Chapter 207 207: A Fox With A Smile

"What the hell was that?" The red haired man looked at Leonard with a frown on his face.Leonard, on the other hand just gave him a calm smile and asked, "what's what?"

"We're here to confirm Ethan's claims of working for OmniTech Corp, not to flirt with kids," the red haired man fumed, his frown getting darker as Leonard pretended as if he had no idea what he was talking about.

"As we have been," Leonard said with a small smile, "we're just here for a quick meal and we'll leave, isn't that right Chad."

"Yes," Chad, the ever loyal puppy nodded his head quickly.

"Of course you'd agree," the red haired man, Andrew, said, "you're nothing but a dog to the rich."

Chad couldn't say anything in response, after all, he was just a leech and these two belong to the Smith family.

Even if they ordered him to eat from the floor right now, he would, after all, all his influence and now, comfortable lifestyle came from them.

His life had taken a complete one eighty when he attended that get together. He had successfully gained the favor of Leonard Smith all thanks to Ethan Carter.

Ethan had bit off more than he could chew when he decided to piss off someone from the Smith's family.

They were here, in Atlanta, to confirm if he really did work for OmniTech Corp or he was still a part-time teacher showing off, but Chad knew it was more than that.

As calm as Leonard looked, he was petty as hell, Chad knew finding out Ethan's life wasn't the only reason why they were here...well, Leonard, since Andrew just tagged along because he was bored.

"So you're saying that you're not the least bit interested in that waiter?" Andrew asked, his eyes narrowing at Leonard.

"Relax little brother," he answered with a smile, "I have no interest in the girl."

"Then prove it," Andrew said, turning to Chad, "let your dog have her, after all, he seemed to be in heat while looking at her."

Chad couldn't deny the accusation, after all, even he had been looking at her with questionable eyes.

He ignored the insult, focusing more on the other part of Andrew's words.

He was curious to see if Leonard would actually let him have her, and Leonard's next words surprised him.

"Very well," Leonard said, his smile still maintained, "he can have her."

Chad's eyes widened as he heard the words, of course he was interested in the waitress and he had just gotten the go ahead to claim her.

As if on cue, Julia soon returned, a small smile on her face as she placed each of their orders before them before she stood back straight looking directly at Leonard.

"I-is there anything else I can get you?" She asked and Leonard slowly leaned forward before saying, "actually, there is one thing."

"Y-Yes," Julia nervously said.

"My friend would like to ask you a favor, if you don't mind," he said with a smile, signalling to his "friend," Chad, to stand and step forward.

Chad's eyes practically gleamed with anticipation as he shuffled closer, his excitement barely contained.

Julia's nervous gaze moved from Leonard to Chad, unease written all over her face.

Chad cleared his throat, trying to sound smooth, though it came off more like a desperate whine. "Uh… yeah, hi. So, I was thinking… maybe you could… help me with something… personal," he said, his eyes lingering a moment too long on her.

Julia's smile faltered, and she instinctively took a small step back. "I-I'm not sure I—" she began, but Leonard held up a hand, still smiling politely.

"Oh, it's nothing serious," Leonard interrupted smoothly. "Just a little… favor. He promises it won't take long."

Chad leaned in a bit too close, reaching for her hand under the guise of politeness. Julia's eyes widened in alarm. "S-stay away from me!" she snapped, her voice sharper than anyone expected.

Before Chad could react, she grabbed the tray she had just set down and slammed it into his head with perfect precision.

The loud clatter echoed through the restaurant, silverware scattering across the floor.

Chad staggered backward, groaning and clutching his head. Leonard didn't flinch, his calm smile remained unbroken.

Instead, he leaned back in his chair and said softly, "Thank you, Julia. That's exactly what we needed."

The restaurant went silent for a moment. Other diners stared, unsure whether to intervene. Leonard's eyes scanned the room, his tone almost casual. "I think we've overstayed our welcome. Don't you agree?"

Julia took a deep breath, recovering her composure. "Y-Yes," she said firmly, glaring at Chad, who was now sheepishly trying to recover his dignity. "You all need to leave."

As Leonard and Andrew rose from their seats, Leonard gave one last smile to Julia. "Of course. Thank you for your hospitality."

Chad, still rubbing his head, muttered under his breath, "This isn't over…" but Leonard didn't even glance at him.

The red-haired man silently stood up and followed Leonard out. The clinking of cutlery and the low murmurs of the other diners filled the air, but Julia stood firm, her arms crossed.

But to be honest, she had been terrified, as indicated by her slightly trembling hands. Though she had no idea what was coming.

Her grandpa walked out from the kitchen before approaching her, "I heard the commotion, are you okay?"

"Yeah," She finally calmed down, "just some creepy customers."

"Did they hurt you?" Her grandpa asked again in worry, looking at her and making sure she wasn't hurt.

"No I'm not," she shook her head, looking at the door, "though I might've smashed one of their heads in, but it's only because he touched me."

The old man chuckled before saying, "he deserved it then, you can take the rest of the day off, I'll handle the rest."

"Got it," she said, walking towards the entrance of the kitchen, "thank you old man."

***

Meanwhile, the trio walked out the restaurant in silence, with an amused smile still on Leonard's face.

"Your dog just had to act in heat," Andrew said, disgust evident in his voice, "but that was what you wanted wasn't it?"

"Whatever do you mean?" Leonard said with a chuckle as they approached the car that brought them here, "after all, weren't you the one who wanted Chad to approach the lady?"

Chad's embarrassment was evident on his face, he had behaved in a way unfit for someone hanging out with the Smith's and had gotten his head smashed in, with a tray.

"Cut the crap," Andrew said, "you knew how I'd react and you knew exactly how your dog would behave, so what exactly is your plan?"

They walked into the car and the door shut behind them before the driver moved the car a moment after.

The car continued down the quiet Atlanta streets. Inside, the atmosphere was heavy with anticipation, though Andrew and Chad still hadn't fully pieced together Leonard's intentions.

Leonard leaned back, hands clasped behind his head, his calm smile never fading.

"You see," Leonard began, his voice low and deliberate, "this little… incident gives us the perfect opening, a narrative if you'd like.."

Andrew frowned, leaning forward, "Narrative for what? You mean… harassing the restaurant? That seems a bit—"

Leonard cut him off with a soft chuckle.

"No, not harassing, strategic closure. After all, that place…," he paused for a while before turning to Chad, "was nice to Ethan Carter wasn't it?"

Chad slowly nodded, still confused, or maybe a bit too dumb to pick up where this was going.

"And Ethan Carter is someone I don't like," He continued, "so a friend of my enemy."

We're restaurants supposed to be nice to their customers? Wasn't that like business 101? Chad asked himself.

Andrew's frown deepened. "So you're saying… you're going to use this as leverage to ruin the place?"

Leonard leaned forward, his gaze was completely cold as they lost the amusement within.

"Not just leverage, it's more of a pretext," he explained, "a reason that can present to anyone, customers, the city, the health inspectors, even the media if I feel like it, that this establishment is unsafe, unprofessional, or… problematic."

"One incident, greatly magnified," he continued with a grin, "and because of the narrative, nobody will question it. Nobody will defend them. They'll quickly fold, and no one will come back."

Chad swallowed nervously. "And Ethan… you're doing all this just… because of him?"

Andrew shook his head slowly, a mixture of disbelief and unease. "You're… petty as hell."

Leonard chuckled softly, "Petty? Perhaps."

Chad muttered under his breath, more to himself than anyone else, "I think I just became collateral damage in your plan…"

Leonard didn't respond, he just settled back into the car seat with that same unnervingly calm smile, already running through the next steps in his mind.

"Maybe I should visit the school he worked part-time next," he muttered with a smile.