Chapter 822: Don’t punish them.

"Why not use it for something more... useful?"

Slater had a point. The moment that bottle of pills landed in his hand, it was over for Stephen. The person who had handed it to him told him to handle it with care. If they found out that Slater knew about it, then not only would Sven’s chance for freedom be over, but Stephen’s life would be over too.

One more fact: they were all in this together. The second Sven got involved with such people, their entire family was already in the same boat. Look what happened to Stephen—dragged into this because of his son.

"Useful?" Stephen repeated, a faint note of ridicule in his voice. "I’ll use my damn mouth for something useful, but telling you all of it isn’t."

Slater tilted his head. "Why is that, Uncle?"

"Hah. You think I can just tell you everything like that?" Stephen snorted. "Slater, I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, but this isn’t as simple as you think. Your empty threats of killing me won’t work."

"Uncle." Slater frowned. "Did you miss everything I said earlier? Did it not process in your head?"

"What?"

"Why do you think I know what kind of drug this is, how much it costs, and why it’s priced like that on the black market?" Slater replied calmly. "I’m not playing games, and I know who the first person you’d use the first pill on is."

He smacked his lips and leaned back comfortably. "And I have a guess about what’s going on here. Do you want to hear the story of your life from my mouth?"

"Very well," Slater shrugged. "Where do I start? Let’s see... once you kill Grandpa..." He trailed off, observing the look on Stephen’s face and smirking. "You’re going to take his share and transfer it to yourself. Although I see that as a difficult task, it should be easy with the people pulling the strings."

"If that happens, then..." he continued in a knowing tone, "there would be a shift in power in the company. My first brother will vacate his office, and for sure, you’d do everything in your power to get him out of the company. It’ll be easy once you become the head of the family, won’t it?"

He paused, his eyes sharpening. "But here’s the million-dollar question. What happens after that? You still have nine pills left."

What was next?

After kicking Atlas out, what would they ask Stephen to do next?

Slater wiggled his brows meaningfully. "You didn’t really think it ends there, did you?"

Of course not.

In the back of Stephen’s mind, he knew that once he committed the greatest sin in this world, there would be no going back. Just like how Sven pushed off Allen and had to come back to finish the job—even staging an attempted suicide—it would be the same for Stephen.

"That’s right, Uncle," Slater said, rocking his head, narrowing his eyes at the look on Stephen’s face. "One pill is for the Chairman. And then... there are still nine others, aside from the fact that you’ll need to do other things. Being at the top of this family and being the boss... do you think you’ll actually be the boss?"

Slowly, Slater leaned forward, resting his arm on his leg. "You’re just a puppet— their

Stephen gulped down the tension in his throat, taking a deep breath as he narrowed his eyes at Slater. "What do you think you’re doing, Slater Bennet?"

"I’m making sense of things for you, Uncle," Slater said casually. "I know you’re scared, and right now, you think there’s no way out. But there is."

"And what does a brat like you know?"

"More than you do," Slater smirked, pushing himself away and leaning back. "The best thing about being known as a fool is that people don’t expect anything from you. You’re easily forgotten and underestimated. You’re not being watched. In other words, being the foolish son and the carefree little fool gave me the freedom to know more than you, Uncle."

He arched a brow knowingly. "Do you get what I’m saying?"

"..." Stephen didn’t answer immediately, studying the look on Slater’s face.

Initially, Stephen thought Slater was just bluffing. But after this oddly calm exchange, he couldn’t shake the difference in Slater’s demeanor. It was unlike the carefree, harmless nature he had always portrayed.

Right now, Slater was acting... just like his siblings. Maybe even more. After all, no one had suspected that Slater could be this serious. It didn’t feel any different from talking to Atlas. And to think that Slater had gone unnoticed by everyone already spoke volumes.

With all this realization in his mind, Stephen’s tense shoulders relaxed slightly as his heart sank.

"I don’t know what to do," Stephen confessed under his breath, surrendering to Slater’s calm yet firm approach. "They manipulated my son so they could put a leash on me. I didn’t want this to begin with. I just... had no choice."

"Uncle, they put a leash on you by manipulating Sven. What makes you think that once you fail, they won’t use your wife or daughter and do this all over again?"

"..." Panic spread across Stephen’s face upon hearing that, his complexion turning pale. For a moment, neither of them spoke, as they looked at each other—one stricken with fear, the other calm as a lake.

"Uncle, Sven Bennet... I know he’s your son. Although I’m not a parent, I know my dad would do everything in his power to save his children," Slater remarked. "Charles Bennet might be the most amazing father I could ask for, but he’s not the only parent in this world. I’m sure, just like him, you’d jump into a fire if it could save your son."

A thin layer of tears coated Stephen’s eyes as his heart clenched while listening to Slater’s sincerity.

"However, even with the fact that Sven was manipulated, he committed a crime. And so he needs to be punished," Slater continued. "Let him learn from his mistake. However, don’t punish yourself and the rest of your family just because of your son. Auntie and Sofia are innocent. Don’t punish them."