I transmigrated and got a husband and a son!-Chapter 1152: Get out of the shadow

"Am I going to save Felice’s murderer tonight?"

Silence and tension hung in the air, making it hard for anyone to breathe. Bear waited for Dominic’s answer, and so did Axel. He looked at his brother while holding his breath. Ivy, on the other hand, panicked.

From her perspective, Bear seemed he would hurt Dominic if ever Dominic said the wrong answer. Hence, she quickly left Axel’s side and rushed to Dominic and Bear.

"Bear," she called. "This is not the right time for this. That woman said what she said for this exact reason! This is the time we should stick together!"

But Bear was unfazed, keeping his unbending fiery gaze on Dominic.

"No," Dominic breathed out, eyes locked with Bear. "She didn’t, Bernard. My grandmother didn’t kill Felice Cruel."

Yet, his eyes told Bear otherwise.

It wasn’t like Dominic was a bad liar. However, right now, for Bear and Axel, his denial was enough to prove he was lying on his teeth.

"Hah." Bear staggered back, eyes still on Dominic. "You better be damn hell sure you make this answer more believable when she’s the one asking."

"She’s going to believe what I tell her because the only thing I would tell her is the truth," Dominic remarked as he walked past Bear. "Come with me, Bear, and Ivy, call for backup."

Ivy stood frozen in the same spot, watching Dominic’s back. When Bear moved and followed him, Ivy intuitively glanced at Axel.

"Axel," she whispered worriedly, but she couldn’t stay with him. She was still Dominic’s assistant, and she had to go with them.

As Ivy reluctantly followed Dominic and Bear, Axel slowly slumped in the nearest chair. He balled his hands on the surface of the desk, recalling the words of the madam and that look on Dominic’s face.

"Grandma..." he whispered, making his fist shake intensely. "... I wish you were dead."

His heart clenched at the thought of another person being trampled by Old Madam Zhu just for the sake of the Zhu family. The mere thought of Hera losing her mother because of Old Madam Zhu almost made Axel throw up.

It was nauseating, sickening.

How did Old Madam Zhu want them to live with such a burden on their shoulders?

"Ha ha..." a low wicked laugh escaped him, clasping his hair in distress. At this point, he wished that once Dominic arrived at the ancestral home, he would find Old Madam Zhu dead.

Axel couldn’t take this anymore.

Each truth of how Old Madam Zhu made this family ’great’ tore a piece of his soul. He made him disgusted by his very existence. And he just couldn’t take it. Wicked as it may sound, but right now, his only hope was for the news that Old Madam Zhu was dead because if she were still alive... he might just do it himself.

"This is so pathetic," he mumbled to himself, laughing despite the pain in his heart. "Our family..."

Axel trailed off as the screen showed a logo that he had never seen before. He slowly lifted his gaze, glancing at all the monitors around. They all had the same logo of some sort of serpents and swords.

"I see they’ve left you, Second Young Master." Suddenly, the familiar voice of the madam was heard again. "I was hoping that Dominic is still here, but it seemed he truly cared about his grandmother despite everything she did."

Axel sprung up from his seat. "How did you —"

"The brief phone call with your brother granted me access to connect here even if no one answers," the madam explained nonchalantly. "I wanted to test it out, but you’re still here."

"What the hell do you want, hah?!" Axel roared. "You did it on purpose! You made me want to listen to this conversation for what?!"

"Oh ho, Second Young Master. To be fair, it’s not you I’m trying to send my message to, but to Bernard Cruel. It’s a shame he seemed to have forgotten his old master," she chuckled. "Although I did it because I know how your brother treasures you and hiding a secret just to protect you sounds like something he would do."

"You... old hag..."

"I’ll let that slide," she remarked magnanimously. "After all, you’re the emotional brother. The sheltered little child of the Zhu Family."

Axel’s face turned sour, but he couldn’t refute it. It was true. Unlike his brother, Axel was often emotional. He wasn’t as cool-headed as Dominic, and he would often make rash decisions when riled up. He was, indeed, sheltered from the beginning until now.

"Say, Second Young Master... do you want to get out of your brother’s shadow?" the madam insinuated, making Axel’s brow furrow. "Though I like your brother more than I thought I would, I also understand you."

"Understand me?" Axel scoffed. "What do you know, huh? I might be sheltered, but damn, I’m not an idiot."

"I never said you were. All I’m saying is I understand what it’s like to be in someone’s shadow that no matter what you do, people wouldn’t see you aside from being just the brother," the madam continued quietly. "I see that you have a very big heart, second young master. And the mere thought that your grandmother sacrificed many people just to give you the life you got to enjoy is sickening."

The Madam rocked her head. "They do what they wanted to do by using all the reasons they could think of, and let their offspring carry the burden."

Axel calmed down, staring at the monitor quietly. He didn’t know why, but the madam sounded sincere compared to the tone she used while talking to Dominic.

"Say, second young master, do you want to fix the problem?" she asked, but Axel didn’t answer. "I can help you. I can give you the full authority of the Lyon Group."

"How — how are you going to help me?" Axel breathed out, hands clasped tightly on his side. "And what do you want in return for helping me?"

Slowly, the corner of the madam’s lips curled up into a smirk. "What I want in return isn’t much."

"You have to tell me first!" Axel roared. "I won’t accept it if what you want from me is to kill my brother."

"Oh, no. I would never ask you to do that. Your brother is useful and will be a great ally. Considering his position and that we have a common enemy, I never even thought of disposing of him."

"Then what do you want?" Axel calmed down a bit. He stayed quiet, listening to the madam’s request, which made him hold his breath.

"Do you think you can do that?" she asked, intrigued.

"I can." Axel nodded, biting his inner bottom lip. "But how can I reassure you won’t touch my niece and nephew?"

"I don’t give reassurances, Second Young Master."

"Then this deal is off." Axel scoffed. "I’m not playing with you, old hag, and I’m definitely not playing with my nephew and niece’s life on the line."

The madam didn’t speak for a moment, but still smirked in appreciation. "It seemed I underestimated you, Axel Zhu."

"You’re not the first to do that. The last people who told me I’m not competent enough for the CEO’s seat learned that they spoke too soon." Axel clicked his tongue, lifting his chin. "Meet me in person. If you’re that powerful as you say, then I don’t think there’s a reason for you to feel scared to meet me. Only then I will give you what you want."

The madam couldn’t help but smile in amusement, humming a long tune.

"I’ll give you a call tomorrow."