Seeing the female police officer lose her temper, Leo felt it was necessary to teach her a lesson.
After another round, Leo suddenly grabbed Madame Godwin’s wrist and pulled her toward him.
If Madame Godwin didn’t counter, she would end up in Leo’s embrace.
To Leo’s surprise, Madame Godwin did indeed fall into his embrace.
Feeling something soft against his chest, Leo’s breath hitched, and he momentarily lost focus.
The next second, Madame Godwin delivered a forceful knee strike.
A surge of pain shot from below. Leo quickly released Madame Godwin’s wrist, inhaling sharply, and held his lower body in agony.
Stepping back a couple of steps, Madame Godwin watched as Leo danced in discomfort. An arc of amusement curved her lips.
“You,” Leo stared at Madame Godwin, his expression neither cursing nor non-cursing.
“Who’s the ‘you’?” Madame Godwin raised an eyebrow. “Remember my name-Godwin. If you have any issues, feel free to find me.”
With that, Madame Godwin pulled sunglasses from her pocket, placed them on her face, and left with flair.
Finally, the pain subsided. Leo chuckled bitterly, then limped over to his Mercedes-Benz.
Having reached the mountaintop, he parked the car and climbed Heaven’s Extreme Stone, settling into his meditation practice.
Around 5 PM, Leo hopped down from Heaven’s Extreme Stone and left Clouddream Mountain in his car.
He parked at Golden Leaf Shopping Plaza for convenience, especially for Sophia’s ride back home. Leo used to take public transportation back to the Henley Manor, but now that he had money, he wasn’t going to inconvenience himself.
After dinner, an uneventful night passed. The next morning, Sophia asked Leo to accompany her to Huntstone.
Grandma Teresa had called last night, summoning Sophia for a family meeting.
At exactly ten o’clock, the meeting room was already filled with people.
While Teresa hadn’t arrived yet, everyone was engaged in discussions.
“Today isn’t a family meeting day. Why the sudden call for a meeting? Has something big happened?”
“You don’t know? Bruno went to Herbal Magic Cosmetics Company to negotiate as a distributor, but it fell through.”
“That’s odd. With Bruno personally involved and Breeze Cosmetics’ reputation, securing a distributorship should have been easy.”
“There must be something fishy going on.”
“Oh, really? What’s the story?”
“I heard that when Bruno went to Herbal Magic Cosmetics Company, he encountered Leo.”
“What? Why did that loser go to Herbal Magic Cosmetics Company?”
“That’s anyone’s guess. Quiet, here comes Grandma.”
At exactly ten o’clock, Teresa, leaning on a dragon-head cane, entered the meeting room with a slightly bent posture.
The room fell silent upon her arrival, demonstrating Teresa’s high status within the Henley family.
Teresa approached the head seat, assisted by Bruno and Fanny. Bruno and Fanny then took their seats on either side of her.
Noticing the eyes fixed on him, Teresa coughed lightly and started to explain the situation, “Bruno, I went to Herbal Magic Cosmetics Company to discuss distributorship matters yesterday. Let’s hear how it went.”
Bruno cast a glance at Leo, a cold smile playing on his lips. “Grandma, I went to Herbal Magic Cosmetics Company yesterday and met the factory manager, Alvin Simpson. Mr. Simpson was quite polite. We had a pleasant conversation and were about to finalize the agreement when Leo stormed into Alvin’s office.”
Bruno paused, and everyone’s gaze shifted to Leo in the corner.
Leo was absorbed in his phone. Sophia nudged him with her foot, prompting him to put his phone down. He sat there expressionless, as though he hadn’t heard Bruno’s words.
“Why did Leo barge into Alvin’s office?” Teresa voiced the question that was on everyone’s mind.
Suddenly, a pained expression crossed Bruno’s face, “Grandma, that loser Leo defamed me in front of Alvin. He slandered Breeze Cosmetics’ reputation, claiming my company has poor credibility and owes the bank a billion dollars.”
Hearing this, shock spread through the room, and Leo was met with angry glares.
Sophia stared at Leo in astonishment, not because of Leo’s accusations, but rather at his motivations for such behavior.
“Granny, Bruno told me about this right after he left Herbal Magic Cosmetics Company yesterday. Leo intentionally went there to snitch on us. His goal was to prevent Breeze Cosmetics from getting the exclusive distribution rights. He’s like a speck of dirt that ruins the whole soup, trying to benefit himself at the expense of others. He should be kicked out of our family for being such a backstabber!” Fanny, always one to amplify the drama, added.
Teresa turned her gaze toward Leo, a hint of suspicion in her eyes. This freeloading member of the Henley family had the audacity to act this way. But why?
“Leo, did you go to Herbal Magic Cosmetics Company yesterday?” Sophia asked in a hushed voice.
Leo nodded slightly. “Yes, I did.”
“Did you badmouth Bruno?” Sophia inquired further.
“No, it was just the ranting of a mad dog,” Leo replied.
Sophia ceased her inquiries.
Observing Leo’s composure, Bruno threw another log on the fire. “Granny, after my negotiation failed and I left the office, this useless Leo even tried to physically attack me!”
As Bruno’s words hung in the air, the expressions on everyone’s faces shifted uncomfortably.
“Unbelievable, such audacity. A freeloading loser dared to hit Bruno!”
“Even a dog would be better behaved. Dogs guard their owners. Leo is worse, biting recklessly!”
“Grandma, we must expel Leo from the Henley family. Let him beg on the streets and fend for himself.”
“Mother, if we want to join the ranks of first-class families, we can’t afford to have someone like him.”
Teresa glanced at Bruno, “He hit you?”
“Not really. He only tried to scare me. I gave him a piece of my mind, and he left in a hurry,” Bruno replied, concealing the fact that Leo had hit him. He couldn’t lose face.
“Even attempting to scare is unforgivable. He’s just a good-for-nothing parasite.” Fanny, who always sided with Bruno, chimed in, exaggerating, “Sophia, Leo is your own choice of a deadbeat husband. You’re part of the Henley family, so deal with it accordingly.”
Sophia’s gaze lifted, coldly responding, “Fanny, my affairs don’t require your input.”
“You!”
“Enough bickering!” Teresa slammed the table with her hand and turned to Leo, “Leo, is what Bruno said true?”
“Whether it’s true or not, Grandma, why not call Alvin Simpson and ask to clear things up?” Leo replied calmly.