Things had begun to fall apart around him. He had lost control of his chess pieces. He was losing control of the game.
They had uncovered him all because of the incompetent, pathetic piece on the board. Matthew was agitated by this reality but also fascinated and thrilled by it.
They were never supposed to know who he was. They were never supposed to learn about the existence of his secret. They were never supposed to learn the reason—the real mastermind behind their parents' death. They were not supposed to trace and catch Arlonzo, his bait.
Not so soon. Not so easily. Never.
But surprisingly, they did, way faster and easily, beyond his prediction, catching him off guard and ruining his plan. They traced Arlonzo. They caught him before he could even know about it or react.
They learned about his identity through his bait. And they almost learned about his deepest secret and used his bait against him. Almost. He almost lost the game.
