Chapter 325 Father’s Request
"Can I... can I stay here a little longer?" Benjamin turned to look at William.
That aged face suddenly had so many more wrinkles.
Golden sunlight fell on him, casting a hunched shadow on the ground.
In his eyes was a humble pleading.
He looked like a beggar, almost ready to kneel before William.
William didn't like meeting his eyes. Seeing that look in his eyes made him feel guilty.
He turned away, looking at Isabella's closed eyes in the coffin.
The guilty feeling inside him grew heavier, pressing on his back, making it hard to breathe.
William was silent for a few seconds, then nodded. He turned and left the room.
Dylan followed him out.
That room, which belonged only to Isabella, now held just the father and daughter.
William thoughtfully closed the door for them.
This was the first time in months that his heart, hard as stone, showed a hint of softness.
Benjamin stood before the coffin, looking at Isabella's face, his chest rising and falling gently.
The hand resting on the coffin trembled along with his breathing.
He touched the coffin as if touching Isabella's head.
Like when she was eight years old, when Isabella ran toward him holding a paper pinwheel.
"Daddy, Daddy, look how fast the pinwheel spins."
"Daddy, look, even Beatrice can't catch me. I'm good, right?"
Little Isabella, with that childish face and expectant eyes, was waiting for Benjamin's praise.
Benjamin reached out, patted her head, and nodded gently.
Scenes of Isabella as a child flashed through his mind.
Maybe he really was getting old, so he had started feeling nostalgic and remembering the past.
He remembered once when Isabella wore a pale yellow dress.
She held Benjamin's hand, walking down a street bathed in red sunset light.
The setting sun hung at an angle above them.
Every tile on the street they walked on was dyed red by the sunset.
He remembered Isabella was eating candy then.
He also remembered that Isabella was losing her baby teeth at the time.
Two of her teeth had fallen out and hadn't grown back yet.
Benjamin didn't want her eating candy, because he was worried she'd ruin her teeth.
So every time he saw her open her mouth to speak, with those two front teeth missing, Benjamin would tell her,
"Isabella, children can't eat too much candy."
"If you eat too much candy, all your teeth will fall out."
"Then you won't be able to eat candy anymore."
This was a memory that belonged to him and Isabella.
Back then, he had played the role of father so well.
But why was it that as time went on, Isabella grew bigger and he grew older,
and he played the role of father worse and worse?
Benjamin's hand touched the coffin lid as he said softly,
"When you get to the other side, you'll definitely see Beatrice."
"When you see Beatrice, ask her for me how she's doing now."
"If you haven't found her yet, don't worry."
"Even if you don't look for her, she'll come find you."
The hallway was so quiet that only Dylan's pacing footsteps could be heard.
His leather shoes on the carpet made a soft sound. Not loud, but it irritated William.
He frowned at Dylan and said in a low voice,
"Can you be quiet for a bit?"
He had lowered his voice specifically to avoid disturbing Benjamin behind the door.
After making this gesture, even he himself was surprised.
Wasn't he a genius at tormenting people?
When had his heart grown merciful?
Dylan immediately stood still.
A breath caught in his chest.
It was the kind of thing he desperately wanted to say but would regret after saying.
He had been pacing back and forth to relieve this tightness in his chest.
For over ten years, Dylan had only been a man who carried out orders.
He had never questioned any of William's decisions.
But this time, having witnessed with his own eyes the scene of Isabella and Benjamin's reunion,
A hint of doubt crept into Dylan's heart.
If this game continued, dragging Benjamin deeper and deeper,
Could Ms. Tudor truly rest in peace?
But Dylan didn't dare ask, didn't dare voice this doubt.
He held his breath until it felt like his whole body might break out in a rash.
William leaned against the wall and suddenly lit a cigarette.
He didn't like smoking.
Nor did he like the way the smoke entered his throat and irritated his lungs.
It was as if he had X-ray vision and could feel every particle of smoke corroding his lungs, as if each cigarette shortened his life by a minute.
He couldn't tell if smoking was for self-harm or self-numbing.
He had also forgotten where he'd heard the rumor that smoking could make you feel a little better.
But when William smoked, his mood didn't improve.
He just kept coughing, as if trying to cough up his lungs.
Until that door gently opened.
He watched Benjamin shuffle out into the hallway.
Then he heard Benjamin speaking.
"I'm leaving."
"After I find Isabella's mother," Benjamin said.
"William, I want to ask you a favor."
William nodded, waiting for Benjamin to continue.
"I want you to help arrange a proper funeral for Isabella."
William's heart twitched.
"I know you can't bear to part with her."
"But as her father, I still hope she can be laid to rest."
"I hope she won't be disturbed by this world anymore."
"I promise you." William's voice was calm, and he gave his answer without even thinking.
He watched Benjamin shuffle down the stairs step by step, then leave the villa.
Not knowing where Benjamin was going next, he instructed Dylan to have someone follow him.
When only he remained in the hallway, William pushed the door open a crack and looked at the coffin from afar.
Then he went to the basement, opened the security door, and saw Isla curled up in the cage.
And beside the cage was that brand new human skeleton specimen.
Dylan's work had never disappointed him.
Every bone of Juniper's had been perfectly preserved.
Standing before that specimen, he could see several bones that were visibly cracked.
He glanced at Isla, dozing off in broad daylight, then quietly left.
He had already learned from the butler that Isla had been asking about him.
The butler had done well, revealing nothing.
William thought to himself, "You'll find out sooner or later, but now isn't the time."
He sat at the desk in his office. When Dylan returned, he told him that Benjamin had taken the photo album back to his old home.
William said again, "Have the private detective give him something to do."