601: [Bonus chapter] Changed man

[Bonus chapter] Changed man

Days and weeks had passed since that dinner with Heaven. To be truthfully honest, Axel could barely understand his sister-in-law. Yet, despite his bafflement, he diligently went to the acting lessons, finished his work, trained in the racetrack, and then gambled in the night with Moose.  2

At first, Axel was surprised at the amount of money Grandma Zhu had given him to gamble away. Axel already learned his lesson, and as much as possible, he didn't want to gamble. He learned it through Silas as that man used to gamble so much money to the point he used Dominic's name and forged his signature to get loans from different people.

The only time Axel had the courage to gamble was when he was suspended from the racetrack. But after that incident, he learned that gambling was truly not for him. Therefore, he already forgot about anything like that. Even a simple bet, he wouldn't participate. But now, he had to, according to Heaven. 

He didn't know why, but eventually, Axel understood the need for gambling. Specifically, poker. Moose taught him. To test Axel's newfound skill, Heaven wanted to see if he truly improved through gambling. After all, playing poker required bluffing. If he could bluff veteran poker players, then Axel could bluff Silas. 

It was Heaven's little project. After all, lying was a skill. He didn't need Axel to learn self-defense for now, but rather a skill that Silas wouldn't expect someone like Axel to hone. 

Mrs. Deng was Axel's test subject. 

"Is that all?" Axel unbuttoned his inner blouse in front of the full-length mirror while Mrs. Deng, the head maid, was standing several steps behind him. 

"Ye — yes, second young master." Mrs. Deng lowered her eyes, afraid that once she raised her head to him while he was undressing, Axel would snap at her once again. She could still remember Axel dragging her when he found out about her sick fantasies. 

Axel stopped from unbuttoning his shirt, letting his chest and upper abdomen be exposed. He slowly turned around to where Mrs. Deng stood. 

"Mary Rose, I haven't forgiven you from that one time," he said solemnly, wearing a nonchalant front. "If I figured you're lying to me, I would cut your tongue myself."

Mrs. Deng's body stiffened as she felt a shiver down her spine. And yet, she didn't dare look up. Ever since she started reporting directly to Axel, it was clear to her Axel had changed. This second young master used to be a bubbly little ball of sunshine in the Zhu family. Even when Sebastian was born, Axel didn't stop becoming everyone's baby. 

But now, Mrs. Deng couldn't even look at him out of fear. He scared her. The lack of emotion in his eyes and his monotonous tone were even scarier than Dominic's. 

"Now tell me, what is Silas up to now?" Axel inquired, repeating the question he asked previously. "Don't cover for him, Mary Rose. My sister might be busy at the moment since I heard she started working in the company. But that doesn't mean you can play your little tricks on me."

"Second young master, I already told you everything that I know!" this time, Mrs. Deng raised her head to prove her innocence. "Sir Silas only told me to update him on the situation of the residence and approve the new people he sent to work as maids."

Axel studied Mrs. Deng from head to toe. His eyes were cold, and Mrs. Deng couldn't find any trace of the second young master she once knew in those eyes. All she could see was a man without any shred of sympathy for her. There wasn't even disgust.

Axel was just… unreadable.

"I've — I've already given you the list of the new maids," she continued with a shaky voice, pointing at the glass drawer in the middle of the walk-in closet they were in. "I told Sir Silas that I needed a week to approve the maids so as not to raise suspicion. After all, the Young Master had been very strict about people and things that come in and out of the residence."

Axel glanced at the folder on top of the glass drawer and then rocked his head. He snapped his eyes at her once again, not saying a word for a second.

"Just be sure that's it, Mary Rose," he warned. "Because if I find out you're keeping even the smallest details, it'll be hell for you. Consider yourself warned. You can go."

With that being said, Axel turned around to continue what he was doing. Meanwhile, Mrs. Deng lowered her head with her lips pressed into a thin line. Ever since Axel found out about her sick fantasies of Dominic, things hadn't been too easy for her. 

Mrs. Deng had to tread on eggshells around Heaven, and she had to report everything to the young madam. Be it Silas's orders or the situation of the mansion. But when Heaven told her to report directly to Axel, Mrs. Deng thought things would be easier. After all, Heaven was surprisingly sharp and scary. Although Heaven hadn't done anything to her, Mrs. Deng was certain Heaven could kill her without batting an eye. 

Who would have thought that reporting to Axel would be so difficult?

Axel was a bubbly kid trapped in a man's body. The second young master changed, and this change wasn't something people with ill intentions toward the family would want. 

Just as Mrs. Deng was walking out of the walk-in closet, she stopped. Her brows rose as she recalled a small detail that she hadn't told Axel. 

"Second young master, I don't know if this will help you, but —" she halted as her breath hitched, seeing the muscles on Axel's back. 

"Disgusting," Axel hissed at the blush that appeared on the head maid's cheek. His comment immediately snapped Mrs. Deng back from her trance, clearing her throat as she distracted herself from the fine specimen in the walk-in closet. 

"What?" Axel asked. "If you only stop just so you can leer at me, then I'll assume you'll have a death wish."

"No, it's not like that, Second Young Master." Mrs. Deng pressed her lips and looked Axel in the eye. "I don't know if this detail is important, but Sir Silas mentioned that I need to observe and report everything before the Lyon Group's anniversary."

"Huh?"

"I'm not sure what it's for, but he also mentioned I have to let the new maids in before the anniversary," she added cautiously. "I don't know what's his plans are before the anniversary, but I think he has a plan."

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