Chapter 40 Flawless
At noon, Tobias, Morgan, and two respectable figures of the martial arts world gathered in the private room on the second floor of Sunshine Hotel.
The two respectable figures were martial arts masters from Fairlake. One of them was Phileas Wayne, while the other was Christopher Jean.
The age of those two would add up to more than two hundred years.
Tobias was wearing a traditional suit. He did not know martial arts, but he exuded an elegant and authoritative aura.
As for Morgan, even though he looked like he was in his fifties, he was already seventy years old. He was clad in a white training suit, and he had a buzz cut.
Morgan was experienced but restrained. Every move he made was smooth and effortless, showing that he was a true expert in martial arts.
Phileas and Christopher were both experts in internal-style martial arts.
As the four of them drank coffee together, Morgan said sincerely, “Tobias, all thanks to you this time.”
Tobias lifted his cup and tasted the coffee. Then he smiled slightly and replied, “You’re welcome. It’s no trouble at all. However, I can’t guarantee you Mr. Young would agree to wipe the slate clean.”
Morgan responded, “Old Mr. Peterson, you have already done us a big favor to invite Mr. Young here. I wouldn’t dare trouble you for anything else again.”
Morgan was merely an acquaintance to Tobias. In fact, he had used a lot of connections to be able to connect with Tobias.
Tobias flashed a smile and did not say anything further.
Not long after, the sound of footsteps echoed from outside.
Morgan’s eyes lit up. Immediately, he knew Leonardo had arrived. The moment the door opened, everyone including Tobias rose to their feet.
Even though Leonardo was younger than them, he was well known and an expert in martial arts. Therefore, it was only natural that they did not take him lightly.
Just then, Leonardo entered the room. He had come alone, holding a delicate gift box in his hand.
Clad entirely in white, he looked so stunningly handsome that he looked as if he had just walked out of a painting. Even men would feel somewhat flustered seeing him. That was why even someone as arrogant as Bianca would fall for him.
As soon as Leonardo stepped inside the private room, he immediately strode toward Tobias. “I’m sorry to be late, Old Mr. Peterson,” he apologized earnestly with his head inclined respectfully. He was so courteous that Tobias felt somewhat embarrassed.
Tobias hurriedly responded, “Not at all, Mr. Young. You are too polite.”
Leonardo smiled slightly before looking at Morgan and the others. He then greeted them one by one, “Greetings, Master Hayes, Master Jean, and Master Wayne.”
He had apologized for his tardiness first and then proceeded to greet each of them with the utmost politeness. Every action he had taken was flawless and could not be more respectful.
Morgan and the others, too, greeted him with the same degree of reverence, “Master Young!”
Leonardo’s status in the martial arts world was definitely on par with theirs.
Hence, he was of no junior to them. After the greetings, Tobias urged, “Everyone, have a seat.”
Leonardo handed the gift box to Tobias. “Old Mr. Peterson, I know you like coffee. These coffee beans are top-tier Red Hibernia planted on the top of Mountain Evergreen. Since I’m not a coffee connoisseur, it would be a waste for me to drink it myself. So, I purposely brought this to you.”
Tobias was stunned, as he was an aficionado of coffee who had no other hobbies.
Fancy him thinking of such an amazing move!
Tobias could not help but tremble slightly. A moment later, he finally forced a smile. “I can’t accept your gift. It is too valuable.”
Leonardo immediately added, “It’s only valuable for those who truly understand coffee beans, and I’m not such a person. This is just ordinary coffee in my eyes. Old Mr. Peterson, if you insist on not accepting it, I will open it here and let everyone enjoy the coffee together.”
“No, you can’t!” Tobias became anxious. “It would be a waste! To enjoy this coffee to the fullest, one needs to first take a bath and meditate to calm down beforehand.”
Leonardo smiled slightly and continued, “It looks like these coffee beans would only show their value in your hands. In that case, please accept my gift, Old Mr. Peterson.”
Tobias was in a dilemma. Eventually, he failed to resist the temptation and replied, “Thank you for being so thoughtful, Mr. Young. I shall accept the gift, then.”
Leonardo smiled faintly in response.
As Morgan and three others witnessed everything, their hearts sank.
Deep down, Morgan could not help but feel shocked at Leonardo. He may be young, but he surely is experienced. He knows Old Mr. Peterson would be pleased by the gift. It would be hard for Old Mr. Peterson to put in a word for us regarding this matter now that he has accepted the gift. After all, we are merely acquaintances to him. He is already considered good enough to have introduced Mr. Young to us. Besides, it seems Leonardo does not want to reconcile with us. If he does, then why would he still go to the trouble to research Old Mr. Peterson’s interests?
“Old Mr. Peterson, let’s take our seats,” urged Leonardo.
Tobias responded, “Sure, let’s do that!”
With that, they sat around the table. The waiter soon served them their dishes and their alcoholic beverages.
They toasted one another during the meal. Everything Leonardo said and did was so perfect they could not find a fault in his manners.
However, Morgan could not let the opportunity slip by. He stood up with a toast. “Master Young, here’s a toast to you!”
Leonardo, too, stood up and responded, “No. I should be the one toasting you.”
Upon hearing that, Morgan smiled faintly and downed his glass of liquor. His cheeks immediately turned red under the influence of alcohol.
Leonardo, too, gulped down his liquor at once.
The liquor they were drinking was vodka, which was high in alcoholic content. Those few people surely could hold their liquor.
Morgan went on, “Master Young, I believe you understand why I showed up here today. I hope you could let the incident between you and Jonathan go. We are all part of the martial arts world. As the saying goes, it is better to make friends than enemies. Master Young, do you agree?”
As someone who practiced martial arts, Morgan was forthcoming about his intentions.
As soon as he finished his words, Christopher, Phileas, and Tobias turned to look at Leonardo. Leonardo smiled and said indifferently, “I don’t know anyone by the name of Jonathan.”
Morgan and the others froze upon hearing that.
Never had they anticipated such an answer from Leonardo.
Nevertheless, since Leonardo claimed he did not know who Jonathan was, Morgan and the others could not do anything, as they could not force Leonardo to admit that he knew Jonathan.
That conversation ended just like that.
As for Tobias, he no longer said anything now that he had accepted Leonardo’s coffee beans. He could only stand up and ease the awkwardness in the atmosphere. “Gentlemen, sit down, please. Let’s have another drink.”
Morgan was a bad-tempered person. He took a deep breath and suddenly glared at Leonardo as he snapped, “Kiddo, you are indeed a successful youth, but you don’t seem to pay any respect to us. Let me ask you one last time. Must you make Jonathan’s life difficult?”
Leonardo showed an indifferent look even though Morgan was furious. “Master Hayes, you are a senior in the martial arts world. I do respect you. However, I don’t understand a single word you just said.”
“Okay! Fine!” Morgan bellowed and was about to turn and leave.
Right then, Tobias could not sit still anymore. Immediately, he coughed and asked, “Mr. Young, let’s discuss this openly. Now, tell me this. Is there any room for negotiation in this matter?”
Seeing that Tobias was finally speaking up, Leonardo responded, “Old Mr. Peterson, anything you want me to do, I will accede to your request.”
Tobias instantly understood the meaning behind Leonardo’s words. If I forced Leonardo to forgive Jonathan, I would be owing Leonardo a big favor from now on. Anyway, Morgan is not my close friend, and I don’t even know who Jonathan is. I can’t just help Morgan like that. It won’t benefit me.
Hence, Tobias immediately replied, “I don’t understand what happened between you guys, and I don’t plan to intervene in it. I only hope you guys would communicate calmly. Let’s not spoil our relationship with each other.”
Leonardo felt that it was time to stop playing dumb and explained, “Master Hayes, this incident has nothing to do with you. However, since you are here putting a word for him, I must somewhat respect your wishes. How about this? For the sake of you four, I will give him a chance. Go back and tell Mr. Lawson he must come to the Young residence to kneel and apologize to me to earn my forgiveness. I will also guarantee that the disciples of Strikezone Martial Arts will never find trouble with him again in the future.”
Leonardo was not joking. Now that the incident had escalated to the current level, there was no way he would let go of Jonathan that easily. Pride was more important than anything else at this stage. Thus, he would not accede to Morgan’s request just like that. Otherwise, if word got out, Leonardo would lose the respect of others.
At the same time, he would also ruin the reputation of Strikezone Martial Arts.
Not only would the outsiders belittle him, but Edward would not let him off either.
However, the situation was different if Jonathan was willing to kneel and apologize. Leonardo and the disciples of Strikezone Martial Arts would be able to regain their pride that way.
Not only would that make Leonardo look impressive, but it would also show that he was a magnanimous man.
“I could ask Jonathan to apologize to you, but are you really asking him to kneel? That’s out of the question, I’m afraid,” Morgan replied in a low voice.
“This is my bottom line. If he disagrees, then there’s nothing to talk about,” Leonardo said mildly.
Morgan saw that Leonardo was resolute in his decision. He thought about it for a while and then took a deep breath. “Okay. I’ll try.”
Tobias breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that they had calmed down. He urged, “Come on, everyone. Let’s continue drinking.”
Jennifer went to visit Jonathan alone in the afternoon.
She was wearing a white dress. With her hair draped over her shoulders, she was an alluring sight. Nonetheless, her face was full of worry when she saw Jonathan.
Jennifer had been blaming herself the whole time. Even though Jonathan had told her that it was not her fault, she still thought that the issue only happened because of her.
Therefore, during that meeting, Jonathan was comforting Jennifer instead of the other way around.
Jonathan looked carefree as he smiled. “Jen, what perfume are you using? You smell good.”
Jennifer could not help but blush upon hearing that. However, she instantly felt more relieved. Then she answered, “I did not use perfume.”
“That’s impossible. You smell good every time I see you. Could it be your natural body scent?”
Jennifer’s face reddened like a tomato. It was true that she had a naturally sweet scent ever since she was young. The scent would become more intense every time she worked out, and it came from her armpits. That was why she could not help but feel shy when Jonathan said those words.
“Jen, do you think this is my karma?” Jonathan asked. “Perhaps God thinks that I am a b*stard who failed to cherish and love you, and that’s why he is punishing me?”
