597: [Bonus chapter] Second bait

[Bonus chapter] Second bait

"What… the hell?"0

Axel slowly wobbled down in his seat as he listened to Bear's brief summary of the situation. The lines between his brows deepened, looking at Butler Fu.

"So Grandma knows?" he asked, earning a nod from Butler Fu as a response. "How about Mom and Dad? Do they also know about this?"

Axel instinctively cast Dominic a look, and then his brother nodded. 

"Everyone knows, except you, Axel," said Dominic, witnessing the dismay turn up on his brother's face. "And when I say everyone, it means even Basti knows."

"..."

For a moment, Axel could only stare at everyone in dismay. He slowly scanned everyone's faces, scoffing when his eyes landed on Fig and Gray. 

"Why?!" Axel gasped in exasperation, in disbelief at this revelation. "How come these guys even know while I was kept in the dark all this time??"

"About that… you should blame me." This time, Heaven ended her silence, eyes on her brother-in-law. "I told Dom and everyone not to say a word about it to you."

"Why?!" 

"Because your emotions play a good role here." Heaven took another deep breath as she smacked her lips. "I'm sorry about that, Axel. But from how I see it, Silas always looks at you and bases the family's situation on you."

"Huh?"

"What your sister is saying is that if you already know, then Silas would get a hint as well," Dominic explained in simple words. "No offense, but Axel, you wear your heart on your sleeve. We all know that."

Axel opened his mouth to argue, but his voice didn't come out of his throat. How could he argue? What his brother said was true, and Axel was aware of it. He was the type to always think with his heart. Just one small provocation and he would cause a huge fuss about it. Though not everyone could blame Axel because they were all aware, it was just because of how Lionel and Ria raised him. 

Unlike Dominic, Axel was spoiled and was raised with a lot of love and pampering. They raised him as an honest person to the point Axel had no ability to lie. It was the reason Silas could read him like an open book. Even if Axel denies something, his eyes never lie. What's more, Heaven was afraid that if Silas taunted him, Axel would just carelessly run his mouth.

They couldn't afford that yet. 

Silas was already too crafty and elusive. If he had the hint that they were planning for his demise, he might change his mind. Right now, Heaven and Dominic's priority wasn't just a simple revenge. They just didn't aim to settle the score, but rather, they were aiming for their family's peace of mind. 

For as long as Silas had the freedom to do whatever the hell he wanted, peace would never fall in the Zhu family. It was the same for Primo. If that man continued to linger in the shadows, Dominic and Heaven would have to sleep with their one eye open. 

"Tonight, though, Silas really believed in the show we pulled off," Heaven explained nonchalantly. "Knowing him, he surely has his doubts. He isn't the type to believe everything with a snap of a finger. For sure, he still has his doubts. But because of you, he couldn't rule out the fact we lost our minds and simply want to forget what he had done."

Axel bit his bottom lip, looking at Heaven with conflict. "You used me."

"I have to, and I'm sorry." Her expression was cold and unmoving, looking at him straight in the eye. "Can you forgive me, my little brother?"

"Tch." Axel clicked his tongue in irritation, glossing his eyes over everyone's faces. "So long as I helped, even if I don't know, then I guess that's okay."

"Thank you."

"Then what now?" Axel quickly inquired at them. "Now that I know, aren't you afraid he can read me and get a hint?"

"No." Dominic shook his head. "Just don't show up in front of him for now."

"You already did your part, Axel," Heaven chimed in with a subtle smile. "It's your brother's turn to lure him in."

"So… you're really going to make him a part of the board of directors?"

"Yes."

"But why?" Axel gasped in disbelief. "I don't understand this part."

"To make him believe what we want him to believe, he has to reach something," This time, Bear explained clearly. "If we let him achieve his goal one after another, he will have more courage to make his move."

"Huh?"

"Second young master, the problem we have right now isn't how to deal with him. Dealing with him should be easy, but Silas needed to make a move first," Gray also spoke after the long silence, squashing down his irritation toward this self-proclaimed best uncle. "Not to mention, he has a crafty backer. We have to wipe them out in one swoop and as much as possible, it's best if we gain more benefit from it."

Silence immediately fell in the family room at Gray's remarks. That was right. They could plan all they want, but they have to make Silas make a move first. Because if Silas moved, then that also meant Primo would. 

It was much better to counter them than attacking them first. After all, they needed Silas to lower his guard.

"Once he becomes a part of the board, I'm sure he will make his move," Dominic breathed out, rocking his head while looking at everyone, one after another. "I can already guess he would immediately ambition to get my seat."

"That's already given, my love." 

Everyone turned their heads to Heaven as she spoke. The moment their eyes landed on her, all they saw was her thinking deeply while rubbing her chin mildly. 

"You're already a tempting bait that even I would bite without a second hesitation," she remarked, lifting her eyes to them. "But we need another one to push him to stick with whatever plan he has. He cannot change his mind midway."

Another wave of silence descended in the room as they thought about her vague remarks. It might sound vague, but for them, it was clear as a day without any need for a clearer explanation. 

"If that is what we need, who is going to be the second bait?" Gray's inquiry broke the building silence in the family room. They all looked at Heaven, watching her creep her eyes in a particular direction. Following where she was looking right now, everyone ended up looking at Axel.

"What?" Axel blinked, seeing that all of them were suddenly looking at him like predators eyeing for their perfect prey. For some reason, his heart thudded nervously as he said, "Please don't look at me like that. It's scary."

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