"Did none of you even look up his family?" Al asked with a raised eyebrow, he hadn't realized that it would be much simpler to break Ilya's trust in Colin.
Ilya hung his head, defeated by the thought that he had been manipulated by Colin.
"Did he really tell you that he climbed his way up the ranks?" Al laughed maniacally. "Tell me, Ilya, what did he tell you about himself?"
Ilya looked away, ashamed that he had given up everything to follow and help a man that had done nothing but manipulate him and his people.
"I feel bad now." Al hummed as he kept his eyes on Ilya.
"About what?" Yu Zimo asked playing his role perfectly helping Al manipulate Ilya into doing exactly as Al wanted.
Al didn't answer, instead, he stood up and made his way to Ilya's side.
The other man noticed that Al had moved, he lifted his head and followed Al's movements with his eyes.
Everyone in the room was shocked when Al stood next to Ilya and squatted on the floor.
One of the Guan Family's men was quick to react, he moved behind Ilya and bound his wrists, making sure that Ilya didn't try to harm Al.
"It's fine." Al said, stunning everyone in the room. nove(l)bi(n.)com
"Sir?" The man who had bound Ilya asked Yu Zimo in Mandarin.
Al continued to pretend that he couldn't understand him, it was another skill that his mother thought would best suit him. One of the many languages he had learned in his youth and continued to use with his Uncle Ian and Tristan until he left.
"Do as he asks." Yu Zimo answered in Mandarin, undoubtedly wondering if Al could understand them or not.
"He told us about how spoiled you were, how your family had taken everything from him." Ilya told Al.
Al couldn't help but laugh as this new information came to light.
"He lost everything because he sold his family out for power." Al hissed. "His family lived happily without his sister having to be involved in the underworld until he decided that he wanted to be King of the Underworld."
"He didn't want to be king!" Ilya shouted in Colin's defense. "He just wanted to even the playing field! He wanted one of his friends to be King!"
Al grinned as Ilya slipped and made a mistake.
'So Colin isn't working alone.' Al thought to himself.
Ilya froze, shocked by what he had said, and let slip. He didn't intend to let his emotions get the better of him, but something Al said and had triggered him.
"Tell me, Mr. Pavlov," Al said as he he slowly got up and leaned forward. "Which of the men who have sworn allegiance to my own father has betrayed him for Colin Jao?"
Al knew exactly what Ilya would do next, he quickly moved to the side as Ilya spat at him, dodging the disgusting display of dirserspect towards him and his family.
"You do understand that whoever Colin has allied himself with has also betrayed him, right?" Al asked as he moved back to his seat and sat down. "Whoever Colin decided to trust had kept vital information from him."
"What?" Ilya asked, confused by what Al had said.
"My face is no mystery to those small Lords of our Underworld." Al said as Ilya became more and more confused by his words.
Al grinned as he enjoyed the confusion on Ilya's face. This was all part of his plan to break the man before him.
He grew up around his father and uncles who, despite their kind hearts, were skilled when it came to manipulating and breaking people.
"Colin Jao and I have one more connection that he doesn't know about, or maybe he does now." Al chuckled.
Ilya still seemed like he hadn't realized what Al was referring to, telling Al that Colin didn't trust people enough to tell them about his sister.
"On my death, or rather fake death, Colin's sister mourned like a? widow." Al's eyes burned with an anger. It was different if Colin simply came after him, but Colin's plans hurt Cara as well and for that Al could never forgive him.