Gerald felt a searing pain shooting through every inch of his body as Leon’s punch connected with his face. He flew backward, crashing into the dining table with a loud thud, sending shards of broken glass and spilled drinks everywhere.
Panic quickly spread amongst the crowd as Gerald lay slumped on the floor, stunned by the sudden attack. Someone screamed while another fainted out of fear. People were running around, looking for an exit, desperate to find safety.
Gerald, still in pain, yelled at his bodyguards, “Teach them a lesson!”
His two hulking bodyguards sprang into action, one restraining Ben while the other moved to attack Leon.
But Ben quickly shoved one of the bodyguards aside and ran toward Lily.
“Let’s go, Lil!” said Ben, grabbing Lily’s hand and pulling her away.
Leon followed them, his anger barely contained. He cast a glance back at Gerald and smirked, remembering the satisfaction of punching the boy right in the face.
“That’s a lesson for you,” he said with a satisfied smile.
Gerald glared hatefully at them as they ran off, his eyes burning with fury. “You’ll pay for this!” he shouted, trembling with rage. “I’ll make sure you regret ever crossing me!”
The three of them hurried back to the car, and Alfred started the engine immediately, speeding away from the restaurant.
Lily felt overwhelmed as she remembered how Gerald had humiliated her, dragging her brother and uncle into the situation. She closed her eyes, trying to come to terms with how the problem had escalated so quickly.
“It’s my fault,” she sobbed. “I’m sorry.”
Leon comforted her with a gentle hand on her shoulder, while Ben tried his best to offer words of encouragement. “Don’t worry, Lil,” he said softly. “We’ll figure something out.”
Ben noticed her distress and spoke up to soothe her. “It’s okay,” he said, his voice calm yet firm. “It’s not your fault. I should have known that someone like him would do something like this.”
Lily huddled close to Leon, trying desperately to control her breathing and fight back the tears.
“It’s alright,” Leon reassured her in a soft voice.
She knew that Gerald’s father was influential at the school, and she couldn’t imagine what would happen to her because of what happened that night. She was certain Gerald would escalate the issue, and she worried that Leon and Ben would get dragged deeper into the
mess.
Lily asked herself, What should I do?
She had struggled to get into the school with the support of a scholarship, a long and arduous process. But Ben and Leon had helped meet several other costs while she was studying there.
However, with the current situation, Lily doubted whether their assistance could save her from whatever fate might befall her.
“If needed, you can always transfer schools. You don’t need to worry,” Leon added.
Ben nodded in agreement. “At least Leon gave him a lesson he won’t forget.”
Leon smiled grimly. “Yup, I made sure my punch did some serious damage, both physically and mentally.”
Lily nodded slowly and smiled, feeling a bit better hearing their reassuring words.
They arrived back home and immediately went to their respective rooms, knowing that Lily needed some time to reflect on what had happened that night.
“Lily,” Leon said as she was about to open her bedroom door, “It’s okay. It’s not your fault.” Lily smiled and nodded, feeling like she had caused a huge problem for them both. “Thanks…” she said softly and then entered her room.
The next morning, Leon awoke to the sun shining through his window. He got out of bed and stepped into the living room, where he spotted Ben sitting next to Lily.
He took a seat near them and noticed the sorrow in Lily’s eyes. “What’s wrong?” he asked, puzzled.
Lily sniffled before responding with a trembling voice, “Gerald’s father got me kicked out of school because of what happened last night.”
Ben merely nodded with pursed lips, as if he already knew what had happened.
Ben tried to reassure her, “Don’t worry. We can easily move to another city so you can attend school there. You’re smart, and it will be easy for you to find a new school. We can relocate, or you can stay in a boarding house there. We will make this happen.”
Lily slowly lifted her head, tears brimming in her eyes. “I’ve made such a terrible mess of things, and I don’t want to be a burden on both of you for too long,” she said softly.
Ben shook his head vigorously. He scooted closer to her on the couch and put an arm around her shoulder, “It’s going to be alright, Lil. We’ll figure this out together.”
Leon said firmly, “Uncle Ben, you don’t need to take the blame for this! I was the one who hit Gerald!”
But Ben shook his head. “No, Leon. I’m your guardian, and it’s my responsibility to protect everyone here. I need to own up to this.”
Leon’s phone suddenly rang, and when he saw Freya’s name on the screen, he couldn’t help but feel confused about why she was calling him so early in the morning.
“Let me answer this,” he said to Ben and Lily, then walked away to take the call.
“Freya?”
“Hey there,” Freya replied cheerfully. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything, but I have some good news!”
“What news?”
“The Golden Age Company had set up a school offering scholarships to anyone interested in participating in their special program for Immortal Legacy.”
Leon raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “What kind of program is that?”
“It’s tailored specifically for senior high school students,”
“And then?”
“We are looking for volunteers to participate in a training program based on research we’ve done on Immortal Legacy. Do you think your sister would be interested in this program? We offer scholarships, housing, and everything. This is a school with high standards, and you won’t have to pay anything. It’s all free, under my guarantee.”
“Do you know something about what happened to my family?” He wondered if Alfred had informed her about the previous night’s events.
Freya gave a small shush and then asked, “So, Leon, can I talk to your sister? I’d like to get to know her better.”
Leon’s face scrunched up in a frown as he couldn’t shake off the feeling that his family was
being watched. It was hard to hide something like this, especially for a company with a wide
network like Golden Age.
“I’ll let her know,” he said, then walked over to Lily.
He handed her the phone. “My friend wants to talk to you.”
Lily looked at him with a questioning expression.
“I’m sure you’ll like this; it’s good news,” he said reassuringly.
Lily accepted the phone with a hint of hesitation, wondering who was on the other end.
“Hello, I’m Lily, Leon’s sister.”
Freya then began to explain the news in detail. As Lily listened, her face gradually brightened with relief and joy. She couldn’t help but stand up, feeling a surge of hope and excitement.
Ben was noticing the change in Lily’s demeanor. He inquired, “What’s the good news?”
Leon smiled and replied, “It’s a scholarship. Lily can transfer to a new school with better facilities than her current one.”
Lily ended the call, still in shock from the incredible news. Her heart pounded as she moved to sit next to Leon and hugged him tightly. “Thank you, Leon!”
Leon grinned, feeling satisfied that their problem seemed to have been resolved so easily.
“Hehe, I’m glad it worked out.”
Leon gently released his sister from the hug, feeling a bit awkward since they were both
growing up.
“If you ever get treated like that by your classmates again, make sure you let us know, okay?”
Ben added firmly.
Not long after that, Lily’s situation began to improve. The problems they faced seemed to be
resolved quickly thanks to the involvement of the Golden Age Company. This was also the first time Leon learned that the company had a school offering scholarships to students. He wondered what kind of research they conducted there.
Leon was eager to log back into Immortal Legacy. He planned to continue whatever he had
left unfinished in the game. In his haste, he decided to log in using the capsule device in his room. He thought it best to wait until things at home settled down before moving to his new
hotel room.
“Welcome back to Immortal Legacy,” he thought to himself.
(Author’s Note: Your support means the world to me, so please consider leaving a short review. It may seem small to you, but it gives me the motivation to keep going.)