Chapter 823: You’re a cop?

"Let him learn from his mistake and don’t punish yourself and the rest of your family just because of your son. Auntie and Sofia were innocent. Don’t punish them."

A tear slowly rolled down Stephen’s cheek without him realizing it, while his eyes remained fixed on Slater. A large lump formed in his throat, his lips quivering as he heard the words he already knew which he had been shunning because of the situation.

It wasn’t like Stephen didn’t know that. It was just that perhaps he needed to hear it from someone else.

Who would have thought that someone else would be Slater Bennet? The little fool of the Bennet family—the one Stephen would least expect to say such honest, yet kind words.

Stephen clasped his hair, resting his elbow on his leg, weeping quietly. "I can’t just abandon my son. I know what he did was wrong, and I don’t want to condone it, but... how can I just let him be, when he’s all alone in there? My son is foolish and easily manipulated; he’s not kind, but... he isn’t a bad person."

"No one’s born bad," Slater whispered, his sharpness and unforgiving look softening as he watched his uncle break down. "But in the end, we... have to keep living because of the people in the present and future."

For a while, Slater remained quiet, allowing his uncle to gather his thoughts. He knew Stephen was a prideful man, but for him to break down in front of anyone meant a lot of things. Slater wouldn’t lie if he said he didn’t pity the man.

Although Stephen was a troublemaker and one of Atlas’s headaches, he hadn’t done anything other than question Atlas about everything. He never tried to sabotage Atlas, nor had he ever done anything that would harm the company.

In other words, Stephen had always fought fair and square. It was a shame that his son turned out the way he did. Because at the end of the day, Stephen might not have been the most affectionate and had a traditional way of parenting, but he was still a father. A parent would always be a parent; he wasn’t that so heartless as to abandon or turn his back on his kid.

’If anything, he’s still a lot better than us,’ Slater thought, keeping his lips pressed tight. ’Because even if he knew Sven had done it, he wanted to do something for him as a father. Even when there was no hope, he still wanted to save his son. We, on the other hand, just abandoned Penny and made ourselves feel better by saying she deserved it for doing such a cruel thing.’

Slater looked away, swallowing the tension in his throat and calming his breathing so as not to shed a single tear after being reminded of the past. When he managed to hold his tears back, he slowly refocused on Stephen’s figure.

"Even if I change my mind now, there’s no stopping them," Stephen sniffed, wiping his face with his palm. "They’re watching me. Once I tell them I’m backing down, I don’t know what they’ll do to me. But I’m sure they’ll eventually silence me! They’re scary people, and I don’t know what to do anymore. I felt like I’ve been trapped in this corner and the only way I can breathe is if I listen to what they say — to what he says."

Stephen paused, exhaling a jagged breath. "Slater, I beg you... please don’t tell anyone about this."

"I never intended to tell anyone," Slater replied, "but I was wondering what you were planning to do, Uncle." He tilted his head to the side, intrigued as to what Stephen had in mind. After all, Slater already had a plan.

"I don’t know yet." Stephen ran his fingers through his hair, shaking his head slightly. "I don’t know. Maybe I’ll try to escape, run as far as I can, or buy myself some more time. I have no idea. I’m at the end of my wits—I need to secure my wife and daughter first. Then there’s Sven. Even if I let Sven face his sentence, he won’t survive in prison."

"He’s already in state prison."

Stephen paused and looked up at him. "I know, and it’s already a miracle he’s still alive in there—"

"And he’ll stay alive in there," Slater remarked, halting Stephen’s confused thoughts. "Uncle, I need you to listen to me."

"..." Stephen furrowed his brows, more confused than ever. "What did you say?"

A shallow breath slipped past Slater’s nostrils as he slid his hand inside his jacket and pulled out his wallet. He flipped through different cards before carefully withdrawing a small ID, which had been securely hidden in one of the pockets.

Slater placed it down on the coffee table, sliding the ID closer to Stephen. "I know you made a huge fuss when you heard that Sven was being moved to state prison even before his sentencing. However, I had to keep him there because it’s safer than when he was in regional correction."

"What..." Stephen picked up the identification card and furrowed his brows. There was nothing written on it except Slater’s picture and name, with a number beneath. But that wasn’t what confused Stephen—it was the logo in the upper corner of the card.

"This is..." he trailed off, lifting his wide eyes to Slater. "... you’re a cop?"

"Not a cop-cop," Slater scrunched up his nose as he snatched the ID from his uncle’s hand. "More like an agent under a special unit."

"..."

"I’m telling you this not because I trust you, but because I don’t mind killing you," Slater clarified, as he placed the ID back in his wallet, tucking it carefully. "However, I don’t want to kill you just to keep this secret safe. You’re smart, Uncle. Believe me or not, I’m impressed with you."

He snapped his attention back to Stephen. "I’m revealing this to you—and only you—because I want to reassure you. I can help you."