Flynn and Dylan's basketball training wrapped up earlier than usual. Since Dylan had spent the entire weekend crashing at Flynn's place, he decided to finally head back to his place after dropping Flynn home.
Feeling a bit bored, Dylan suddenly remembered what Flynn had told him before about Lucas and Aunt Mary's situation.
"Why don't you want your dad and Aunt Mary to be together? They seem to get along well. Besides, you said yourself that Aunt Mary's husband hasn't contacted her or come home in a long time," Dylan had once asked.
"I don't really have a problem with it," Flynn had replied. "It's my dad who's hesitant. Aunt Mary supports a lot of people. She's the one her family depends on. And my dad's job doesn't pay that much—it's just enough for me, him, and Grandma Mina."
"Well, Aunt Mary's new restaurant is going to be great," Dylan had said. "It's much bigger than her old eatery. She's bound to earn more once it opens."
"That's part of the problem," Flynn explained. "It's made my dad lose confidence in himself even more. He's a man—he feels embarrassed that Aunt Mary's doing better than him, when he's supposed to be the one providing. He doesn't want to add to her burdens either."
Recalling that conversation now, Dylan's mind started to spin with an idea. That old man of Flynn's just needs a little push...
Without wasting time, he grabbed his phone and called Wilson. "Hey, Wilson," he said as soon as the line connected. "I need you to handle something for me."
---
While Lucas was busy with his tasks, his supervisor approached him. "Lucas, the project manager wants to see you," they said. Lucas frowned in confusion—he had never been called in like this before.
When he arrived at the project manager's office, he was asked to take a seat.
"Uh... sir, did I do something wrong?" Lucas asked nervously.
"No, no, nothing like that," the project manager replied. "It's just... we need to remove you from your current position."
Lucas's heart sank. "Remove me? But I haven't done anything wrong... How can this be? I'm the only one supporting my family, and I also need to maintain my mother's medication..." His voice wavered with worry.
The project manager quickly shook his head. "No, no, no. You're not losing your job. Actually, we're removing you from your current role because... we want to promote you to Site Manager."
Lucas blinked in surprise. "Site Manager? Isn't that above my current position? That seems... higher than what I'm doing now."
"Haha, yes, exactly," the project manager said with a smile. "You'll be stepping into a role that's technically next in line from me. Honestly, our client has noticed your potential. You've been with the company long enough to know nearly all the ins and outs here. So, as a reward for your loyalty and hard work, we're giving you the promotion to Site Manager."
Lucas could hardly believe it. "Wow... thank you so much, sir!"
"Of course," the project manager continued. "Along with the promotion, your salary will increase. Your new base pay will be 100,000 pesos, plus an additional 50,000 in monthly allowances."
Lucas gripped the edge of his chair, stunned. "100,000? That's almost five times my current salary..."
"And on top of that," his project manager added, "we'll give you an instant 50,000 pesos cash once you accept this promotion immediately."
Lucas's eyes widened. "Is this for real, sir? This offer... it's incredible."
"You can take some time to think about it if you want," the manager said. "But honestly, opportunities like this don't come around often."
Lucas's grin was unstoppable. "Sir, I'd be honored to accept. This will be such a big help for my family!"
When Lucas got home, his face practically radiated happiness as he busied himself preparing dinner. He even hummed a tune while moving around the kitchen. Seeing him like that, Flynn couldn't help but ask.
"You look really happy today... and wow, you've bought so much food and drinks. I thought you were supposed to be saving now?" Flynn asked.
Lucas raised an eyebrow at his son, giving him a mischievous grin while continuing his preparations.
Flynn grew even more curious about his dad's behavior. "Is there something I should know? What did you do this time?"
"You're really nosy, you know that?" Lucas chuckled. "Dad get promoted."
"Promoted?" Flynn asked, puzzled.
"Yep. I'm officially a Site Manager starting today. And my salary? 100,000 pesos, plus an extra 50,000 pesos in monthly allowances," Lucas said proudly.
"Wait... that's... surprising. And why's your salary suddenly so high?"
"That was my first thought too. But they said it's because I've been with the company for so long," Lucas explained.
"Doesn't that sound kind of... like a scam?" Flynn teased.
"Don't you trust your old man?" Lucas replied, laughing.
"What do you mean? Did you think it through?"
"Think it through? I signed it right away," Lucas said.
"Wait, you signed it immediately?" Flynn's voice rose in surprise.
"There's 50,000 pesos cash if I sign the contract right away. Why waste it? Don't worry, next time I'll take you to the site so you can see it for yourself before the office opens. Hahaha. No more staying out in the sun for your old man," Lucas said, still beaming with joy.
After their conversation, Flynn retreated to his room. Even though his dad's news was amazing, he couldn't help feeling annoyed at how impulsively his father made decisions
It wasn't long before Dylan arrived. Flynn, overhearing him talking to his father, didn't wait for their conversation to end. He immediately dragged Dylan into his room.
"So it's you, huh?" Flynn snapped, irritation clear in his voice.
"What me?" Dylan replied, feigning innocence.
"Can we just stop fooling around, Dylan?"
"Alright, fine. It was me. I just did it to help your dad regain some confidence at work. You even said he's losing it, didn't you?" Dylan said defensively.
"Dylan, I appreciate that you care about my family. But you're not in charge of us. You can't just make decisions whenever you feel like it without even telling us first."
"I only did it because I wanted to help," Dylan replied, a hint of frustration in his voice.
"We don't need your help."
"When I helped Aunt Mary, you didn't seem to have a problem with it. But now that it involves you, suddenly I'm the bad guy?"
Flynn clenched his jaw. "Dylan, I know you're rich—but we don't need your money or your pity to make our lives better. We're not some charity case you have to fix."
Dylan's expression hardened with annoyance. He grabbed a book from Flynn's desk and held it near Flynn's head, as if he were about to strike. "See this book? You really think I wouldn't hit you with it?"
Flynn didn't flinch. He simply stared back at Dylan, daring him to do it.
"You should be grateful I can't hurt you," Dylan said, lowering the book. "That's why I didn't tell you earlier. I knew with your stubbornness and pride, you wouldn't have allowed it if I did. And it's not just about your dad regaining confidence. Don't you feel bad for him? He's barely making enough to support you all. Your dad is kind and hardworking, Flynn, and he deserves more. You should put your pride aside for a moment and just be happy for him. And it's not like he was given something for nothing, he'll still be working and earning it.
Before Flynn could respond, his father called out from the kitchen, telling them dinner was ready.
"This isn't over. We're talking again later," Flynn said curtly before heading inside.
Dylan could only let out a deep sigh, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "That stubborn idiot," he muttered under his breath.