Free Web NovelChapter 43: the misunderstanding
Seeing the woman suddenly burst into tears, Leo froze, completely dumbfounded.
Danny, who had been in a daze ever since they arrived, was jolted back to his senses.
Rex, on the other hand, simply folded his arms and watched the unfolding drama with an amused smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
Even the little girl looked between the adults with wide, confused eyes, unable to understand what was happening.
Danny hurried to his wife’s side and gently held her shoulders.
"Honey... why are you crying?"
The concern in his voice only made her sob harder. She buried her face in her hands as tears streamed freely down her cheeks.
A vein twitched on Leo’s forehead.
His patience was wearing dangerously thin.
He had merely offered them food. He hadn’t signed up to get dragged into someone else’s family drama.
"Oi."
His sharp voice cut through the crying.
"Stop crying already. If you don’t want the food, just say so. There’s no need to cry over it."
The moment she heard that the food might be taken back, the woman’s expression changed. freeωebnovēl.c૦m
She frantically wiped away her tears with the back of her sleeve before rushing toward Leo.
"No! No... please, sir!" she pleaded, clutching the sleeve of his jacket with trembling hands. "Please don’t take the food back."
She lowered her head.
For several long seconds, she remained silent, as if fighting an invisible battle within herself.
Finally, she gritted her teeth.
"I... I..."
Her voice quivered.
"I’ll do anything."
She swallowed hard before forcing out the rest of the sentence.
"Anything you want."
Completely out of the loop, Danny could only stand there with a bewildered expression, unable to understand what was happening.
The commotion had also attracted the attention of several nearby survivors. Curious gazes swept over the group as people whispered among themselves.
Just as Leo turned his head, he caught the look Rex was giving him.
It was a look that practically screamed, ’So you’re no better than the rest of them.’
Leo stared back at Rex as if looking at a mental patient before deciding the man wasn’t worth his attention.
Turning back to Danny’s wife, he said calmly,
"Alright. If you agree, eat something first. You’ll need plenty of energy afterward."
The woman’s body stiffened slightly, but she simply lowered her head and nodded.
The family of three opened the food box and began eating ravenously, barely bothering to hide their hunger.
Meanwhile, Leo walked to the truck and pulled out a foldable chair.
He unfolded it, sat down with one leg crossed over the other, then picked up the book he had been reading earlier and continued from where he had left off.
Before long, he was completely immersed in the pages.
...
"Sir... I-I’m ready."
About twenty minutes later, a timid voice pulled Leo back to reality.
He looked up from his book.
Danny’s wife stood nervously before him, her hands clasped tightly together.
A short distance behind her stood Danny, quietly holding his daughter in his arms.
"Good. Then go inside and clean my truck."
Leo pointed toward his truck that was parked nearby.
"Make sure there isn’t a single piece of debris or broken furniture left inside. Sweep everything out, then arrange whatever’s left properly."
"Huh?"
The woman stared at him, momentarily stunned.
Leo raised an eyebrow.
"What? Thinking of going back on your word already?"
His eyes narrowed.
"Don’t even think about scamming me with tears this time. You’ve already eaten my food. Now get to work."
"Ah... ah, sir..."
She blinked several times before asking hesitantly,
"You... you mean... all I have to do is clean the truck?"
Leo frowned.
"Or what?"
He looked at her as if she had asked the most ridiculous question imaginable.
"What exactly did you think I was giving you all that food for?"
The realization struck her like lightning.
Her face flushed a deep crimson as she lowered her head in embarrassment, wishing she could disappear into the ground.
Danny, who had been listening from the side, hurried forward.
"Sir, let me help her clean. It’ll be finished much faster if we work together."
Leo refused without a second thought.
"No."
He glanced at the little girl in Danny’s arms.
"You stay with the kid. There are broken glass shards and all kinds of junk inside. If you both go in, who’s going to watch her? What if she gets hurt?"
Danny opened his mouth to argue, but before he could say anything, Leo turned back to the woman.
"What are you standing around for?"
His voice carried its usual impatience.
"Get moving. You don’t have all day."
Instead of crying or shrinking back, the woman broke into a bright smile.
"Yes, sir!"
She bowed lightly before hurrying toward the truck, her steps noticeably lighter than before.
Rex, who had watched the entire exchange from beginning to end, stood there in silence.
The whole situation had unfolded in a direction completely different from what he had expected.
After a brief pause, he walked over to Leo once more.
This time, however, the sly, calculating smile that usually hung on his face was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, he wore a genuine smile—the kind reserved for someone he truly wanted to befriend.
"Hello, once again," he said, extending his hand. "I’m Rex."
Leo studied him for a moment.
Then, letting out a weary sigh, he rose from his chair and accepted the handshake.
"Leo."
The moment their hands separated, the familiar crafty grin returned to Rex’s face.
"So, Leo," he said, rubbing his hands together, "how about we have a private conversation?"
Leo simply raised a hand, gesturing for him to lead the way.
Rex nodded and started walking.
Before following, Leo turned toward Danny.
He placed the book he had been reading into Danny’s hands.
"If you want to protect your family better," Leo said calmly, "read this carefully."
His gaze sharpened.
"And don’t lose it. More importantly, don’t lend it to anyone."
Without waiting for a reply, Leo turned around and followed behind Rex.
The two walked some distance away until they reached a secluded corner, far enough that no one else could overhear them.
Only then did Leo break the silence.
"So..."
He looked directly at Rex.
"What do you need from me?"
