Chapter 314 A Shocking Betrayal

• The news Pauline mentioned spread across Wingston in half an hour, like a race against time. Night loomed like a beast that devours people. It made scheming easier, too. Lucas Fray had been under crushing mental pressure for days and didn’t hear the news right away. By the time he got Jin Yu’s alert and tried to stop it from spreading, it was too late. He had just come up from the basement after hurting Rhea Wood; his hands were still shaking. He looked at his brothers in front of him. Behind the lenses, his eyes were complicated, heavy, unwilling to believe. Li Qingrui picked up on Lucas’s off vibe and asked nervously, “What’s wrong? Did Casper have an accident?” Lucas shook his head, his gaze unbearably grim. Zhang Lin turned and asked, “What happened?” Lucas’s eyes slid over each of them, his voice tight and warped with strain: “One of us betrayed Casper.” The moment he said it, everyone’s faces changed. Zhang Lin’s temple vein jumped and he shot back, “No way. Lucas, is the pressure frying your brain? Anyone else might betray him, but not us.” Li Qingrui frowned. “Lucas, what the hell are you saying?” Lucas drew a deep breath and took off his glasses. His fox-like eyes went cold. His voice was ice: “Word’s out that Casper lost his mind and locked up Mrs. Frost while he was raving. Only we know how Casper’s doing. If it wasn’t one of us, then who?” He forced himself to go on. “Was it Sean Wilson, who even forgot his phone and has been guarding the attic for more than ten days like a big, honest ox? Or Wilson, who’s followed Roger Frost almost his whole life and is still waiting for Grandpa to come home?” “No one else knows about Casper except us.” Lucas’s words hit like a hammer. They traded looks, shocked to the core. Then, almost in sync, their eyes settled on Zhou Ming. It wasn’t that they turned into Sherlock and fingered the traitor at a glance. It was Zhou Ming’s eyes—no shock there, just the calm of someone who’d hidden a long-running sin and finally got caught. “Why?” Lucas asked, fists clenched. Zhou Ming’s face twisted bitterly. “I didn’t want this. I had no choice. They were all pushing me—every last one of them. I don’t want to go back to being that wreck. I never want to have nothing again…” Zhao Qingyu stared, stunned. “So that makes it okay to betray Casper? Don’t forget who helped you climb from nothing to what you are now.” Zhang Lin had already braced to swing. “After what you did, you still have the balls to stand here? To act this calm in front of us?” Zhou Ming backed up a few steps and warned, “Instead of hitting me, you should think about what to do now. There are cops and reporters outside. If I get hurt, I’ll say Casper went berserk and attacked me.” Li Qingrui shook with fury. “Try it!” Lucas’s glasses fell to the floor. He stepped forward and crushed them underfoot. The fragile lenses splintered. He was still holding the knife that had stabbed Rhea. Without a word, without any warning, he drove the blade into Zhou Ming’s belly. His voice was calm, almost flat. “You dared to betray us. Everything Casper gave you—we’re taking it back.” Zhou Ming hadn’t expected the calmest man among them to strike. He wanted to hold onto everything he’d gotten. But if Lucas snapped and killed him, he’d lose it all for real. Panic rose in Zhou Ming’s chest, but his mouth stayed hard. “Lucas, if you kill me, you won’t walk away clean. With Casper like this, if they pin murder on you and shoot you, who’s going to help Casper run the show? Those idiots?” Lucas stayed steady. “I’m a doctor. I can cut you forty-nine times and miss every vital spot. Don’t worry—you won’t die. I won’t be a killer.” “You—” Lucas yanked the knife out and stabbed him again. Zhou Ming’s cry of pain cut off his retort. Zhang Lin and the others were stunned by Lucas’s ruthlessness. Lucas was usually the gentlest among them. Most of the time, he was the strategist. In the end, Lucas didn’t go for forty-nine. After a few stabs, he kicked Zhou Ming away like he was tossing trash. He turned to the others. “There are a lot of people outside. If they arranged this much, they’re coming in sooner or later. Here’s the problem: Casper can’t leave, and we can’t take him out. Worse, nobody can get Rhea out in front of Casper without him staying calm.” Li Qingrui and the others listened with stiff faces. With Casper’s condition, anyone rushing in would set him off. And if anyone tried to take Rhea, Casper would snap—and get labeled a madman. That’s the last thing they wanted. Zhang Lin headed for the door. “I’ll block them out there. If they want in, they can step over my corpse.” Just then, a righteous shout rang from the entryway. “To keep Casper Frost’s madness a secret, they even took Zhou Ming hostage! We have to get in there and save him!” The old door, already worn, burst open under the hit. Lucas and his crew finally understood why Zhou Ming had stayed after the truth broke. He was bait. A pretext for storming the place. A crowd poured in—cops up front, reporters behind. The officers took in the sight of Zhou Ming bleeding out on the floor and went pale. Zhou Ming snarled, accusing, “They tried to kill me to shut me up! For that lunatic Casper Frost, they’re holding Rhea Wood hostage. They’ve locked her in there with him.” Maybe the fear from before had hardened his resolve; he didn’t hesitate for a second. As if he wasn’t the traitor—like they were the ones who’d wronged him. The cops drew their guns, aiming at Lucas and the others. “You’re suspected of attempted murder and unlawful imprisonment. Release the hostage!” Lucas and his crew looked grim as hell. No matter how smart you are, being stabbed in the back by someone you trust completely knocks you off balance. Fighting now would be stupid. Lucas lifted his hands and took a steadying breath. He explained, “I stabbed Zhou Ming. I’ll plead guilty. I’ll go with you and explain why. As for Casper Frost and Rhea Wood—they’re husband and wife. Their private life isn’t for outsiders to meddle in. And the ‘madness’ talk? Total crap.” A reporter in the back let out a cold laugh. “Husband and wife? Rhea publicly announced she divorced Casper. If there’s no funny business, let us see.” “Yeah, if it’s a misunderstanding, then show us.” “You rich, powerful executioners—release the hostage!” “We have the right to know. We’re going in to see for ourselves!”