Chapter 7

"It's definitely them again!" Linda's expression darkened, and the others started to look nervous.

"Who?" Leo asked curiously.

"Don't worry about them. They'll leave soon enough," Linda said. Lately, whenever they went in and out, a few young punks would come harassing them.

But this time, the kids weren't backing off. If anything, they were getting bolder, even shouting obscenities.

Leo frowned and stepped forward. He was ready to confront them.

"Leo, don't! There are too many of them!" Linda and the others quickly blocked him. They were clearly worried he might get hurt.

"I've got money and power. What are a few punks going to do to me?" Leo asked with a calm smile. He walked toward the door.

Linda and the others followed, grabbing mops and whatever else was nearby.

"Finally, someone opens the door for me!" came a slurred, sarcastic voice mixed with the stench of alcohol.

"Who's this pretty boy? How dare you touch the woman I like?" The punk outside cursed at Leo and shoved him, but he didn't budge.

"You're asking for trouble!" The frontmost punk threw a punch at Leo's face.

"Leo, watch out!" Linda screamed. These trashy punks were tough enough to be a real problem.

Leo didn't even flinch. He caught the kid's wrist effortlessly and twisted it slightly. Immediately, the kid let out a shrill scream.

"How dare you fight back?" The others started to charge at him, but it was all bark and no bite. They were bullies who only messed with the weak.

"Linda, you guys are educated. Does this count as self-defense?" Leo asked casually over his shoulder.

"Uhh, yeah!" Linda couldn't help but laugh. Of all times, Leo was joking now.

"That makes things easy." Leo nodded.

He grabbed the punk in front and swung him into the rest. His strength was incredible, and since they had been drinking, they all went flying with ease.

Within moments, a few punches and kicks later, every one of them was sprawled on the ground.

Linda and the others gawked. Was Leo some kind of martial arts master?

"Just you wait! We're with Fred!" the kids spat out before scrambling away.

"Fred?" Leo paused. He realized it was the same guy he had beaten the night before.

"Leo, did you ever study martial arts?" the girls asked excitedly.

To them, Leo was a mysterious benefactor who had helped them finish college. They were curious, grateful, and also comfortable around him. He had also just solved a huge problem for them in seconds, giving them peace of mind.

"A little, but my strongest ability is money!" Leo said proudly.

"Money power? Show us!" They were all curious.

"I have money. Haven't you all already seen it?" Leo laughed.

After a bit of small talk with the girls, Leo’s phone rang.

Seeing the caller ID, he held the phone away before answering.

"Leo! Do you have any idea what time it is? Why aren't you home cooking? Trying to starve me to death so you can inherit my money?" Susan's voice boomed from the other end.

Leo didn't care if Linda and the others overheard. He was used to it. Being a live-in son-in-law, he wasn't embarrassed by his role.

"Sorry, ladies, I have to go cook for the mother-in-law, or I won't get in tonight," Leo said in a defeated tone. Orders from a mother-in-law weren't optional.

"I thought we were going to eat together!" the girls groaned.

"Next time, I promise!" Leo laughed awkwardly. He couldn't exactly host a proper dinner right now.

"Where's that superpower you promised?" the girls teased, making faces as they surrounded Leo and followed him out.

"Fred, what happened to you? Did someone beat you up?" The punks called over Fred after running downstairs.

Fred and his lackeys were either bandaged or bruised.

"Bullshit. We tripped, that's all. Do you think someone would hit me?" Fred kicked one of the punks and shouted, "Where are the girls you were talking about? If they're not here, you're dead!"

"They're here, but this pretty boy just beat us!" one of the punks said.

"Oh? I'll teach him a lesson," Fred sneered. The punks' injuries didn't matter. He was more interested in the girls.

After getting his ass kicked last night, he needed a way to vent.

"It's them!" The punks called out when they saw Leo surrounded by the girls. They smiled. These people actually dared to show up!

"Ladies, I'm Fred, and I run things around here. Do you want to hang out?" Fred asked before scanning them greedily. They were all beautiful.

"What do you want?" Linda and the others got nervous.

"Nothing much. We just want you to drink and chat with us!" the punks laughed.

"Want me to chat with you about life somewhere else?" Leo asked with a grin.

"Who do you think you are? But fine, because of the ladies, I won't hit you today. Now get lost!" Fred yelled.

"Didn't learn your lesson last night?" Leo smirked.

"What do you mean?" Fred paused and rubbed his eyes.

It was the same guy who humiliated him yesterday!

"I-It's you. Sorry! This is a misunderstanding!" Fred really wanted to cry. How unlucky could he get? He defended others and ended up going against the same guy twice!

"Misunderstanding? Who was yelling just now?" Leo asked.

Fred didn't answer. He just smacked a few of the punks again for causing him trouble.

"Fred, why are you hitting us?" The punks covered their faces.

"Open your eyes, idiots! This is my boss!" Fred roared before delivering a few more slaps. "Show some respect!"

"B-Boss!" The punks froze. Leo was Fred's boss! They wouldn't have dared to yell at him if they'd known.

"Boss?" Linda and the others looked confused. Did Leo have a gang of his own?

"Boss, calm down. My men weren't behaving. I'll teach them a lesson later," Fred said with a smile.

"Your attitude's improved. This time, I'll let you go. Next time? One hand per person! Now get lost," Leo said casually.

"Thank you, Boss!"

With that, Fred and the punks ran off.

"Leo, how do you have such a big gang?" the girls asked.

"Oh, it's nothing," Leo said before laughing awkwardly.

He wished he hadn't said that last night.

After parting ways with the girls, Leo transferred the 500 grand to a charity, bought some groceries, and headed home.

Susan, of course, had no patience and kept hounding him to cook.

A few days passed without Chloe checking in about the gift.

On Saturday morning, the whole family got dressed and drove to the Yates family's villa, located on a mountain.

As the name suggested, it was perched halfway up the hill in Briarhill City's wealthiest neighborhood.

The Yates family was top-tier old money. Since Larry Yates, Chloe's grandfather, had passed, Teresa Yates ran the household. Big birthdays were always grand affairs.

Today was slightly different. Only close family attended, but there were still plenty of them.

Anyone related in any way would find a way to come.

"Chloe, have him drive! You're a woman. It's embarrassing. Don't let the relatives see!" Susan began berating Leo as soon as they got in the car.

"He just got his license recently. Would you trust him?" Chloe asked calmly.

"Useless! He's already in his twenties, but he just got a license. Poor Chloe!" Susan sighed again.

Leo's old license had expired, and he had only just gotten a new one.

But he had a special license. He could operate not just cars, but even planes and tanks.

Leo didn't bother explaining. The past was gone, and he was content with his peaceful life. He didn't want minor hiccups to disrupt it.