"Huh? You noticed?"
Lance blinked, then waved his surprise away uncaringly:
"Well, you are right. They are fearsome. Didn't you see the face of Alex's second uncle? His face is always straight, almost dark, like a thunderstorm only waiting to strike you with the thunder he is nursing. And he is as ruthless and merciless as he looked, just like the apex predator he is. Believe me, I'm definitely not the only one afraid of him. Far from that."
Sharon thought about it, then nodded. She really had trouble imagining Marten Lenner with a smile on his face. However…
"What about Alex's third uncle then? His second uncle didn't seem to care about you, but his third uncle showed friendliness toward you. And you actually seem more reticent toward him."
Lance couldn't help but wince at the memory. He nodded, then shook his head:
"Marten Lenner is quite alright. Unless necessary, he won't care about you. He is stern, cold inside out, but at least, with him, you will know what to expect, or more precisely, what not to expect. However, with Alex's third uncle, Sigurd Lenner, you can never tell what he is really thinking. People smile when they are happy or when something fun is happening. But him? He always has a smile on his face, like an opposite of second master Lenner."
Lance paused, then shook his head again with a sigh:
"He is even worse than Second. At least, with him, you would know what to expect."
Sharon raised her eyebrows. The words before had been comprehensible until that last part where someone she didn't know about was involved, and whether due to curiosity or her deeper purpose, she voiced her confusion:
"Who is Second?"
A smile involuntarily came to Lance's lips:
"Someone who fears only First authority and Alex's more devious mind."
"Hm?"
Sharon's confusion gave way to slight irritation, and she glanced at Lance with a frown. That made him realize that he had been cryptic with his answer. Her question had made him fly back to the years before adulthood when expectations had climbed up sharply, and when goals and ambitions have made many go their ways.
He smile shook his head:
"Second is Alex's second brother. First, Second and Third, that is how they have taken to calling one another since young, and it has become an informal name for them, a moniker between them brothers that us close friends can use sometimes. That is why Jenny calls Alex brother Third."
Sharon turned back to the evaluation match on the padded floor. Jenny had her red lips pursed, her face serious, as she kept up the offensive despite Alex always thwarting it. Unlike her, he still looked fresh from keeping his movements minimal and dominating the exchange.
Sharon felt envious, as she never had a sibling to grow up with, to be close with. But the feeling was fleeting. She didn't let it linger for long, and pushed it back by focusing on getting more information:
"So, Alex's second brother is like their third uncle, and his first brother is authoritative like their second uncle?"
Lance raised an eyebrow, then nodded uncertainly as he thought about it:
"You can say that. Though they are very much different, really not the same at all."
And as if to emphasize his words, he nodded, both for Sharon to see and to himself, and repeated:
"Really not the same at all."
Despite what Lance said, Sharon was already building herself two more images beside the ones of Sigurd and Marten in her mind. Adding Alex to the mix, and recalling her situation, along with that damn wooden box that had only added to her string of misfortune, she took a deep breath, and asked the question the whole conversation had been for:
"So, would Alex's brothers and uncles want the seat he is occupying? Would they do whatever it takes to get it?"
"Pfft!"
Lance's eyes bulged as if he had received a punch in the gut, and he had to exert great efforts to muffle the laughter that rumbled in his stomach. Despite that, the noise he made managed to distract Jenny whose brother did not let the opening she left unpunished this time.
Before she knew it, before she could glare at Lance for, according to her, laughing at her, she found herself in the air, then in contact with the floor.
*Bang*
It was only when she faced the ceiling that she realized she had been the victim of a textbook shoulder throw. She blinked, dazed, before turning fiercely to glare at Lance, then rising up to focus on the spar.
Lance flinched at the gaze full of vengeful promises, and quietly cleared his throat:
"Cough, cough… I really tried not to laugh, you know?"
His innocent look at her, partly wronged, but also partly amused, would have made Sharon chuckle softly, if not for the subject important enough to be a thread to unravel her fate. Her calm eyes as she waited for him to finish smoothening his emotions pulled back down the wave he was riding, and he cleared his throat once again.
After an exhale, he smiled and finally explained the reason for his previous laughter:
"First of all, perish the thought that Alex's brothers would ever be after the position of chairman of the Group. Actually, none of the three brothers really cared about that. Alex has basically been blackmailed into taking over temporarily, though he might be forced to take over permanently. His second brother… Well, you should know him. He is not even in the business circle. We might just see him one day ascend to the position of prime minister. He is successful enough that no one would think he would consider a change of career. He is rich enough, and if he needs money even despite that, he can just turn to their mother. And First… Well, let's just say he is just as successful as his brothers. Even I don't know much about him anymore. People like them are unlike you and me. They are on another level altogether."
Saying that, Lance shook his head:
"It is fortunate that I have always known my limits, and my father was just happy seeing me being friends with Alex. That is the only reason why my mind remained sane while growing up."
Lance didn't show any defeat on his face. It took a moment for Sharon to swallow the information. Success indeed bred success. Even though she was certain that Alex's brothers had not worked any less harder than anyone, the foundation of the older generation had become the gateway to opportunities for them to climb onto their own stages and shine.
A small seed of envy sprouted inside her chest, but without any jealousy. Anyone would envy a bright path after all, especially when her own life had been filled with hardened bristles and thorns.
The sound of the exchange that now had Jenny making contact with the floor quiet often now became the background noise of her daze. But looking at Alex, her thoughts suddenly paused, and she whipped her head to the side to look at Lance:
"Wait! Then what about Alex? His brothers are successful, I get that. But him, what does he rely on to not care about the multinational conglomerate belonging to his family?"