.ding dong "...I guess that's all for today, class," Leo put the chuckle down and looked at his students. "And don't forget mine AND the other teachers' assigned work for the break."
"Ehh! Are you covering for the others now? Not cool, teach," Neoton said with a playful tone.
"Oh, no," Leo denied outright. "I am covering for myself. If you keep your perfect presence and high score in my class while fouling in the other subjects, you may tempt the council and the principal to assign you to me in all classes."
Finding it funny, the class laughed while Leo looked at them with raised eyebrows.
"You may find it funny now," Leo with squinted eyes rebuked, "but if that happened, you won't like my method in teaching other subjects."
"Now dismiss," Leo ended his words with a smile, sending a shiver through all the students—for different reasons depending on the person.
A week passed since Onohan's first visit, and except for the additional training morning and night (if you could call it that), nothing much changed.
sigh "What possessed me to work as a teacher in the first place," he muttered, exiting the classroom. "Not that I lack trouble."
"Well, it's just you being a teacher, you know?" Rose's voice came from the side. Leo's mood brightened a little, and he smiled at her as she skipped to his side.
"I doubt that," Leo said after kissing her head. "I swear, sometimes I inch from blowing their heads off."
"Well, good mental training?" Rose said, smiling at him playfully, knowing for a fact that he really enjoyed teaching.
Otherwise, the help of someone with all his wealth would keep coming here.
As Leo drove Rose home, Alfred's voice came through the speakers.
[sir, call from the CEO of the company.]
"Connect the call." After looking at Rose with an apologetic smile, he asked him to connect it.
"Hello, sir. I hope you had a good day." Leo found his voice wasn't right, so he just passed the greeting and asked outright,
"What's wrong? You sound stressed." Leo slowed the car, waiting for an answer.
"Well, as a matter of fact, I got bad news today," the fear evident in his voice. "The bunker got raided today."
Leo braked hard, stopping the car mid-road, freaking Rose out.
"Sorry, did you say the bunker got raided?" Leo asked. "Are you joking?"
"No, sir. I am positive," the CEO confirmed before quickly continuing. "But please be at ease. Nothing was stolen."
"Nothing?" Leo was now completely confused, but despite that, he felt at ease for the moment. "You mean someone went through the trouble to bypass the most secure property we designed, and took nothing?"
"Y…Yes sir, and probably the same one from the couple of break-ins all over the week." Despite the seriousness of his voice, Leo found it hard to wrap his head around it.
Over the last week, every day or two, one of his main properties had a break-in accident—but nothing was taken, not even moved from its place. And with this one, the count rose to four hits this week.
After the first incident, he didn't mind it; he even brushed it off by just sending in his new monitoring system.
"If you want, I can send the videotapes and sensor readings…" The CEO was about to ask for help helplessly, as the situation had left him stressed and sleepless for the last week.
"No need. I am coming personally. Prepare my personal landing spot," Leo said, and added after some time, "I am going to be there in the airplane in 3 hours."
"Yes, sir," the CEO said excitedly. Leo's voice now was more pleasing to the ear than a lullaby.
"Also, keep my visit under wraps," Leo said before cutting the call.
"And Rose, sorry for the little inconvenience." Shifting gears, he accelerated the car.
"I don't mind, but what is this bunker?" Rose asked, remembering something. She added, "If you could tell me."
"I can tell you anything you want to know," Leo flicked the tip of her nose playfully. "The bunker is a storage facilty for military-class information and prototypes."
Rose opened her eyes, realizing the seriousness of the problem.
"Don't worry, as you heard just now, nothing was stolen," Leo eased her mind with these words. "And honestly, I didn't even know that was possible."
"You mean breaking in?" Rose asked.
"Yeah," nodding, Leo clarified. "I know for a fact that even a bug wouldn't enter that bunker undetected."
"And what made you so sure?" Rose smirked, picking on him. "You just got really pushed to your face."
"That wasn't hyperbolic talking," Leo rolled his eyes. "I know. It was impossible, because I tried to break in and got caught."
"Eh!" Rose was surprised. "When? And someone actually outsmarted you?"
"Well, yeah. That's why I am going there personally," Leo said with an excited face. "This person is someone I want to meet."
Rose looked at him for a second and sighed.
"What?" Leo asked, not knowing the reason behind it.
"Nothing. You really love talented people, don't you?" Rose said, smiling at him.
"What?" Leo looked at Rose confused—and honestly, it was the first time he'd heard someone say that.
"What?" Rose added, confused at his reaction. Something she noticed while passing her time with him: Leo loved to discover talent.
Talent may sound anonymous and mysterious, but for some reason, she noticed that Leo had an eye with great judgment for this abstract concept.
Most, if not always, he would find a way or author to help anyone with talent to let it bloom, and now she was surprised at the genuine surprise in his eye.
"You're telling me that I love talented people, but how is that supposed to mean?" Leo exclaimed, confused.
"I mean, just last month you made arrangements for five or six people to advance in certain proficiency," Rose asked. "And all of them blew the said part with their talent and short training."
"Eh… that's just me helping?" Leo refused to give his reason.
"And how about the system you asked Alfred to run?" Rose asked, referring to a program that latched onto the official records of all the high schools worldwide. It recorded any top-class student for Leo to review—a way to integrate new talent for his company.
"Dear, can you be more precise?" Leo smiled wryly. "I had Alfred run quite the numbers."
"Right," Rose sighed at that point, still not understanding the reason behind it. "I mean the hiring system."
"Oh, it's said? Hiring system, to ease the HR load," Leo answered. "But well, I understand what you're coming from. but no, not this time"
"Then what is all this about?" Rose asked, confused. "I don't think you would normally go in there in person, giving your personality."
"That's because it's probably something from the other side," Leo said, meaning the supernatural part.
He had his speculation, but with this, he had his confirmation. As the moment superpowers came into play, the bunker was just slightly tight closed closets.
"Then he's after something more than stealing something, right?"
"What do you think?" Leo asked.
"If he's searching to steal something specific, then he won't let millions of dollars lay there, just because it's not what he wants, or needs," Rose said, looking at him. "After all, a thief is a thief."
"Yeah, you got a point," Leo nodded in acceptance. "But I had the feeling he's looking into information instead."
Leo looked at Rose before sighing. "The first breakthroughs are all in databases and cloud compounds."
"And the bunker, for outsiders, is just high-security storage units. No outsider knows what really is there except military," adding to the whole situation. It felt like someone was playing with him, which started to get on Leo's nerves.
Additionally, anyone who had the ability to break into military-level compounds, superpower or not, had guts—and it could be seen as war reclamation.
Something in general: any company with military-classified property, either industrial or armed force, meant they had dealings with the country.
And breaking into this kind of facility meant you gave major trouble to both the country and the company.
"I see," Rose understood his point of view and nodded. "Then what type of info do you think he's searching for?"
"Honestly, I have no idea," Leo sighed in defeat. "It could be literally anything, as the company is multi-field."
As Leo and Rose started to brainstorm, the car already arrived in front of the Cullens' house.
"I will have to cut our night short, sorry for that," stopping the car, Leo looked at Rose apologetically. "See you tomorrow?"
"It's ok, it's urgent," giving him a kiss, "I wish I could join you though."
"Sure, let's tell your family and go." Surprisingly, Leo just stopped for a second to think before nodding.
"Really! Is that ok?" Rose exclaimed excitedly. She only said it honestly, never thinking he would take her alone.
"I don't see why not," Leo said, patting her head. "And we'll be using masks anyway, so don't worry about the vampire stuff."
"Masks?" Rose asked, confused. "Why?"
"Well, I am not going as Rageheart Leonard," Leo smirked. "But as the sole owner of the whole Leo Corporation."
Still seeing the confused eyes on her, Leo sighed and patted her head again.
"Just go and put something nice on. I will explain on the road," then he added playfully, "or are you having second thoughts?"
"No! Of course I am going!" slipping from the car and dashing to the house.
Leo, on the other side, exited the car after asking Alfred to call his airplane and send the car back to the house to follow Rose inside.
But before that, he remembered something.
From the record he had from his grandfather's first visit, he used some kind of ability to see the way Leo awakened in the forest.
"Alfred, call the old man, please." After some thinking, he sighed and retrieved his phone. "I guess it's time to cash that favor."
[Afirmative] Alfred confirmed, and soon the ringing started. Seconds later, the call connected.
[Leo! How are you doing?] Banrie's voice came from the phone. [How's life there? I hear you're teaching in high school now?]
[Yo, old man, good to hear you're alive and kicking.] Leo smirked. [It's sudden, but I have a question.]
Getting right to the reason for the call, Leo explained what happened and asked about the skill or ability, and if it could be used.
[Sure, I am busy right now, so I will send your unit instead, wherever you want to meet.] Banrie accepted directly, not minding this small favor. It was also a chance to see the type of company his son started and his grandson amplified.
Sadly, the reformation his clan was currently passing through left him hands-tied, and he couldn't go personally.
[Thanks. By the way, you need a ride?] Leo said in relief before asking. [The company is on the outskirts of LA.]
[Oh, don't worry. I will have her jump to a family branch close by, and take a heli from there.] Banrie said. [You have a landing point, right? Since you and your father 'love flying around.']
Banrie added the last part with reminiscence in his voice. In the past, it was an everyday thing to have a regular report of his son's shenanigans on the table, and more about flying an airplane or crashing one.
[Yeah, I will send the location and landing permission.] Leo nodded, but before he could close, Banrie asked him to wait.
[I was going to pay you a visit next week, is that ok?] Banrie said, trying to make his voice not shaky, but the unintentional style marked clean.
Catching what Banrie was trying to do, Leo sighed and decided to give the man his chance, as he had no relation to what happened before.
[I don't have a problem, since I have a break next week. I am a teacher, as you know.] Leo confirmed. [And I don't think you need permission to visit, right?]
[I see, I see, no need for permission, ha.] Banrie's voice evidently felt happier somehow. [Then I will be waiting for the coordinates and permission.]
Closing the line, Leo let out a sigh and entered the Cullens' house.
Meanwhile, in the Rageheart clan…
Banrie had just ended the call with a huge smile on his face, as he just got the chance to reconnect with his grandson.
Clicking the intercom on his desk and asking for Esabella.
Seconds passed as his good mood pushed him to hum, and not a second later his daughter entered, seeing her father in good mood for the first time in years.
"Should I go back and bring a bottle?" she asked playfully as she entered.
"Nah, you can save it for next week." He laughed before getting to the point after they sat on the couch.
"I need you to fly to LA now," Banrie said. "Leo surprisingly asked me for help."
As if bragging, he recounted the sequence of the call. This gave Esabella understanding of her father's good mood—and by extension, brightened hers too.
As they were talking, the phone rang, taking their attention. Banrie took the phone.
[Oh, it's the address and landing confirmation code. It's in… whaa!] Banrie started to speak happily, but the moment he read the location, his face crumpled and cold sweat fell on his neck.
[What's wrong?] Esabella asked curiously. The old man didn't answer, just showed her the screen.
[Isn't that…!!] Reading the location, she opened her eyes in surprise and asked as if not believing.
Banrie only nodded with a wary smile.
"Like father, like son, alright!!" Sharing the same smile with her father but with a tint of pride.
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And here's the chapter! Hope you like it.
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