CHAPTER 213: CHAPTER 212. TRAITORS

[...If you’re a bit smart, you should only use it when there are a lot of people in your house. At least you can point a finger at someone else]

The sinister voice inside the recording echoed through the living room, way louder than the first time it was played inside the chairman’s study.

As if he wanted everyone to know, the chairman ordered the security guards to bring his wife and brother, along with their collaborator, to the living room. They were shoved into the couch, facing the recordings and the documents of their deals with Daesung.

No one but them, the chairman, the chief secretary, and the security guards were in the living room. However, anyone could see the living room from the second-floor gallery, where most of the other residents were.

Sarah was leaning casually against the railing, looking as if she were watching a show, while Hajin was holding her waist just in case. Since they were in the same room before, Vivian, Honey, and Mari were also watching beside her.

From her position, Sarah could see Amber on another side, looking down with her assistants, while Mina’s poor children were huddling in the entrance of the hallway leading to the living room. Sarah had to admit that they looked like a pair of terrified children, which diminished her desire to make fun of them.

She did not have a shred of sympathy for the people on the couch, however.

"H-how?" The chairman’s brother stared at the recorder hard, without blinking, until his eyes turned red.

"How what? How do I get the evidence of your scheme?" the chairman, who was sitting on the armchair, said. "How do you think?"

From her position, Sarah could see the chairman’s face clearly. He looked cold and angry, but not at all confused. Unlike Sarah when she was facing Joseph, the chairman probably had a hunch about why his brother and wife wanted to kill him. Rather than their reasoning, Lee Hyuk was probably angry at their audacity to attempt it.

Personally, Sarah was more intrigued by the chairman’s ability to pretend that he was still the epitome of health. He looked vastly different from when he was pale and coughing in the study earlier.

Was it a bit of makeup? Was it the power of wrath? She wondered...

The chairman sounded almost bored when he spoke again. "I got it from the prosecutor, you pieces of shit."

"P-prosecutor..."

"Are you still going to deny it?" the chairman crossed his arms, perhaps to hide the way his fists were trembling from rage. "Not that it matters."

"H-hyung..." Lee Hyun raised his head slowly, carefully, with a tremble as if there was a red dot in the middle of his forehead. "I can explain--"

The brother’s voice was interjected by the chairman’s dry laugh. "Explain?"

Sarah almost rolled her eyes. What kind of explanation could there be in trying to poison someone? Oh, we are accidentally pouring the contents of this deadly bottle into your supplement?

"Sure, have at it," the chairman leaned back. "Explain."

Lee Hyun opened his mouth, but nothing could come out under that mocking gaze; the gaze that told him to stay put and just stay in the shadow; the gaze he had always received since his mind could form memories. It paralyzed his mind and his body like a pavlovian response.

"Why? You said you can explain it, so tell me," the chairman repeated, sounding neither pushy nor hurried. "Tell me why you wanted to kill me?"

As always...as always, he would speak and act as if everything was ordained to go according to his wish. Being the heir, owning a lot of women, treating people as he wished...

Lee Hyun did not forget. He just thought that he was no longer under his brother’s influence because he had left that house a long time ago.

And yet...

"Still can’t speak?" The chairman tilted his head. "What about you, Chief Park? Why do you think my brother wants to poison me?"

Chief Secretary Park blinked in surprise. As expected of someone who had been working in the Group since the previous chairman’s era, however, he was recovering quickly. "Perhaps...Lee Hyun-ssi wants to replace your position as the chairman."

Oh, how merciless--Sarah thought. Even if it was a clear answer, not everyone could just say it like that.

"And why do you think he wants that? Even though he was the one who said he didn’t want anything to do with the business."

The chief secretary glanced at Mina without hiding his disdain. "Maybe...someone enticed him to do so."

"Ah..." the chairman laughed mockingly. "So it’s because of love."

Lee Hyun gritted his teeth. He had thought that taking Mina for himself meant he was finally getting over his brother, but...all he did was pick up the crumbs his brother left for him.

The owner of that demeaning gaze Lee Hyun knew so well asked him. "Is that true?"

"I..."

Lee Hyun clenched his fist. He shouldn’t...he shouldn’t succumb to this pressure anymore. He should be able to stand up. Wasn’t he doing this because he thought he was better than his brother? He should stop being so cowardly and...

"I’m sorry..." Lee Hyun gritted his teeth and lowered his head.

The chairman scoffed. "After all that, just ’I’m sorry’?"

Lee Hyun pressed his lips, keeping his silence. Even if he had an answer, even if he had something he wanted to say, Lee Hyun didn’t have enough wit to spit it.

And his brother knew this very well.

"Pathetic."

The chairman looked at his younger brother, who had known nothing but running away since their childhood. The boy who gave up at the slightest bit of inconvenience turned into a man who only knew how to scheme.

And it wasn’t even for anything great.

The chairman clicked his tongue. "You betray your family for a skank?"

"Hyung!"

"What?"

Lee Hyun lowered his head again, almost in reflex, as his brother’s cold eyes glared at him.

"You should have just asked, Hyun. I’ll gladly give her to you," the chairman leaned forward and snickered. "Just a simple divorce, and she’ll be all yours."

As if hearing an alarm, the third wife, who had stayed quiet all this time, snapped. "You can’t divorce me!"

"Shut up!" the chairman glared at the woman who would soon cease to be his wife. "Open your mouth and I’ll throw your children to the street too."

Ruby and Jasper flinched behind the living room door. "M-mom..."

"Hyung, please have mercy!" Lee Hyun stood up, as if wanting to cover Mina’s children from her brother’s merciless gaze. "They know nothing."

"I sure hope so," the chairman hissed. "As if disgracing the family with drugs wasn’t bad enough."

Jasper flinched and scooted behind his sister, despite being way larger in build. He clutched his sister’s arms, shaking fearfully. Ruby might be able to stay in the mansion if their parents got divorced--just like Amber and Axton--but what about him? There was even talk about how he might not be the chairman’s son, just like Mason. After all, if he were Lee Hyun’s son, he would still look similar to the chairman.

The chairman narrowed his eyes at the trembling children, clicking his tongue. He shifted his gaze back to the real troublemakers--although calling it ’trouble’ was a severe understatement.

"In a moment, Chief Kim will escort you home," the chairman held back a sigh and stood up. "Lawyer Choi will follow you, and you’ll hand off all the assets that the family had given you," he said, staring coldly at his brother. "Including the company shares."

Lee Hyun gasped in shock, widening his eyes. The chairman had no idea what his brother thought would happen after getting caught, but this man sure was stupid.

"You’ll pack your belongings and leave this country immediately," he continued.

"H-hyung, you can’t do that to me!" Lee Hyun rushed toward the chairman, but two security guards immediately detained him, pushing him to the table as if he were no longer part of the family. "Hyung--aaargh! I...I’m still your brother!"

"I do this because you’re my brother!" the chairman snapped.

It wasn’t just Lee Hyun who was flinching and stiffening at the shout. The chairman rarely raised his voice, after all. It was enough for Lee Hyun to stop struggling and look up in tremble.

"It’s because you’re my brother that you’re still in my living room instead of the jail cell!"

"Hyung..."

"Get out," the chairman took a deep breath to calm himself. His gaze, however, was colder than ever. "Transfer your ownership and leave this country."

Hajin leaned down and whispered behind Sarah’s ear. "Sounds familiar."

"Shush," Sarah smacked the man lightly, whispering in return. "You’ve taken all the devices, right?"

"Who do you think I am?"

Sarah nodded in relief. Down there, Lee Hyun had changed his approach and started to beg.

"Hyung, please--"

"Get as far away as you can," the chairman continued as if he couldn’t hear the plea, shifting his gaze to Mina. "Take this one with you, since you like each other so much--in fact, take this one also."

The chairman pointed at the other person who had been kneeling beside the table. She had been begging and pleading ever since the chief security apprehended her. The same bottle of poison was also found in her room, where only she had the key, so she couldn’t say anything.

The housekeeper crawled on the floor, almost clutching the chairman’s pants if the guards didn’t detain her. "No, Sir--I’m sorry, Sir! Please, please forgive me!"

"Forgive?" the chairman arched his brow. "If I release a venomous snake to bite you, will you forgive me?"

"I...I have no choice, Sir!" the housekeeper cried. "I’m just a nobody--I can’t defy the madam!"

"So you’re more afraid of her than of me?"

The housekeeper’s lips trembled as she stuttered. "I--n-no--I m-mispoke, S-sir..."

"Since you seem to think she’s scarier and more important than me, why don’t you follow her from now on?" the chairman said coldly. "Get her out of my sight."

"I..."

"Leave, all of you. Go as far as you can," the chairman turned around, as if the sight of the three traitors was a plague for his eyes. "If I ever see you again, I will make sure you’re completely erased from this world."

"Hyung!"

"Don’t you dare!"

The chairman turned with venom in his gaze.

"Don’t you dare call me brother after trying to kill me."

Lee Hyun bit his lips and looked down with reddened eyes. Was it truly the end? How...how could he survive with no job and no money? Would it be better for him to just live in jail?

As all kinds of thoughts swirled inside Lee Hyun’s mind, Jeong Mina snapped back beside him and threw herself at the table.

"Y-you can’t!"