Chapter 950: On the right side

"Let’s give them a good show they’ll enjoy, not knowing that it’s them we’re watching."

Charles, Stephen, and Haines looked at each other, determination swirling in their eyes. Even though Stephen hadn’t gotten along with the other two all these years, they were still family. Despite their differences, the Bennet Family was their common ground.

They had to protect it as the men of their houses.

"But the pill..." Stephen broke his silence after a while. "... you’re not going to ask me to use the one they gave me, right?"

Although he no longer had possession of those deadly pills, Stephen still had to ask. After all, he still needed more information other than just acting like his deadbeat father.

"About that..." Haines trailed off and snapped his eyes to the mobile phone on the table. "... Penny?"

"Penny?" Stephen furrowed his brows, his eyes falling on the phone. "She’s listening?"

All this time, Stephen thought Atlas was the only one on the line. After all, Atlas had been the only person he had heard speak from the start. His face twitched, and he thought of the "map" of how this information in the family had traveled.

[Slater -> Atlas -> Charles and Haines -> and now Penny.]

At least Charles and Haines hadn’t told their neighbors but kept the information within the family.

"I’m going to replace the pills." After a few seconds, Penny’s alluring voice came through. "When and how is not something Uncle Stephen has to worry about. It’ll be in the same bottle. Don’t worry. The second you used it, it’s not the same pill anymore."

Haines nodded in satisfaction, casting his eyes at Charles. The latter nodded as well, snapping his eyes to the phone.

"What do you think of the plan, Penny?" asked Charles because, as a father, he knew this plan would affect his children just as much as it would affect them.

"I think it’s the perfect plan. First Brother and Second Brother agree with it."

"Second—Hugo’s here too?" Stephen gasped, scrunching up his nose.

Hugo, who had been idling in his ward, yawned. "Hi, Uncle. I’m here because my father thinks I’d beat you up... deep in the night when you don’t expect me at all if I don’t know any of it. What a responsible father he is."

Stephen’s face twisted as he looked at Charles, only to earn a shrug from the latter.

"Middle child’s curse," was all Charles said as an explanation for why Hugo was also in this discussion.

"I do," Atlas’s voice was heard again, calm and approving. "Besides, I have something else to do. So, being out of the company will give me more freedom to do what I need to do. I approve of Dad’s plan. It’s better than nothing at all."

"I see..." Charles sighed in relief. "Very well—"

"Wait." Stephen cleared his throat in panic. His action earned everyone’s attention. "What does that mean?"

"Huh?"

"Just now, Atlas mentioned that he’d be out of the company. What does that mean?"

Haines and Charles tilted their heads to the side, while Atlas in the line furrowed his brows. Penny, who was in her office, leaned back in her swivel chair and crossed her arms. As for Hugo...

"Dad, are you sure this is going to work?" asked Hugo with clear doubt in his voice. "This plan will only work if Uncle Stephen does a good job. But with his questions, I’m starting to doubt this is going to last long."

"Stephen, after the pills, what do you think will happen?" Haines ignored Hugo and focused on Stephen, knowing his cousin was simply overwhelmed.

Stephen opened and closed his mouth before blurting out, "On to the second part of the plan..."

"And the obvious next step is to take control of Global Prime Logistics," Charles clarified, what was already clear to everyone. "Why do you think they want my father to die? Those people knew that even if you sabotage Atlas many times, kicking him out of power will be a challenge."

"It’s impossible, not a challenge," Atlas corrected, but his correction fell on deaf ears.

"I’m not saying this because he is my son and I’m being a proud father," Charles continued, but contrary to his words, his face beamed with pride. "Atlas’s footing in the company is already deeply planted in the family and the business. The only chance he would lose power is if you acquire more shares or if he is... dead."

At the mention of that word, Charles’s face darkened. "There’s no way in hell I would let that happen. Hosting any of my children’s funerals was never a life experience I wished for, nor something I would ever let happen. It’s not in the bucket list."

"You want me... to be the head of the family?" Stephen whispered nervously, his heart starting to race again. Although it sounded like a dream come true, alien emotions surfaced in his heart that he couldn’t pinpoint.

The main point was that his entire soul screamed that he wasn’t ready for the role.

"Like my father mentioned, we’ll let them reveal their cards. By that, he meant betraying us and gaining even a tiny bit of their trust," Penny spoke again. "Drugging the chairman is a giveaway of what they wanted, which is to take down my First Brother. However, you also mentioned they gave you a total of ten pills. The first one is for the chairman. We need to know who else is on their list — the recipients of the nine other pills."

"Showing them they have the upper hand will make them arrogant, and when people are arrogant, they tend to be reckless," Hugo casually commented. "Aside from protecting what is ours, knowing their motives will open more doors for us to catch them all."

"Then pluck them out along with their roots once they’re ripe." Atlas nodded.

"As long as we all play our parts accordingly, it’ll raise our chances of winning," Haines agreed. "It’s just a matter of patience until then."

"That’s the point," Charles chimed in. "These people aren’t just a person or two, but rather, an organized group with their own structure and ways of operation..."

As they threw in their comments, Stephen could only dart his eyes between Haines, Charles, and the phone.

’They keep saying they don’t know what the enemy is planning... but listening to them makes me think otherwise.’

A part of Stephen felt a mix of relief for choosing to take their side. Listening to them, he could already imagine how Charles and his children would plan his demise so casually if he didn’t. Another part of him was in awe of their dynamic — even Haines synced with them so perfectly.

’This... is how Charles raised his children,’he thought, realizing that Charles’s children were speaking to their father so freely that even their intrusive thoughts escaped their mouths. Yet, it didn’t feel like they were treating their father rudely or equally; there was a clear respect and trust that these kids had toward their father.

Was this... why Charles took his children away from the Bennet family affairs? Clearly, these children weren’t influenced by the Bennet Family’s tradition and toxic hierarchy. Aside from that, Stephen had a newfound realization.

’No wonder Atlas is the way he is,’he thought, considering how Atlas had treated everyone in the company and family. ’He wasn’t being rude or arrogant; he was... simply being direct, like right now.’

What else did Stephen not know about this part of the Bennet Family? He didn’t know, but deep in his heart, he knew there was much more to learn, and at the same time, he had chosen the right side.

For once, since those people came into his life like an evil spirit to haunt him, Stephen sort of saw some light in it.

Perhaps there was a light to get out of this darkness... as long as he held on to faith.