Chapter 28

Noelle knew Bennett wanted to talk to her, and it couldn’t be for anything good.

Internally roasting Bennett, Noelle stared at his ever-smiling face and nearly refused him on the spot—just to wipe that smug smile off. But then she remembered Brandon’s warning: always comply with Bennett’s requests.

So, though she puffed her cheeks in silent protest, she still muttered, “Alright, I’m in.”

Just then, Eli leaned over curiously and asked, “Hey, Noelle, what are you two whispering about?”

“Uh, nothing important…” Noelle was trying to find an excuse, since the lab stuff was top secret.

But before she could think of one, Bennett casually slung an arm over her shoulder and smiled at Eli. “I was just telling her that we’re going on a…”

“What? A date!?” Eli nearly choked, his eyes wide as saucers. He glanced between Bennett and Noelle, his mind already racing with wild thoughts.

Noelle, equally shocked, shot Bennett a what the hell is wrong with you look.

Adriel finally spoke up. “Bennett, stop teasing them. Can’t you see Eli and Noelle both took it seriously?”

Bennett couldn’t hold back a laugh. “Didn’t think Eli would still be this gullible at his age.”

Then, as if nothing happened, he smiled at Eli again. “Just kidding. I wanted to discuss some medical stuff with Noelle since we’re both in the same field. That’s all.”

Eli forced a smile, though his lips twitched. “This guy really has no boundaries. Everyone thinks he’s some gentleman, but they clearly haven’t seen his true colors.”

At that moment, Elsie quietly tugged on Noelle’s sleeve and, in her still-stilted speech, said, “Noelle… I want to go too.”

Noelle turned to her in surprise, just as Bennett leaned in again with a grin. “Oh! You want to come! Of course, the more the merrier!”

“No,” Noelle cut him off without hesitation, her tone suddenly sharp. “Elsie doesn’t know anything about medicine. It’s pointless for her to go. Bennett, I’ll come with you. Don’t drag Elsie into this.”

She was already suspicious of Bennett’s intentions. He probably suspected that Elsie, like her, was a transformer. If he got his hands on Elsie, he might try to experiment on her too. But she wasn’t from their lab; if the Serpaton-Mocria Alliance found out, they’d retaliate without hesitation.

Bennett always looked polished and composed, but he was easily the most dangerous one among her brothers.

Whenever Noelle was around Bennett, she always felt like she had to stay ten steps ahead.

Bennett noticed she was getting riled up and simply smiled again. Wrapping an arm loosely around her neck, he teased, “Aww, didn’t know you were so possessive. Trying to keep me all to yourself? Fine, I’ll behave. Just you and me.”

Noelle really wanted to punch him right then.

Meanwhile, Elsie narrowed her eyes slightly. She might not remember her past, but she knew she and Noelle were the same kind.

And this man—Bennett—he felt wrong. There was something predatory about him, like he wanted to strip away their secrets.

She wanted to hurt him.

Sensing a sudden wave of murderous intent, Noelle turned and looked sharply at Elsie.

The moment their eyes met, they both froze. The killing aura vanished instantly.

“Elsie?” Noelle asked, puzzled.

She was sure she just felt a surge of lethal intent from the girl.

Bennett, standing close enough, had also sensed it. His expression cooled slightly.

“So I was right. Elsie may look innocent, but she might be even more dangerous than Noelle.”

The air grew tense between the three of them.

Eli, completely in the dark, looked at the three of them exchanging intense stares and blurted out, “Hey, what are you all staring at? Aren’t we here…”

That broke the silence.

Bennett casually smiled again and said, “You’re right. Let’s go.”

He let go of Noelle, and just like that, the pressure was gone.

Dinner resumed smoothly after that.

After the meal, Noelle followed Bennett to his car. Before they left, she poked her head out the window and waved at the others.

“Adriel, Eli, Elsie—we’re heading out first!”

“Be careful on the road,” Adriel said.

“I will,” Noelle replied cheerfully.

“Adriel, we’ll see you later,” Bennett added with a smile.

“Alright,” Adriel nodded.

Once Bennett’s car pulled away, Adriel turned to take Elsie home.

But Elsie didn’t move. She stood there, staring at the road, deep in thought.

“Elsie!” Adriel called again.

She blinked, looked up at him, then immediately stepped forward and hugged his waist tightly. With her face buried in his chest, she mumbled, “Adriel… that man isn’t a good person.”

Adriel froze for a second.

He instinctively held her back and asked gently, “Who do you mean?”

“Your brother,” she said clearly, word by word.

“You mean Bennett?” Adriel blinked in surprise.

He hadn’t expected that. Bennett was generally well-liked and respected. That Elsie—who rarely voiced opinions—would call him a bad person was… unexpected.

Adriel chuckled, trying to ease the mood. He patted her head and said, “Bennett’s just more calculating. But he means well. He was just joking.”

But Elsie shook her head stubbornly. Her brow furrowed.

“No, he’s bad. He wants to hurt Noelle.”