Chapter 312 Oscar-Worthy Actor Charles
Daphne was totally lost. "What do you mean?"
"You'll get it if you watch closely later," Benjamin said, then asked, "Can you look after him for a few days?"
He didn't spill the beans right away because the act didn't need to last long. If it dragged on, Charles might not keep up.
"No problem," Daphne shrugged. "I'm free the next few days and Uncle Hayden's visiting. I need to take him to see Uncle Hayden."
Benjamin called out, "Daphne."
"Yeah?" she replied.
"Pay attention to the details," Benjamin advised.
Daphne paused, a bit confused, but didn't push it. "Okay."
"Benjamin, I washed and put away all the dishes," Charles said nervously, biting his lip. "Can I go back with Daphne now?"
"Yes," Benjamin said, not exposing him.
Benjamin stood up, watching Charles's impressive act, and went to pat him on the shoulder.
But as soon as Benjamin raised his hand, Charles crouched down, holding his head, voice trembling. "Benjamin, don't hit me! I'll do whatever you say!"
Both Benjamin and Daphne froze.
Benjamin, having seen all kinds of people in the organization, had never encountered someone like Charles. It was as if he had just beaten him up.
Daphne was also stunned. She knew Benjamin would scold her but never hit anyone. Charles's mental age was only five, so it couldn't be a setup. What was going on?
"Benjamin didn't want to hit you," Daphne said, pulling Charles up. "Why are you so scared?"
"Daphne," Charles whispered.
"Did Benjamin hit you?" Daphne asked.
"No," Charles shook his head.
There were cameras. If he lied, Benjamin would show the footage. Lying was pointless.
"Then why did you react like that and say those things?" Daphne was genuinely puzzled.
"I..." Charles glanced fearfully at Benjamin, then stayed silent.
Charles added some small gestures to make his act more convincing. His whole performance was flawless; he could win an Oscar.
"Benjamin," Daphne turned to him, "What happened between you two?"
"I already told you," Benjamin said simply. "For the rest, you have to ask him. I don't know either."
Daphne felt they were hiding something but didn't push it since neither would talk.
"Then we'll head out now," Daphne said calmly. "Thanks for tonight. Get some rest."
"Okay, you too," Benjamin replied.
"Alright," Daphne nodded.
The conversation ended, and Daphne took Charles away.
Charles didn't expect it to go this way. Normally, Daphne would dig into the matter, investigate if their stories didn't match, and only suspect if she found nothing. His performance was flawless; there shouldn't have been any mistakes.
"Charles," Daphne called as she took him back to his room, noticing he seemed off.
Charles looked up, and Daphne softened her tone, treating him like a child. "Don't be scared of Benjamin. He's not a bad guy. If there's any issue between you two, just tell me, okay?"
"Okay," Charles replied, sounding hurt.
Daphne didn't push further. She patted his shoulder. "Go wash up and sleep. I'll take you to see Brian for a check-up tomorrow."
"Daphne," Charles said, looking up.
"What's up?" she asked.
"Can you not leave me alone with Benjamin anymore?" Charles's performance was spot-on. "I'm scared."
"Sure," Daphne agreed.
She thought, 'It's simple. I shouldn't always bother Benjamin. If I can't be there, I'll have Mark or the bodyguards watch over Charles.'
"Daphne," he called again.
Daphne looked at him.
Charles hesitated, clenching his hands, then nervously asked, "What kind of person is Benjamin to you?"
"He's a very good person," Daphne replied.
"And me?" he asked.
For a moment, Daphne felt a bit suspicious of Charles.
But when she looked into his eyes, that suspicion dissipated. His eyes were innocent, like a five-year-old's.
"You're very well-behaved," Daphne said, praising him like a child. "Very sensible."
Charles's mood lifted a bit, but he wasn't happy inside. Daphne's praise for Benjamin was "a very good person," while for him, it was just "well-behaved and sensible." Did Daphne like Benjamin?
"It's late; get some rest," Daphne said, not great at comforting people, especially Charles.
Charles nodded. "Okay."
Seeing his mood stabilize, Daphne left for her room to rest.
If he were really a five-year-old, she might ask more or care more, as a child's growth is crucial. But with Charles, it felt complicated. The life-saving grace on Butterfly Island—how could she repay that favor?
After thinking for a while in bed, Daphne closed her eyes and went to sleep. Such things had no answers, no matter how much she thought about them. It was better to go with the flow. While she slept, Charles didn't.
After washing up, Charles sat on the bed, thinking about the day's events, and sent a message to Mark: [Find all the information on Benjamin for me.]
Mark, who had just planned to have a drink with Jesse, saw the message.
Jesse noticed Mark's furrowed brows and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Mark paused, then quickly added, "Just some spam messages. Blocking them doesn't help."
"Give it to me. I'll help you," Jesse offered.
"No need," Mark said, turning off his phone and putting it aside. "Let's drink."
What a joke! If he let Jesse see it, Mark would be exposed.
Charles's current behavior was strange; his way of doing things was completely different from before. It was better to stay cautious and figure out the situation first.
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