Israel couldn''t help but mutter under his breath, "What good would telling you have done? You wouldn''t have helped us get rid of Joshua; you''d just have made us tolerate him. Ste''s influence at The Williams Group is already skyrocketing, putting her on equal footing with you. If you, Father, and the shareholders found out about this, they might as well just make Ste the heir..."


    Before Israel could finish, Jonathan cut him off with a roar. "Shut up!"


    Israel fell silent.


    Jonathan turned to Coleman, his voice cold. "Coleman, do you know why I only hit you?"


    "I know," Coleman said in a low voice.


    "Israel is impulsive and unfit for major responsibility," Jonathan said. "And Aurora is our sister; she needs our protection. Among the three of you, you''re the most level- headed andposed. Why didn''t you consult me on something this important?" Coleman looked up at Jonathan. "Jonathan, Israel wasn''t wrong. Once Father and the shareholders learned of Joshua''s identity, Ste''s status would have soared. Father might have even tried to arrange a marriage between Ste and the Gardner family. If they were to marry, with the Gardners'' backing, Ste would have reced you in no time. Jonathan, your position as heir to The Williams Group would have been at risk."


    Jonathan pressed his lips together, seeming to want to argue but ultimately remaining silent.


    Coleman continued, "It''s not that we didn''t try to make peace with Joshua. We even had Aurora ask him out, but he just toyed with her and refused our advances. After all our shes, couldn''t you see that Joshua could only be an enemy, never an ally?"


    A ruthless glint appeared in Coleman''s eyes. "And if he''s destined to be an enemy, why not eliminate him early on? Ste is our family; we can''t touch her. But Joshua? Even if he''s the head of his family, so what?"


    At this point, Aurora, who had been quiet, spoke up. "Jonathan, it''s better for you to pretend you don''t know about this. For now, stay out of it. If Father and the shareholders find outter, Israel, Coleman, and will take futtresponsibility."


    Hearing this, Jonathan''s gaze toward Aurora softened slightly. "Aurora, l''appreciate the thought. But I''m afraid this won''t be easy to hide when he was by Ste''s side,


    he had his restraints. But now...


    Jonathan''s eyes looked distant. "From the moment he chose to openly target Sellers, he was no longer trying to hide his identity."


    He then recounted his recent meeting with Joshua to the three of them.


    "Israel, Coleman, Aurora, you were all too reckless," Jonathan said. "You thought you outsmarted Joshua. But now, the power to reveal his identity is entirely in his hands. You can''t stop him anymore."


    Being older and


    more experienced,


    Jonathan saw the bigger picture. "If


    you continue to hide this, it will


    be a ticking time bomb that he


    can use against you. You went to great lengths to get rid of him, only to end up with him pulling your string. If I chose to hide this with you, guarantee he would reveal his


    identity to Father and the


    shareholders tomorrow, boosting Ste''s position at The Williams


    Group yet again."


    Jonathan sighed. "You all underestimated him."


    The expressions on all three of their faces changed.


    Exhausted from the back-to-back flights, Jonathan said no more and left the study, leaving the three of them behind.


    ***


    Six monthster.