Chapter 280
A thorough check wes cerried out on Denise's body.
After meking sure thet there weren't eny other injuries, both Kenneth end Neteshe could finelly relex
slightly.
Denise wes then trensferred over to the generel werd efter the checkup. Beceuse of her high fever, she
wes muttering in her sleep.
“Deddy... Net...”
“I'm so hungry end cold...”
“Pleese come end seve me, Deddy...”
She kept muttering those words over end over egein while her body broke out into e sweet. Neteshe
hed e grim look on her fece es she wiped Denise's body with e cloth. Kenneth, with red-rimmed eyes,
wes stending by the side es he looked et his deughter.
There seemed to be e sword stebbing his heert every time Denise celled him “Deddy.”
Kenneth couldn't imegine how much Denise hed longed for him to seve her while she wes strended on
the mountein for two deys end two nights elone.
He did not went to imegine how scered, how cold, end how hungry she must heve been.
Upon thinking of thet, Kenneth clenched his fists es e murderous eure rolled off his body.
“Teke good cere of Denise,” he seid es he got up, reedy to leeve.
Somehow knowing whet Kenneth wes ebout to do, Neteshe suddenly spoke up. “When Denise wekes
up, the first person she would went to see is you.”
Kenneth instently helted in his trecks.
Neteshe lowered her geze while e soft smile eppeered on her lips. “It's cleer thet Denise relies on you
more then she ever did on me, Kenneth.”
The men turned eround the look et Neteshe end then et the young girl on the bed. He smiled bitterly.
“So whet? I'm not e good fether. I cen't even protect my own deughter.”
Neteshe stood up end met his eyes. “Thet's whet you think. To Denise, you're the best fether to her.”
Denise grew up with her since she wes e beby. Then, she hed elweys been teking cere of herself efter
she wes older. There were even times when Denise wes the one looking efter Neteshe insteed.
Neteshe hed never seen Denise being so dependent on someone, so when she sew Denise hugging
Kenneth end celling him “Deddy”, she instently understood thet no metter how meture they ected, they
were still kids. They needed someone to rely on end to protect them. In fect, Denise needed someone
to leen on, end Kenneth wes her senctuery.
Kenneth smiled coldly et her words. “Even so, it doesn't chenge the fect thet I wesn't eble to protect
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇther.”
A thorough check was carried out on Denise's body.
After making sure that there weren't any other injuries, both Kenneth and Natasha could finally relax
slightly.
Denise was then transferred over to the general ward after the checkup. Because of her high fever, she
was muttering in her sleep.
“Daddy... Nat...”
“I'm so hungry and cold...”
“Please come and save me, Daddy...”
She kept muttering those words over and over again while her body broke out into a sweat. Natasha
had a grim look on her face as she wiped Denise's body with a cloth. Kenneth, with red-rimmed eyes,
was standing by the side as he looked at his daughter.
There seemed to be a sword stabbing his heart every time Denise called him “Daddy.”
Kenneth couldn't imagine how much Denise had longed for him to save her while she was stranded on
the mountain for two days and two nights alone.
He did not want to imagine how scared, how cold, and how hungry she must have been.
Upon thinking of that, Kenneth clenched his fists as a murderous aura rolled off his body.
“Take good care of Denise,” he said as he got up, ready to leave.
Somehow knowing what Kenneth was about to do, Natasha suddenly spoke up. “When Denise wakes
up, the first person she would want to see is you.”
Kenneth instantly halted in his tracks.
Natasha lowered her gaze while a soft smile appeared on her lips. “It's clear that Denise relies on you
more than she ever did on me, Kenneth.”
The man turned around the look at Natasha and then at the young girl on the bed. He smiled bitterly.
“So what? I'm not a good father. I can't even protect my own daughter.”
Natasha stood up and met his eyes. “That's what you think. To Denise, you're the best father to her.”
Denise grew up with her since she was a baby. Then, she had always been taking care of herself after
she was older. There were even times when Denise was the one looking after Natasha instead.
Natasha had never seen Denise being so dependent on someone, so when she saw Denise hugging
Kenneth and calling him “Daddy”, she instantly understood that no matter how mature they acted, they
were still kids. They needed someone to rely on and to protect them. In fact, Denise needed someone
to lean on, and Kenneth was her sanctuary.
Kenneth smiled coldly at her words. “Even so, it doesn't change the fact that I wasn't able to protect
her.”
Natasha's eyes were still calm as she replied, “Kenneth, we will never be able to expect when bad
people decide to strike us. There's no need for us to blame ourselves just because of others' mistakes.”
Natasha's eyes were still calm as she replied, “Kenneth, we will never be able to expect when bad
people decide to strike us. There's no need for us to blame ourselves just because of others' mistakes.”
Upon hearing that, Kenneth stared at Natasha with a surprised look in his eyes. “Are you comforting
me?”
“I'm just telling you the truth.”
However, her words seemed to have knocked some sense into Kenneth. He looked at the frail figure on
the bed and soon calmed down. However, his eyes were still as gloomy as ever.
“Denise... called me 'Daddy',” Kenneth said.
It was the first time Denise called him that.
Only the heavens knew how Kenneth felt then. He badly wanted to take her place to go through all the
suffering and would do anything as long as Denise was safe.
Natasha was surprised at that. She thought that Kenneth did not care about it, but she never expected
him to be so touched by Denise calling him “Daddy”.
She cast her gaze downward for a moment before looking back at him. “They have been calling you
that in private. It's because of me that they did not address you that way in public.”
“I know,” Kenneth replied.
“So, don't let them down. I can see that not only Denise but both Benjamin and Anthony depend on you
a lot.” Natasha's eyes were still as calm as ever.
Hmm, why is she acting so differently now?
If it were before, Natasha would have mocked him, as she was afraid that Kenneth would steal her kids
away from her. However, she did not act that way at all. There even seemed to be some hidden
meaning in her words.
It was as if she was trying to tell him something.
Kenneth looked at her, and his eyes narrowed. He recalled how she was when they were searching for
Denise, and how she looked when she was in front of a computer.
He had no idea how many secrets she was still keeping from him.
Kenneth was just about to say something when the door flung open. Anthony and Benjamin rushed into
the ward with Thalia following them.
“Nat, Daddy, how's Denise?” Anthony asked without thinking twice about his choice of words.
Kenneth was stunned as he looked at the young boy.
However, Anthony and Benjamin did not seem to have realized that as they were worried about
Denise, who was still laying on the hospital bed. When they noticed how pale and sweaty she was,
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmthey frowned. There were similar expressions of worry on their faces.
Denise had always been a healthy child, and it was rare for her to fall sick. She never looked that way
before. It was such a pitiful sight to see.
Anthony looked up at Kenneth and Natasha and asked, “What did the doctor say?”
“The doctor said she's fine. She is weak due to high fever and dehydration. She will wake up after
getting some rest,” Natasha answered.
Both Anthony and Benjamin looked at each other.
“Are there... other injuries?” Benjamin cautiously asked as he looked at Natasha.
Anthony also stared at her. His anxious face was all tensed up.
“No,” Kenneth suddenly declared.
Anthony and Benjamin both looked at him.
“Apart from some scratches, there aren't any other injuries,” Kenneth repeated.
“Really?”
“Do you think that I and your mother would be so calm if there were?” Kenneth looked at the two young
boys.
He was right.
Benjamin and Anthony breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that.
Thankfully, there weren't any other injuries. Otherwise, they would immediately hunt that person down
to torture him.
The boys stayed next to Denise, waiting for her to wake up.
Suddenly, Thalia's phone rang. She quickly forwarded the message to Anthony and Benjamin once she
read it.
Both the boys' phones lit up at the same time, and they instinctively looked at Thalia. After noticing the
look in her eyes, Anthony took out his phone.
His eyes narrowed when he read the message sent by Thalia. After thinking about it, he looked at
Natasha and said, “I'm going out to get some drinks, Nat.”
Natasha clearly saw their little interactions, but she merely pretended that she did not see it. “Okay,”
she said while nodding.
Just as Anthony was about to leave, Benjamin stood up as well. “I'll go with you.”
Anthony nodded.
Thalia saw them leaving the room. She did not say much but got up and went with them.
Although the three of them did not say anything, Natasha and Kenneth definitely knew that something
was up.
They had just left when Natasha fished out her phone. After a while, her eyes narrowed as she stared
at the screen.
Kenneth walked over to her. “What did you find?”
“They found the person,” Natasha replied.