It's Your Turn To Cry and Beg, Dear Uncle
Chapter 37: The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Unaware of the Oriole Behind

Chapter 37: The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Unaware of the Oriole Behind

"Rely on me. Use me," Oliver whispered softly, his voice tender and indulgent, lulling Kyra into a sense of comfort. "I don’t care if the other person is my best friend. Haven’t I already told you I’ll always take your side? So trust me, and let me help you."

Kyra opened her eyes, another tear slipping down her cheek. Suddenly, Oliver’s words in the car that day came flooding back to her mind. She had asked him and the man before her had responded resolutely, without a hint of hesitation.

She knew Oliver would always welcome her with open arms if she ever needed someone to lean on. That was simply how he had been since the day they met. It would have been easy for Kyra to rely on him, but it was that very feeling that scared her.

Deep down, Kyra understood what she was doing—it wasn’t fair to involve others in her revenge. She didn’t want to drag Oliver down with her. If she eventually fell into the abyss of malice, she was determined to suffer alone in its bitterness.

It was enough for her to know that Oliver would always be there for her.

But that wasn’t what Oliver wanted.

"Promise me," Oliver said suddenly, his voice pleading. "Promise that you won’t go through all of this alone. I’m your brother, aren’t I?"

Kyra bit her lower lip, holding back the sadness threatening to spill from her eyes once more.

Oliver gave her a warm, brotherly smile and gently coaxed her. "Isn’t it only natural for a younger sibling to lean on their older brother?"

In the end, Kyra couldn’t resist such a heartfelt offer and nodded her head. A weight seemed to lift from Oliver’s chest, bringing him some relief, though he didn’t completely relax. As he held Kyra in his arms, his eyes narrowed, now glinting with a fierce and ruthless determination.

He would make sure anyone who hurt her received their due payback.

****

As soon as the medicine was registered, Kyra immediately dozed off and Oliver carefully closed the door. He stood there for a while before exhaling a long exasperated sigh. When he opened his eyes again, he didn’t hesitate to turn around and walk away.

There was only one destination in his head right now - The Synders Corps.

Since the morning rush had passed and lunch break was yet to begin, it took Oliver only twenty minutes to reach his destination. After smoothly parking his car, he entered the lobby, where the receptionist greeted him warmly.

Following the president’s orders to grant his friends unhindered access, the staff handed him a card pass without question and Oliver headed straight for James’ private lift.

Upon reaching the top floor, Oliver burst into James’ office without knocking. James frowned at the interruption as he was rushing through his work. But his expression softened when he saw it was Oliver, and he set down his pen.

"What is it?" The man asked, clearly knowing that this was about Kyra.

And Oliver didn’t beat around the bush as he dropped the main point, "Tell me clearly now. Are you going to expose Kyra or are you going to protect her?"

James let out a scoff, "Didn’t I tell you that she’ll never be your sister?"

In that instance, Oliver leaned across the table and grabbed the man’s collar. "I don’t give a fuck about blood relation. She’s my sister if I said she’s my sister."

Not to be outdone, James, who was already irritated from the lack of sleep, yanked Oliver’s by his collar as well.

"Your sister is already dead! Kyra is NOT her replacement!"

Oliver was taken aback by the man’s sudden outburst and he unconsciously let go. Following that, James shoved him back as well before tidying his shirt. However, their gaze remained locked midair, each intimidating the other.

"You misunderstood. I will never take Kyra as my little sister’s replacement."

"But, that’s why you doted on her at the beginning," James shot back almost immediately. "I never said anything because Kyra is happy around you."

Oliver pursed his lips. His hands clenched into fists. He couldn’t deny James’ words because it was indeed as he said in the beginning. However, along the way, Oliver realized that Kyra was completely different from his deceased sister, from her mischievous behavior to her cheerful speech.

His deceased sister was the complete opposite, Madeline was quiet and shy. From the moment Oliver had realized that, he began to treat Kyra as Kyra and he loved her still. Though his guilt did make him spoiled Kyra a ton more to compensate for it. But as it turned out James had minded that all along.

"I won’t deny it," Oliver sighed. "But, you can’t say I dote on Kyra as a replacement for my sister. At one point, I genuinely and sincerely adore her for who she is, and you can’t deny that."

James merely glanced at Oliver as he sat back down. However, Oliver persisted, "James..."

The man gritted his teeth and grumbled, "If I intended to expose her, she would’ve been all over the news by now. But, did you see any gossip about her?"

"So, you’re going to protect her."

Oliver breathed a sigh of relief. He was ready to turn his back on James for Kyra. But, in the end, it was better if the man chose to protect Kyra. This way her heart wouldn’t break all over again.

After that, he took a seat across from Oliver and seriously asked, "What are you going to do now?"

The man stopped writing once again and looked up. He stared at his best friend quietly before saying in a soft tone, "I’m going to fix what I did."

"Huh?"

"I’m returning her glory back to her."

Oliver widened his eyes. Did his best friend finally find his brain? Did the shock from the incident somehow reset his IQ? They did say one single event may very well change one’s life. Perhaps his best friend had been enlightened, or maybe the James from these past couple of weeks was actually someone else.

With a wide smile on his face, Oliver said, "I will help you!"

James neither rejected him nor agreed with him. The man merely continued with his work.

"But, what changed your mind? I thought you actually like Lila."

In that instance, James froze. His signature on the paper ended up skewed. Oliver who noticed this raised an eyebrow. He stared intently at his best friend.

"I..." James’ voice trailed off.

"What?"

James pressed his lips and glared at Oliver. "You don’t need to know!"

"Ah? Why...?"

While the atmosphere inside the office ended on a good note, it was frigid cold right behind the door. A chilling stillness froze the air as a man dressed in a navy suit was seen standing unmoving since fifteen minutes ago, right when the confrontation between Oliver and James had occurred.

Every word that the two men had spoken inside went right into his ears. Though his expression remained indifferent, this very composure was somewhat harrowing.

There was not a word escaped from his lips, and neither did an emotion betray his calmness. The man merely listened before turning around with a document in his hand.

He quietly walked away while entering a string of numbers into his phone.

"Good morning, Mr. Chairman."