly ...”
“Ben , Tony may seem calm, but in reality, he tends to act impulsively when faced with issues, especially if those issues concern me. As for Donna , she's a young girl by nature. With you two ahead of her, she's become accustomed to relying on others. Therefore, Ben , among the three of you, you are the most composed and the calmest. So, no matter what happens in the future, it's up to you to keep them composed. Do you understand?”
Tears fell directly from Ben 's eyes as he looked at Nelly . He stepped forward and grabbed her clothes. “ Nelly , what's really going on with you? Why are you talking like this? I don't want to hear any of this...”
Seeing Ben genuinely scared, Nelly extended her hand and placed it on his, “Ben , you've always been the bravest. I haven't even said anything yet, so why are you so nervous?”
“I don't want to hear any of this...” Ben looked at her. “ Nelly , what's really going on with you?”
Nelly looked at him, curving her lips into a smile. “It's nothing, just a minor hiccup with my health.”
“What hiccup?”
“I accidentally got poisoned.” Nelly raised an eyebrow.
“Poisoned?” Upon hearing that, Ben was instantly stunned. His long, thick eyelashes fluttered slightly as if he couldn't bring himself to believe her.
“It's just a minor issue.” Nelly casually brushed it off.
Ben pondered for a moment. This word should be unfamiliar to me, but why does it seem like I've heard it somewhere recently? That's right! Thalia! Thalia was poisoned before. I know about that. But recently, Thalia seems fine already.
At that thought, he turned to Nelly . “I-Is it the same as Thalia?”
After some thought, Nelly nodded and said, “Yes, you could say that!”
“But wasn't Thalia also poisoned before, and even before you did? She seems to be fine now, so why does your condition appear to be so severe?” Ben asked.
Nelly 's eyebrows slightly furrowed, and a hint of hesitation flashed across her gorgeous face. “Thalia seems fine now because she has recovered.”
“She recovered?”
Nelly nodded.
“Has the poison been neutralized?” Ben asked.
Nelly nodded. “That's right.”
“So, does that mean it can be neutralized?” Ben 's eyes lit up with hope as he looked at Nelly .
Watching him transform from his previous state of fear and worry, Nelly felt discomfort in her heart. She nodded slightly. “Yes, that's right.”
“Did Spencer cure her?” Ben asked. “Why hasn't he cured you yet, then?”
Seeing Nelly become so weak, Ben was truly heartbroken.
Nelly looked at him. Ben was indeed more mature than she had imagined. Thinking of that, she felt a bit relieved in her heart.
“Perhaps he's still missing one ingredient,” Nelly said lightly.
As long as her three children weren't too heartbroken, she could rest assured.
Even if she ultimately couldn't find the antidote, she was willing to accept it.
However, Ben looked up at her with his eyebrows furrowed. “What do you mean? Missing an ingredient? Does that mean he can't cure it?”
“If we can't gather all the ingredients, we won't be able to make the antidote, so, of course, my condition can't be cured!” Nelly said with a laugh.
“So why was it possible for Thalia but not for you?” Ben asked.
Nelly pursed her lips, looking at Ben , wondering how she should respond.
“I'll go ask him!” With that, Ben stood up, ready to find Spencer.
“Ben !” He had just turned around when Nelly suddenly called out to stop him.
Ben turned around, his gaze fixed on Nelly .
At that moment, Nelly let out a soft sigh. “You don't need to ask him. I'll tell you...”
Ben looked at her, his eyebrows furrowing.
“Sit.” Nelly gestured for him to sit down.
Upon hearing that, Ben had no choice but to reluctantly sit back down.
Nelly had underestimated Ben 's inquisitiveness. Before, he seemed indifferent to everything, appearing absent-minded as if nothing really mattered to him. No matter what, he only cared about the outcome.
Who would have thought that today...
Nelly felt that she understood them, but sometimes, she didn't quite understand them as much.
However, looking at Ben , Nelly hesitated for a moment but still truthfully conveyed the matter.
Ben sat in front of her, listening to her words with his eyebrows slightly furrowed and his dark pupils revealing an indescribable complexity.
After finishing her explanation, Nelly looked at him. “That's how it is.”
Ben fell silent.
For a moment, he didn't know what to say.
Even though he had guessed some things, compared to what Nelly said, he suddenly felt that he had overlooked too many things.
The sheer volume of information was overwhelming, making it difficult for him to accept and process it all at once.
He just sat there, dumbfounded, unsure of what to say.
At that moment, Nelly looked at him. “Donna told me you had an argument with Tony a few days ago. I guess it must be because of this matter.”
Ben lifted his gaze, looking at her once again.
Nelly was also looking at him. “I guess Tony is hiding it from you because he doesn't want you to feel as sad as he does after knowing.” As she said that, her eyes gradually welled up with tears.
At that moment, all of Ben 's doubts were completely cleared.
Ben lowered his gaze, tears falling directly down. He didn't want Nelly to see, so he turned his face away. “I need to use the restroom,” he said. With that, he got up and quickly walked toward the restroom.