569: One Zhu down… Eight more to go.

One Zhu down… Eight more to go.

"Hahaha!"2

Silas brushed his lips with his fingers, laughing heartily as he checked the photos on his phone. It showed a severed finger. Axel's finger. Sent from one of the men, he asked to watch and ensure that those useless rogues had done the job. 

"Oh, Axel." He chuckled, shaking his head as he swiped his finger to see other gruesome photographs. 

The following photos showed some skeletons that hadn't been dissolved. And then when he checked the next one, it was a photo of Axel's back soaked in acid. It appeared as if he was just sinking. Although he didn't see Axel's face as it was buried in acid already, Silas would never mistake his back. 

Silas, Dominic, and Axel practically grew up together as brothers. Although growing up, Silas became more and more distant from the two boys, he had always stared at his 'brothers.' He had always stared at their backs while he stood from the distance, watching just how lovely they were, unlike him. 

"Heh." His laughter subsided, staring at the photo that was considered Axel's last photo before he died — murdered, drowned in acid to be dissolved. The smile lines on the corner of his lips faded slowly, keeping his attention on the photo. 

"You shouldn't have been so nosy," he murmured as his eyelids drooped. "Blame your fate and your nosy nature. If only you didn't see me or simply ignored me instead of sticking your nose where it doesn't belong, then you could've lived a little longer."

Ironically enough, a vestige of what seemed sadness flickered across his eyes. However, it only appeared in a split second, which could make one wonder if it was just a figment of one's imagination. There was no way Silas would be a bit saddened by Axel's death. After all, the person who ordered those rogues to dissolve Axel was Silas. 

He was the perpetrator. The murderer of Axel. And for sure, the demise of the entire Zhu family.

There was no way he would feel remorseful as this was his lifetime goal. 

Yes, his goal. 

Silas drew a deep breath as he swiped the next photo. His expression didn't change even though in this next photo, he could clearly see Axel screaming in the pool of acid. One look and it looked like the photo came straight from a horror suspense film. Now that sealed all the proof he needed to know Axel was dead. 

He instinctively glanced at his wristwatch. 

"I don't think the Lyon Group would have the stomach to celebrate their anniversary," he murmured, seeing it was already past midnight. "Because today is the birth of the Lyon Group, and also the death of their beloved second young master."

Silas placed the phone down on his lap, peeling his eyes from his wristwatch. He slowly turned his head to the side, staring at the flashing side road from the back seat. His lips were drawn into a thin line, keeping his silence as he journeyed back to his home. 

'One Zhu down…' His quiet voice rang in his mind, eyes still on the window. 'Eight more to go.'

His eyelids drooped, but alas, it didn't show the slightest wickedness one would expect. If anything, it shone with mixed complex emotions that were hard to pinpoint. Even the satisfaction he initially felt in his heart didn't last just as he expected. If anything, he only felt emptiness now. 

"They… deserved it," he whispered, thinking of the main reason the Zhu family deserved their demise. 

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[FLASHBACK]

Many years ago…

"Mommy?" A young boy around six years old stood by the door. He clutched the robot toy in his arm, looking at the woman in the corner. 

The room was big for the little Silas yet his mother was squeezed in the corner, crying. When the woman heard his voice, she turned her head in his direction. Tears and snot mixed on her face, wiping them with the back of her hands as she forced a smile on her face.

"Baby," she called with that same forced smile, stretching her arms in his direction. "Come here."

Silas pressed his lips into a thin line as he stared at his mother. Reluctance shone in his eyes, but he still dragged his feet to the woman. When he was within his mother's reach, she pulled his arm down until he was sitting on her lap. 

"Mommy?" he called as he raised his doe eyes, looking up at his mother curiously. "Why is mommy crying?"

The woman had a beautiful, petite face. Even though her eyes were a little swollen and there was a huge red mark on her cheek, her overall expression was gentle. 

"Baby," she called soothingly, sniffing hard, cupping his chubby cheeks. "Mommy is not crying."

"But your eyes… mommy, lying is bad."

"Ah, this?" The woman wiped her eyes once again, forcing out a light chuckle. "I'm sorry. You're right. Lying is bad. It's just that I had a very bad dream."

The young Silas blinked, keeping his curious eyes on her face. 

"Don't worry about Mommy, alright?" she smiled reassuringly. "Mommy just has a bad dream. So, when I woke up, I couldn't help but sob."

"Mommy, is there a monster in your dreams?"

The smile on her face cracked, opening her quivering lips, but her voice didn't roll out of her throat. She pressed her lips once again and smiled.

"Yes," she said, nodding. "There was a big, bad monster in Mommy's dream. So Mommy got scared."

"Don't worry, Mommy." Silas smiled widely, cupping his mother's face with his small hands. He moved up a little until his forehead was touching hers. "It's just a dream. Silas will sleep with mommy so she won't have bad dreams anymore."

The woman closed her eyes and tears pooled behind her eyelids until they rolled down her cheek. 

"Mhm." She hummed a short hum, still cupping his face. "Thank you, baby. Mommy isn't scared anymore. Mommy really appreciates it."

The side of his mouth stretched, knowing he was able to comfort his mother. "Silas loves mommy so much!"

"I love you too, Silas." The woman drew her head back, staring at him lovingly. "Thank you for being born, baby. Mommy is really grateful to you."

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