Chapter 951: Too old for this

The planning that day lasted for hours. Stephen’s admiration for Charles’s children didn’t last long because, throughout their family meeting, he realized this plan would mostly rely on him. How Stephen would act, speak, and react could make or break the plan.

But this was the only choice they had. Even Stephen didn’t want to hold such a big role in all of this, but he had no choice either.

"Before we part... or rather, before we help them clean this place, can you do it?" Charles asked Stephen sincerely. "Can you play along and do your part well?"

Stephen gulped. "I would need practice." His eyes flicked nervously as he realized there was one missing Bennet in this meeting. But in his mind, Slater’s absence was probably what Slater wanted, since Charles’s youngest son held a secret only Stephen knew.

"But... I’ll be fine," he said. "I know someone who could help me with it."

Charles arched a brow. "Someone who can help you with it?"

"Yes."

"Can you trust this person? Or should I ask, what are you planning to tell this person?"

Stephen’s face contorted a bit. ’Of course, I can trust him. He’s your son.’

"I’m not planning to tell this person everything, but I’m going to need his help without letting him know," he explained. But deep down, he knew he had to tell Slater everything. After all, if Stephen proceeded with their plan without informing Slater, the latter might just destroy him!

"Don’t worry," he breathed out, nodding reassuringly at them. "I will do it, not for you or anyone else, but for my wife and daughter... and my son as well. After all, it’s them who put Sven behind those bars."

Charles and Haines might have had a different opinion about that. However, they didn’t bother speaking it aloud because they knew Stephen already knew their thoughts.

As their meeting, disguised as a dinner, concluded, Stephen, Haines, and Charles were still forced to help Jessa and Allison clean the restaurant. Afterward, they bid each other farewell, with Stephen retreating back to his grumpy self.

Stephen walked toward his car, stopping as he looked back in Charles’s direction. A shallow breath slipped past his nostrils, gulping down all the tension in his heart before resuming his steps. His heart was pounding, and the moment he got into the car, his breathing hitched in his throat.

Although it didn’t show on his face, but rather his expression a mix of malevolence and nervousness—he ordered the driver:

"Call your boss. Tell him I have something to tell him—it’s urgent."

At that moment, Stephen knew, deep in his bones, that there was no going back. The second those words flew out of his mouth, the dice had been rolled. Even if he was overwhelmed with anxiety, this was a matter of life and death for him and his family.

He had to survive this night.

Just tonight.

One step at a time.

*

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[PRESENT TIME]

No one could ever imagine what Stephen had been going through the past few days since that time in the restaurant. He didn’t just have to lie to his wife and daughter, but also had to lie to himself to convince others.

It was Slater’s advice.

After Stephen survived the first night—the night where he had "betrayed" Charles and told the enemies about their "plan"—he had to reach out to Slater. Well, he didn’t have to because Slater had already come to him sometime later. So, Stephen had to reveal everything and ask Slater how to act.

Slater, after all, had not just fooled his family but the entire world. If there was someone Stephen had to learn from, it would be Slater. So, they had to meet secretly, like lovers trying to hide their infidelity.

Moreover, fooling the enemies wasn’t easy because, as Charles said, they didn’t know who was watching or listening. Thus, they had to maintain the act even if there was just one other person around them. No matter how much or how long they knew these other people, they couldn’t trust anyone anymore.

"Charles, why is there a gun in this secret drawer?" asked Stephen, his eyes falling on the slightly ajar drawer. "And since when has this been here?"

Considering Stephen had been in his office all day, sometimes even at night, he couldn’t imagine how they managed to get this secret drawer installed.

"Don’t ask me. I don’t know, and I don’t want to know," Charles remarked indifferently. "Have any of those people contacted you?"

Stephen shook his head. "No, not yet. I called them yesterday when I kicked you all out of the chairman’s ward. He sounds... pleased."

"I see." Charles nodded in understanding. "Well, I guess they’ll see how we’ll act now that you’ve crossed the line."

"You will... take action?"

Charles snorted. "Do you think my family are pushovers?"

"But—"

"Stephen Bennet, we talked about this. You do what you think you should do and play your part, and we do ours."

"That means...?"

"It means..." the corner of Charles’s mouth curved into a smirk. "... it’s going to be a hell of a ride for you as the new head of the family. Good luck!"

"Wait, Cha—"

Beep... beep... beep...

Stephen clenched his teeth bitterly as he hissed. His heart was once again pounding in his chest, as he suddenly grasped what Charles meant by that. It meant they would retaliate—and how they would retaliate wouldn’t be just an act, but rather, a real one.

"I think Atlas just warned me earlier..." he whispered, burying his face in his palms as his mind raced. "Ah... goodness, what do I do now? They’re after me." Even if it wasn’t real and Charles wouldn’t go so far as to hurt his family, Stephen knew they wouldn’t be so easy on him.

"I’m screwed."

*

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Meanwhile, in the ward...

"Dad, someone wants to kill you named Stephen Bennet, so I have to kill you first before they can. Hope you understand that I mean well~"

Chairman Bennet shook his head, his face filled with rage and disbelief. "They are so screwed," he muttered even after hearing the entire explanation of the situation. "They are so, so screwed."

Grace, who was still with him, chuckled. She watched as Chairman Bennet slowly peeled his disbelief-filled eyes from the screen to her.

"Are you going to kill me too?"

"That’s not in the orders I received, Chairman," she quipped. "Thankfully."

"Oh, my goodness." He shook his head again. "I am surrounded by such hateful people. He should’ve just given me the real pill. I’m too tired and old to deal with all of this, anyway."