Robert noticed a slight shift in Tony and decided to switch up his approach.
"Man, they're all wrong about Kurt," Robert said, shaking his head. "He's not great at all. He's just a jerk."
Robert started trash-talking Kurt, backing up Tony's feelings. He knew agreeing with Tony would help break down his defenses.
"He's just good at stirring the pot, causing trouble, and then hiding in the shadows," Robert went on.
"Remember that mess sixteen years ago? That was all his idea after he saw Ella was pregnant. When she died, he pinned it all on you. He was the puppet master, teaching you all those nasty tricks, but in the end, you took the fall and got all the blame. Every single time, you get the bad rap. You've got all these grudges but no way to voice them. No one around you respects you," Robert whispered.
Tony's breathing got heavier, and Robert noticed. He kept pushing, "You're just brave and competitive. You're not a bad guy. So why does everyone treat that loser Kurt like he's some kind of hero? Isn't it because Kurt's a smooth talker, convincing your parents to bankroll him and give him all the connections he needs to succeed? If your parents had given you the same support, you'd be way ahead of Kurt. Kurt used the money and connections your parents handed him, walking the path they laid out for him. With all those advantages, how could he fail?"
Robert continued, "The worst part is, he didn't even have to say anything. His actions alone made you look bad. Your relatives think he's so capable, but he's been holding you down this whole time..." Robert trailed off as Tony cut him off.
"So what if he's capable? His kid is mine, everything he has belongs to my kid. Kurt's been busting his ass for years, but it's all for me!" Tony blurted out, fired up by Robert's words. Realizing he'd been played, he spilled everything.
Tony's plan to take Kurt down started six years ago. Back then, Tony had just sold his first house to pay off debts, and his whole family was calling him a loser. Then Lyra, fiery as ever, found him. She talked to him, didn't laugh at his struggles, and called him a real man.
Even though he knew she was Kurt's ex and later became his mistress after getting out of prison, Tony still hooked up with her.
The whole idea of replacing Kurt actually came from Tony's mom.
One day, Tony caught his mom sneaking out with one of his used condoms. He followed her, totally confused about what she was up to.
Not long after, she came over to "take care of him," and the same thing happened again.
This time, Tony confronted her. "Mom, what the heck are you doing?"
Annoyed, she didn't give him a straight answer but instead asked, "I'll give you five million dollars if you give Kurt a kidney."
Tony thought Kurt was seriously ill and, after some thought, agreed.
But then his mom, relieved by his agreement, accidentally let it slip that they didn't want his kidney—they wanted his testicles.
Tony was stunned. If she hadn't slipped up, he would've lost a part of himself without even knowing why.
He had no idea why Kurt needed his testicles since he didn't know Kurt had azoospermia.
So, his mom explained gently. Back when Kurt had mumps, it wasn't treated in time, which led to azoospermia.
Kurt didn't even know about it until his wife couldn't get pregnant, and their mom let it slip to him.
His mom had been taking the condoms to get Tony's sperm for in vitro fertilization.
Despite her constant persuasion, Tony refused, clenching his teeth.
So, his mom started yelling at him, "What's wrong with giving your testicles to Kurt? He'll pay you. What more do you want? You do nothing all day, you're just a waste. If he has your testicles and successfully has a child, isn't it essentially your child? When he dies, your kids will benefit."
"That's different," Tony said through gritted teeth. He didn't want to lose his sex life.
"How is it different? To me, Kurt is a hundred times better than you. If I had a choice when you two were born, I would've preferred you two to be one person. I only need a healthy Kurt."
Hearing this, Tony suddenly had a clear direction in life.
He found Lyra and discussed the replacement plan. Once they had it all figured out, Lyra called it "Ursa Minor."
"Why that name?" Robert asked.
"The name refers to the constellation in the tarot card, Ursa Minor," Tony explained. "Lyra said the card tells the story of the god Zeus replacing someone, which fits perfectly with my plan to replace Kurt."
Robert found a photo of the tarot card. "Is it this one?"
Tony nodded. "Yeah, that's the one."
The four cards Lyra carefully preserved were their entire plan.