Delores understood what Leo Lin's words, and the look in his eyes at that moment, meant.
She knew Leo Lin's feelings for her and Barnett had long since gone beyond a simple working relationship. Yet the young man in front of them still refused to let it go. Relying on the fact that he was older than Leo Lin, he tried to intimidate him with his glare.
But even as he strode quickly toward Leo Lin, his body looked painfully frail in comparison.
"I said this has nothing to do with you. Now. Right now. This instant!"
"Get the hell out of my house!"
Leo Lin froze for a moment when he heard that. The young man had said "my house" so naturally.
He was calling Barnett's home his own. Could this man be Barnett's...
"He's Barnett's son, Lin!"
Delores finally spoke from the side and revealed the truth. The young man before them was Barnett's youngest son, Gitana Barnett.
Leo Lin was a little surprised. After all, Gitana looked no older than thirty, while Barnett was already sixty-seven. That meant Barnett had become a father late in life.
"Oh, so you still remember I'm your child? Then cut the nonsense and give me another hundred thousand!"
Delores shook her head helplessly.
"Your father has already said it. He won't give you another penny. Don't even think about taking one more cent from us!"
"He's not my father!" Gitana shouted at Delores, visibly agitated.
His eyes bulged with anger, as if Delores were his enemy.
A crisp sound rang out the next second.
"Smack!"
Leo Lin backhanded Gitana hard across the face.
"If you say he isn't your father, then he has even less obligation to give you money."
The courtyard instantly fell silent. Then the gate creaked.
Leo Lin turned his head and saw Barnett.
He had finally rushed home. Delores had called him earlier and told him Gitana had come to the house causing trouble again.
Barnett stepped forward and pointed at Gitana furiously.
"I told you not to come to my house asking for money anymore!"
Gitana had just been slapped, but instead of getting angry, he gave Barnett a contemptuous smile when he saw him.
"So what?"
"So you hired a bodyguard, did you?"
"Fine. I can't beat him. He's a famous soccer star now. He can do whatever he wants to me!"
Gitana looked at Barnett, and his eyes dimmed considerably. Leo Lin immediately sensed that there was far more to this than he understood.
Gitana turned and tried to rush into the house. He wanted to smash things to vent the anger inside him.
Leo Lin stepped forward, grabbed Gitana by the back of his collar, and pinned him in place.
In front of Leo Lin, Gitana couldn't move at all. He could only let Leo Lin hold him there. He simply didn't have the strength to fight back.
There was clear pain in Barnett's eyes, but to stop Gitana from doing anything more, he had no choice but to let Leo Lin restrain him.
Delores, standing beside them, was just as distressed. She had not wanted Leo Lin involved precisely because she knew that, with his temper, Leo Lin would never go easy on Gitana.
"I don't know what happened between you, but judging from the way you treat your parents, maybe you haven't been in touch for a long time."
"And even if you have, it was probably only to ask for money."
"So don't let me see you at Barnett's house again. Don't let me see you anywhere near here again either. Not even once."
"I promise you, I won't be kind. I don't have Barnett's soft heart."
Leo Lin glared at Gitana and forced the words out through clenched teeth, doing his best to suppress the anger in his chest.
At the very least, in this moment, he had to stand with Delores and Barnett.
They were old now, almost seventy. Against a young man like Gitana, they would have no way to fight back.
Leo Lin had no idea what kind of trouble Gitana might cause next, so driving him away now was the safest choice.
With that, Leo Lin grabbed Gitana and threw him outside the courtyard gate.
After Gitana got up, he only shook his head with a bitter smile.
He looked at Barnett once more. Barnett was looking back at him too. Then Gitana left without saying a word.
"You shouldn't have done that," Delores said.
Barnett, standing nearby, patted Leo Lin on the shoulder. He was not angry.
"This is our family matter. You should have let us handle it ourselves," Delores continued.
"That's enough, Delores," Barnett cut in.
"I told you long ago. Lin is our family."
"So don't say things like that to Lin."
Leo Lin knew he had acted impulsively, but in order to protect Barnett and Delores, he had to do it.
"The child you mentioned before, the one who hadn't contacted you in a long time. Was that him?"
Barnett nodded, put an arm around Leo Lin, and led him into the house. The two of them opened the fine wine Leo Lin had brought and slowly savored it.
Delores brought over a dessert and poured herself a glass of red wine as well. That melancholy look began to surface in her eyes again.
"In the end, it really isn't his fault," Barnett said, swallowing half a glass of red wine in the hearty way he was best at.
"When Delores and I were young, we were busy running the agency. We were away from home all year round. We missed every stage of that child's upbringing, so no matter what he has become now, I have no right to blame him."
Barnett looked at Leo Lin.
"You know, I once imagined my son would be someone like you."
"I don't mean being outstanding in some field."
"I mean strong, healthy, and with the right values."
"I never demanded that he reach some great height. I only hoped he would grow up well."
"But I didn't make enough time to be with him. Those two things came into conflict, and that was my fault." Barnett sighed.
"Now I only hope he can become a decent person. That's all."
"But some things have already gone out of control. That's just how the world is. Many things won't stay within your grasp."
Delores wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and raised her glass to Leo Lin.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have spoken to you like that earlier. You didn't do anything wrong. You are our family."
Leo Lin shook his head and raised his glass in response.
He did not know what to say either. Clearly, the conflict between Barnett and his son was not something that could be resolved overnight.
The three of them sat there, talking and opening their hearts to one another until late into the night.
...
When Leo Lin left, Delores and Barnett walked him out, all the way to the door.
They were neighbors anyway, and their homes were not far apart, so Delores and Barnett decided to take a stroll on the way.
At the corner, they happened to run into Rodri and his wife, who had come out to buy pots, bowls, and other household items.
The two were delighted to see Leo Lin and greeted Barnett and Delores warmly.
"Rodri, are you going to buy some daily supplies?"
Barnett's mood had already recovered quite a bit, and he smiled as he chatted with Rodri.
"Yeah. We came in a hurry, so we didn't bring a lot of household things."
Barnett smiled and said, "Don't rush to buy them. Maybe you should ask Leo Lin to take you around to visit some of the neighbors."
"You know, Firmino and Salah. They're both very nice people."
Rodri did not understand what he meant, but Leo Lin burst out laughing beside him and turned to Rodri's wife.
"Sorry, but I may need to borrow your husband for a while."
Rodri's wife smiled and nodded. She was chatting happily with Delores.
Rodri was dragged away by Leo Lin, still completely unaware of what was about to happen. All he heard was Leo Lin saying ahead of him:
"Come to think of it, I really should take you to visit Salah and Firmino!"
...
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