Chapter 277: Whose Face Hurts So Much?
Unfortunately, Mr. Lewis was so immersed in the illusion of brotherly affection back then that he didn’t entertain the thought for a second. He just figured Mr. York had seen some melodramatic family drama and was projecting it onto his situation.
’What was it I said to him back then?’
"Thank goodness our families aren’t full of drama like some others. My brother might not be the most capable, but at least he listens, he’s sensible, and he knows his limits. As his big brother, I don’t need him to be wildly successful—I just hope our family can always be as peaceful, prosperous, and harmonious as we are now."
Mr. Lewis was speechless. ’Ouch, whose face is stinging so badly? Hiss... Oh, it’s mine!’
Ms. Cain laughed in exasperation. ’What was that all about? "Good advice is lost on those hell-bent on ruin"? An outsider could see it plain as day, yet the two of us involved were completely in the dark, like a couple of fools.’
’That’s bad enough, but now we’ve dragged him into this and gotten him targeted too. This is truly our fault!’
"That’s more or less the situation. Mr. York tried to warn Mr. Lewis a few times, but Mr. Lewis didn’t take it to heart, so Mr. York couldn’t press the issue. After all, he’s an outsider. If he said too much, he’d risk looking like he was deliberately trying to stir up trouble in their family."
"Mr. Lewis’s brother already felt that Mr. York was targeting him and looking down on him. When he accidentally learned from Mr. Lewis’s secretary what Mr. York had said, his resentment grew. But their decision to have Mr. York killed wasn’t entirely because of that."
"Then why..."
"They’re closing the net. In Mr. Lewis’s company, Mr. York has the most authority besides Mr. Lewis himself. The problem is, he’s ’prejudiced’ against them and can’t be won over. Once Mr. Lewis dies suddenly from the imp’s backlash, their son is set to inherit the company. At that point, Mr. York would become their family’s biggest obstacle."
"Rather than wait and have to deal with him then, they figured it’s better to strike first. Let the imp get rid of Mr. York, then have the backlash kill Mr. Lewis. Two birds with one stone."
"Well, isn’t that just a brilliant plan," Ms. Cain said, unable to resist shooting her husband another glare.
Mr. Lewis sheepishly rubbed his nose, not daring to say another word.
"And that’s not all. Mr. York’s son is part of their scheme, too."
"York’s son?" Mr. Lewis exclaimed in surprise. "What does this have to do with his son?"
"Mr. York’s son and their youngest daughter happen to attend the same school. Their plan was to have the daughter seduce Mr. York’s son and use the relationship as a way to devour the York family fortune."
"HISS..." When Arabella finished, the others couldn’t help but gasp.
"They’ve really thought of everything, haven’t they," Ms. Cain said with a furious laugh. "I practically watched their girl grow up. She’s spoiled rotten, completely unreasonable, and has an awful temper. What makes them so confident that York’s son would ever fall for her?"
"Because they used a Gu-worm on him."
"A Gu-worm?"
"Yes." ’Arabella was quite surprised to learn this herself. Mr. Lewis’s father really had a full arsenal: changing his son’s fate, raising an imp, and even getting a Gu-worm for his granddaughter. The man was a quick study, it was just a shame he didn’t use his talents for good, focusing instead on all this black magic.’
"They used a Love Worm on Mr. York’s son. Once this kind of worm is in a person’s body, it automatically alters how they perceive their partner. Basically, it puts a filter on the girlfriend, endlessly shaping her image to match the victim’s ideal type. This makes the host of the Child Worm fall for the host of the Mother Worm."
"It can do that?!"
Everyone cried out, exchanging shocked glances. The worm’s effect was terrifying. The mere thought of having that thing used on them, with the "filter" cranked to the max... they could end up seeing a pig as a gorgeous goddess or a cow as a handsome hunk. They couldn’t help but shudder at the thought.
"Based on the timeline, Mr. York’s son has likely already been afflicted by the worm. He’s probably in the honeymoon phase with the daughter of Mr. Lewis’s brother, completely head over heels for her. But Mr. York’s presence is a major obstacle to their plans. To ensure things go smoothly, they decided to get rid of this stumbling block first. Afterward, they’d have his son marry their daughter, coax him into signing over his inheritance—including a hospital—and then stage an ’accident’ to send him to join his father."
"...That’s just too vicious!" Kieran Kerr, who had recently been the target of a scam himself, could relate all too well. His comment was laced with personal bitterness, his voice tight with anger.
"The second person they plan to kill is one of your clan elders, an old man named Lewis Lewis."
"Lewis Lewis! Why would they kill him? Of all our relatives, he was probably the kindest to their family!"
"Because besides you, he’s the only one who knows you and your brother are half-brothers, that your brother was born out of wedlock. They’re afraid that after you both die suddenly, someone might use that information to challenge them for the inheritance. So they decided to be thorough and silence him for good."
"...Those animals," Mr. Lewis hissed, his face turning deathly pale with rage.
’Given the grudges of the older generation, it was almost understandable why Terence Lewis’s family would make a move against his. But their clan uncle... he had no beef with them whatsoever. In fact, he had always been very good to both sides of the family.’
’And yet, his own brother was willing to kill him without a second thought, all for personal gain. How could someone be so utterly devoid of conscience?’
While Mr. Lewis was reeling from a mixture of grief, shock, and the bitter agony of being betrayed by his own flesh and blood, Ms. Cain had already accepted that family as the enemy. She wasn’t surprised at all by the depraved things they were willing to do for money.
"That family will truly stop at nothing for money. Master Donovan, is there any way to remove the Gu-worm from York’s son?"
"There is. Why don’t you bring him to me later? I’ll see if I can remove the worm for him. But the priority right now is to deal with this."
Arabella glanced meaningfully at the box. "The yin energy on this box is incredibly thick. Mr. York must have come into contact with this imp in the last couple of days. He’s likely been tainted by its yin energy and is now bedridden."
Upon hearing this, Ms. Cain and Mr. Lewis exchanged a surprised glance. Mr. Lewis reacted quickly, pulling out his phone to call his secretary. "Wagner, has York been in the office these past few days?"
The secretary on the other end answered promptly. "Mr. York hasn’t been in the office for three days."
Mr. Lewis’s expression darkened. He then called his good friend.
But it wasn’t Mr. York who answered; it was his wife.
"York came home a few days ago complaining that his neck was sore and he felt a chill down his spine. Then, the day before yesterday, he woke up so dizzy he couldn’t even get out of bed. We took him to the hospital, but they can’t find anything wrong."