Stronger Every Time I Die
Two grown men hugging like that?! Nina’s innocent question instantly lightened the mood. Ashley couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Nina blinked in confusion. “Ashley, what are you laughing at?” Ashley glanced at Nina’s wide-eyed expression, clearly amused by her naivety. “Nina, don’t you think your grandpa and the man you call your future brother-in-law… look kind of alike?” Nina took a good look at the two men. Then she nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah! They do look a lot alike!” She added with total sincerity, “Arthur doesn’t just look like Grandpa—he kinda looks like me too!” Then she tilted her head, still completely puzzled. “But why do we all look alike? People always say only family members look alike. But Arthur’s not related to us… so how come he looks like both of us?” She tilted her head even farther, trying hard to figure it out. Even after all that, Nina still didn’t get it. Ashley let out another burst of laughter. “Silly Nina… what if Arthur is related to you?” “Huh?” Nina froze, her mind clearly struggling to process the idea. “What do you mean? How could Arthur be related to us?” Seeing that she still couldn’t wrap her head around it, Benjamin—who had finally let go of Arthur—looked at her with a soft, almost pained expression. He spoke kindly. “Nina, we really are related.” “And not just a little—we’re very, very closely related.” Then, Benjamin turned to formally introduce them. “Arthur, come. Let me introduce you.”He motioned toward Arthur and said to Nina, “Nina, this is your cousin. He’s my biological grandson—Arthur.” Nina finally began to catch on. She stared at Arthur in shock. “Wait… h-how did Arthur suddenly become my cousin?!” Benjamin chuckled. “Arthur has always been my grandson. But ten years ago, there was an accident, and he ended up leaving the Gray family. That’s how we lost contact. Now that we’ve finally found him, you’d better treat your cousin well, understand? No bullying him.” Nina nodded, though it was clear she only half understood. Then Benjamin turned toward her and gestured in her direction. He looked at Arthur and said, “And this here… she’s your aunt’s daughter. Her original name was Lynn. Due to some circumstances, she’s now officially changed her name to Nina.” Boom. Benjamin’s words hit Arthur and Ashley like a bomb going off in their ears. They stared at him, stunned. “What did you just say?!” Benjamin was taken aback by their reaction. “What’s wrong?” Arthur and Ashley exchanged a long look—then both turned to Nina at the same time. The Lynn they’d been searching for all this time… was Nina? Arthur remembered clearly—just before Solivair had been cast out of Heaven Island, he’d whispered in Arthur’s ear, reminding him to keep looking for Lynn. But none of them could’ve imagined that the Nina they’d randomly run into… was the very person they’d been searching for all along. Seeing Arthur and Ashley’s faces fill with shock and confusion, Benjamin stepped in, gently saying, “Arthur, let’s talk inside.” Arthur nodded. He reached out to support Benjamin as they finally stepped toward the grand palace before them. There was so much he needed to ask. This wasn’t the place for it.Benjamin led them inside, and the farther they went, the more stunned Arthur and Ashley became by the scale of the place. The interior was even more extravagant than the outside—by several degrees. Neither of them could understand how such a palace could even exist on Heaven Island. Sensing their unspoken questions, Benjamin explained with a warm smile. “These buildings were all made by people down below who volunteered. There’s power in numbers. They wanted to show respect, so I let them.” Arthur and Ashley were left speechless. Arthur finally asked the question that had been weighing on him. “Grandpa… are you part of Heaven’s Cult?” Someone who lived in a palace like this—built by others, no less—must hold incredible influence within the organization. They didn’t even dare guess how high his position might be. But Benjamin gave a simple nod and answered directly. “I founded Heaven’s Cult.” “What?!” Arthur and Ashley both turned to him, absolutely stunned, unable to believe what they had just heard.
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