The bright sky was now covered with hues of black and blue as the stars began to emerge from their hiding places.
Joshua strolled through the darkness of the tunnel leading to the mansion's entrance, humming his favorite song.
Keys jingled on his waist as he made his way to the front porch.
Once he reached the door, Joshua took a deep breath, a wide smile spreading across his face. It has been years since he last visited this residence.
The last time he was here, the family appointed him to serve the Chu's.
He was still a kid back then, a boy at a fruitful age of ten, and had never had the chance to return since.
He gazed at the familiar door and the lion statue beside it, noting the feng shui charm that was forever plastered at the top of the door to ward off evil spirits, and the old door that had once almost cut his hand off due to his clumsiness.
"Home, finally," he whispered.
He inhaled the scent of the grassland and the sweet, cold breeze from the flower beds that surrounded the mansion.
As he lingered, the door suddenly opened, revealing a cousin of his with a receding hairline, almost reaching the standard point.
"Ezekiel, guten tag!" Joshua greeted cheerfully.
Ezekiel rolled his eyes at how dramatic Joshua was and motioned him to come inside.
"Seems like the dramatic personality of the Chus has already rubbed off on you."
Ezekiel's words made Joshua laugh as he entered the mansion.
"Oh come on, don't be like that. Cheer up, man!"
Ezekiel guided him inside, through the long hallway, past the guest rooms and into a secret room known only to the men of their organization.
"Ah! Joshua, finally. You've come home!"
Joshua bowed to the head of the family, Adriel Lin, before smiling at his uncle upon raising his head, shook his hand and gave him a tight hug.
"I have missed you, Uncle. How's retirement coming along? I heard you just got back from Brazil."
Adriel chuckled as he sat down at the center of the table. "Well, news still travels fast, I see. It was great, your auntie loved every bit of it."
"That's sounds so awesome, Uncle."
Joshua took his seat beside Ezekiel, directly across from Hunter Ming— another member of their organization.
"Hunter, buddy. How's the secret wedding?"
A tense silence fell over the table as Hunter glared at Joshua.
The man stood up from his seat and grabbed Joshua's across the table, his fist ready to strike a punch.
"Children, behave. This meeting won't commence if you continue your childish antics."
Both Hunter and Joshua turned to the source of the deep, raspy voice.
It was unfamiliar to both of them, especially to Joshua, who had memorized his cousins' voices out of boredom.
"Who in the hell—?"
Joshua stopped short and his eyes widened as he looked over to the long-haired person and recognized that it was Stellar.
"Wait, what are you doing here? This is an all-male meeting. As far as I am concerned, you don't have a d—"
"Enough!"
Another silence fell over the room, followed by a soft sigh after the voice.
Hunter released Joshua's collar, which the latter quickly adjusted, as it was the only outfit he had brought for the night.
Hunter cleared his throat and mumbled an apology, while Joshua bowed apologetically towards his uncle.
"Now, shall we start the meeting?"
"Yes, Sir!"
_____
After an hour-long meeting, they finished. Adriel Lin had already left the room to get to bed, leaving the ones he called "children" behind—to discuss matters among themselves.
The room remained eerily silent and was filled with an ominous atmosphere after his departure, no one daring to speak until Ezekiel was the one to finally break the tension.
"So, Joshua, care to share with us what you've gathered so far?"
Joshua looked at Ezekiel with a seemingly innocent expression.
The latter licked his lips before pulling out his phone from the pocket and scrolling through the recordings he had captured earlier.
"Well, I only managed to get one recording, but it's quite intriguing."
All eyes turned to him as he played the recording, which he had titled "Trapped Bunny."
An audible voice pierced through the recording as Hunter and Stellar leaned in to closely listen to the recording, making sure that they had heard every word.
[No, wait, Lilian. Listen, you have been wondering for years why Rex had called off the engagement at the very last minute. You have been suspecting that he might be in love with some other bitch.]
[Years have passed, and still, you don't have an answer or there is still no clue whether Rex actually has another woman. Have you ever considered that maybe it was not a woman?]
All eyes turned to the only person left in the middle of the table, his eyes were closed, clearly listening thoroughly to the recording being played while tapping his finger on the table.
[There, there, dear cousin. I am here. I will help you make a plan. There, there.]
Rex's eyes slowly opened, his gaze piercing through Joshua's phone, making everyone around him feel a heavy tension settle in the room.
[I am ready when you are, cousin.]
As the recording eventually came to an end, Joshua's phone lit up while Ezekiel, Hunter and Stellar leaned back in their seats, too afraid to meet Rex's eyes, knowing that he was fuming with anger.
"Intriguing, isn't it? I have never met or seen this Lucas in person, but it seems like he has already caught the Chu princess's attention."
Ezekiel sighed in frustration, remembering the time when Lucas and him met Lilian in the company lobby.
He did remember that an argument had ensued between the two.
"That sly bitch thinks that she could get away with anything. She deserves to rot in a confinement with no windows or doors."
Joshua cringed at Stellar's harsh words.
While he partly agreed with them, having seen Lilian do crazy stuff before, Stellar's words did hurt a bit.
"Now, now. Let's all calm down and make our plans with a clean mind."
Stellar sighed, waiting for someone to propose a plan, knowing well that they couldn't follow her as it would get bloody.
"Well, it will be at your discretion as to how we will be handling stuff, Rex. You should give the command."
Rex shook his head at Hunter, trying to suggest an alternative, which Ezekiel felt was debatable.
"I think we should stick to the original plan, with a few tweaks here and there."
Three pairs of eyes turned to Joshua, waiting for him to finish his suggestion. They found his approach a bit more comfortable than their own ideas.
"We will still continue to monitor the Chu's and their precious daughter, but we will just add extra protection for Lucas since he is the target now. Setting up a well-executed trap that could fool the princess into thinking that she is winning will be far more satisfying than rushing things in."
Rex nodded in agreement and looked around to see if someone had any other suggestions.
"Any other suggestions?"
The room remained silent, granting their consent. Rex then ended the meeting, giving Joshua an additional assignment.
"And since you were the one who thought about it, you'll be the first to set this plan in motion. Understood?"
Joshua nodded eagerly, causing Rex to smile, while the others chuckled at his sadistic tendencies.
"Oh, I would love to."