Chapter 213: Apology

Surprised.That was what Audrey, Julia and the old man were feeling right now.

Or maybe it was more accurate to describe it as shock, since out of all the things they expected, an apology from the cause of the restaurant’s problems wasn’t one of them.

Standing before them with their heads bowed a bit was Leonard and Chad. Andrew refused to apologize since he had no hand in all this.

A fact that even Ethan knew.

He just escorted his brother to Atlanta to try and find Ethan Carter, nothing else. Everything else that was done was solely Leonard’s decision.

So Ethan didn’t blame him for it.

That didn’t mean he was going scot-free, a couple million dollars in his savings account had just ’mysteriously’ disappeared with no explanation.

He couldn’t fault the bank either since they had all the proofs that showed he was the one who withdrew it directly.

"We’ll like to apologize for the trouble we caused both Blue Lantern and Newton Academy," Leonard said in a tone that wasn’t out of character for him, but still sounded a bit strange,"we’re willing to compensate you for all the damages caused."

Audrey was the first to react.

She glanced at the old man, then at Julia, as if silently asking whether this was some kind of elaborate joke. When neither of them spoke, she turned back to Leonard, her brows knitting together.

"Compensate?" she repeated slowly. "You mean after weeks of harassment, after rumors, after our suppliers cutting ties and parents pulling their children from the academy?"

Leonard kept his head slightly lowered. "Yes. After all of that."

Chad swallowed beside him, his hands clenched so tightly at his sides that his knuckles had gone white. He hadn’t lifted his gaze even once.

The old man let out a dry laugh, one that carried no humor at all.

"Young man," he said, leaning on the counter, "do you know how many nights I couldn’t sleep, wondering if I’d have to close this place down? This restaurant is older than both of you combined."

It wasn’t, but no one said he couldn’t exaggerate while he was letting off steam.

Leonard nodded. "I understand."

"No," Julia cut in sharply, stepping forward, "you don’t."

Her eyes were blazing now, all the restraint she’d been holding back finally snapping.

"You don’t understand what it’s like to watch your family fall apart because some rich brats decided to throw a tantrum," she said. "You don’t understand what it’s like to hear people whisper that our food is unsafe or that the academy is a scam."

Chad flinched....he hated how he was being spoken to, but at the same time, he couldn’t say anything least he risked being demoted again and this time to a janitor.

Leonard finally raised his eyes, meeting hers directly. For the first time, there was something raw in his gaze, frustration mixed with.....fear?

If they didn’t forgive him, he’d be ruined completely and Ethan had shown that he had enough connections to.

There’re enough wolves in the shadows waiting to take him out of the race and this was the perfect chance to.

"You’re right," he said quietly. "I don’t. And that’s why I’m here to apologize, not justify myself."

Silence settled over the restaurant, broken only by the distant clatter of plates and the murmur of customers outside.

Audrey exhaled slowly, steadying herself.

"And why now?" she asked. "Why apologize now, when just a week ago you were trying to crush us?"

"...." Leonard said nothing in response, after all, Ethan had said they weren’t supposed to know that this was his doing.

Besides, he was sitting there making sure that they actually did apologize, so he couldn’t piss him off more than he already had.

"I realized the error of my ways," he said.

"Bullshit," Julia let out looking at his bowing form, she was tempted to hit this ass’s handsome face but her mom, grandpa and their benefactor were all in the restaurant, she couldn’t embarrass herself like that.

"We’ll cover all losses," Leonard continued, moving his attention from Ethan, who was sitting in a corner of the restaurant, back to the trio. "Medical inspections, renovations, lost income, the academy’s funding gap, everything. I’ll have my lawyers draft the documents today."

The old man looked at Audrey, then at Julia.

"What do you think?" he asked softly.

Audrey hesitated.

She thought of the empty dining hall, the unpaid bills, the teachers who had quit, the children who had cried when their parents pulled them out of school.

But then, that chaos had returned and she was actually pleased for the first time in a while.

Maybe it was a good thing that this happened, after all, Blue Lantern was growing a lot faster than it previously had.

So she finally sighed and said.

"We’ll accept the compensation," she said firmly. "But don’t misunderstand."

Leonard straightened slightly.

"This is not forgiveness."

"I understand."

With that, he bowed once more, deeper this time, then turned and walked out, Chad scrambling after him.

The moment the door closed behind them, Julia let out a long breath.

"...What the hell was that?"

The old man shook his head slowly. "Rich people," he muttered. "Always strange."

Audrey didn’t answer, instead she turned to Ethan who seemed completely absorbed in drinking the chocolate drink before him.

He raised his head and their eyes met before he smiled.

"I think I know who’s the cause of their apology," Audrey muttered before walking towards him.

The old man and Julia watched her approach Ethan before stopping just beside his table.

"Thank you," Audrey said with a small bow.

"Whatever do you mean, Mrs Harper," Ethan responded with a small smile on his face, "but this drink is pretty good."

Audrey chuckled at his words.

His actions were very obvious, even the other two knew his hand was behind that apology they just received but he refused to acknowledge it.

She sat opposite him, folding her hands together as she studied his face for a moment.

"You really are terrible at pretending," Audrey said softly.

Ethan tilted his head, feigning innocence. "I have no idea what you’re talking about."

"Hm," she hummed, unconvinced, then sighed. "Still, whether you admit it or not, what just happened wasn’t normal. People like them don’t apologize unless something forces them to."

He took another sip of his drink, eyes calm. "Maybe they simply grew a conscience."

Julia, who had been hovering nearby, snorted loudly. "Yeah, and maybe pigs just learned how to fly."

The old man chuckled behind the counter, though his gaze lingered on Ethan longer than necessary.

Audrey shook her head, then leaned forward slightly. "Whatever strings you pulled, I’m grateful."