Chapter 1088: I’ll make her my wife.

"Minty, why are you staying at my place, by the way?" Benjamin placed the cup of noodles on the table before sitting at the dining table. As he slid the cup of noodles across to the person sitting across from him, he added, "Since you’re here for business reasons, shouldn’t Homeland Security be covering your accommodation?"

"And waste more taxpayers’ money instead of using it for citizens’ security?" Minty shrugged, her eyes glinting as she asked, "Why? Don’t you want me to stay with you?"

"What? Of course not!" he panicked. "I’m just asking out of pure curiosity, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy having you here."

Satisfied, Mint nodded. "I guess my presence does make you happy. Earlier, I think you were almost dying until you saw me."

Benjamin’s smile twitched as he watched Mint’s prideful smile. However, he didn’t dwell on it.

"Say, Mint, are you working on a dangerous mission again?" he asked, and her prideful smile disappeared. "Hey! Don’t mistake it for me prying into any confidential information! I don’t want to know, even if you want to tell me!"

He pouted. "I’m just worried about you."

"Why are you worried about me? Is it because I’m a woman?"

"No—"

"With a pretty face and cute personality?"

"..." Benjamin deadpanned.

Mint smiled and shrugged. "Well, I guess it can’t be helped that you’re worried. Don’t worry, though. I might be pretty and adorable, but that doesn’t affect my performance."

’But that’s not what I’m worried about,’ was what he wanted to say, but Benjamin chose to keep that to himself. All he could do was sigh and smile, appreciating Mint’s presence in his place.

He knew it was temporary, but he was still glad to have her around. It felt less lonely to have company every once in a while.

"By the way, I heard you broke up with the girl you were dating," she said, opening the lid of her noodles.

Benjamin frowned. "Mint, are you stalking me? How do you know everything that’s happening in my life? Are you obsessed with me?"

"Obsessed is a bit much. Can’t I look after my little brother?"

"Tch." Benjamin pouted and cupped his face. "She suddenly told me she didn’t want to see me anymore. She didn’t even tell me the reason."

Mint paused and glanced up at him, keeping her lips pressed into a thin line. "Are you sad about it?"

"Of course, I’m sad about it! Who wouldn’t be sad!?"

"She’s not good for you."

"How do you know that? She’s very kind to me and understanding. She even knitted me a sweater!"

"I’ll knit a sweater for you," she replied with a poker face. "I’ll knit you ten of them."

"..." Benjamin opened his mouth but decided to shut it. As he peeled off the lid of his noodles, he couldn’t help but wonder, ’Why am I surrounded by weird people like them?’

For a while, silence filled the air as the two of them enjoyed their cup noodles. After some time, Benjamin glanced at Mint, who was eating quietly.

"Mint, is everything alright?" he asked. "You look a little distracted."

Mint glanced up at him. "I’m not distracted."

"Come on. I know you just as much as you know me. So I’m sure something’s bothering you."

"How sweet." She smiled. "It’s work. The current case I’m handling."

"Oh!"

"I feel like I’m about to hit a dead end," she continued, her eyes lowering at their simple dinner. "It feels like every step I take, I’m taking two steps back. There are just too many questions with too few answers, and the people who could provide those answers are either dead or missing."

Benjamin shivered at how casually she uttered part of that statement.

"And the more I try to uncover, the more dangerous it feels," she added solemnly. "And the more I realize, there’s more to it than I thought."

"Oh." Benjamin blinked. "Is this the deadly drug you were investigating before?"

Mint looked up at him and nodded. "Yes. I can’t say much, but it’s recently appeared out of nowhere in large quantities."

"Mint, isn’t that already saying a lot?"

"Same appearance, same properties, but different suppliers..." she muttered to herself. "The chemist who created the drug was long presumed dead. It’s said that she took the formula with her, imprinting it on her skin—inside her skin, to be exact... or was it tattooed on her organ? I’m still trying to confirm that intel, but if it’s true, then whoever retrieved her body should be the one now producing the drug. The question is, why did it take this long for them to start producing it?"

"Mint... we’re eating." Benjamin sighed, his spine shivering from the little details he heard. "And you’re speaking your thoughts out loud."

"Oh." Mint snapped out of her trance and looked at him. "Was I speaking my thoughts aloud?"

"Yes."

"Unhear it. Erase it from your memory, then. It shouldn’t be hard."

"..." Benjamin’s face twitched, but he was getting used to it. Perhaps this was why Benjamin didn’t mind Zoren’s antics—he had been dealing with a weirdo since childhood.

"Anyway, how is Zoren?" Changing the subject, she tilted her head slightly to the side. "Is he dying soon?"

"Mint, how can you say such things? Knock on wood!" Benjamin frowned. "My boss is getting better thanks to Miss Penny!"

"Penny?" she furrowed her brows. "Who is that?"

"You don’t know? Mint, how can you know all the women I go on dates with but not my boss?"

"He’s not my cousin."

Benjamin shook his head. "Miss Penny is my boss’s wife! She’s pretty, intelligent, and very strong! Because of her and her help, my boss is getting better!"

"Oh?" Mint raised an eyebrow, her eyes narrowing slightly. The corner of her lips curled into a devious smirk, her eyes glinting sharply. "Interesting. I guess it’s time for me to step up my game as well."

"Huh?"

Mint snapped her eyes at him, making him flinch. Seeing that look in her eyes, Benjamin felt like whatever Mint was going to say wasn’t going to be good.

"Arrange a meeting with his wife," she said. "Zoren doesn’t deserve her. I’ll make her my wife."

"!!!!"