There's Just Something About Leo.

Chapter 11.5

"Leo," The old man called, after Eve had disappeared into her bedroom. The young agent stuck his head in through the front door after hanging up on a phone call.

"Yes?" he responded carefully, with uncertainty clouding his eyes. His boss seemed rather calm which was surprised him considering what had happened. Leo was bracing himself for the worst and would mentally fidget until he faced it.

"Let's talk." He spoke coldly, his tone freezing any hope Leo had of being let off easily. Leo followed his elder into his office and waited until his boss took a seat. Only when Mr Tuan signalled to the chair on the opposite side of his desk did Leo sit, but with hesitation. He noticed his employer had turned away from him to look out of his open window at the night sky in thought, so Leo deemed it useless to stare at the back of his head. His gaze wondered over to the walls where various paintings were hung. All were originals and very...different. Leo found that he couldn't recognise a single one. The eerie night did little to cool the tension in the room but a light breeze did sweep through the dingy workspace. It mingled lightly with Leo's hair and danced delicately on his dampened forehead. Leo didn't allow his nervous breathing to get the better of him, he waited silently as his boss formulated thoughts into words.

"So, Leo," Mr Tuan spoke after a while, with his back still facing Leo. "how is the alliance going, tell me?"

Leo gulped as he heard the old man's chair swivel. Mr Tuan no longer spoke to the night outside the window, this time he wished his words to be aimed directly at Leo. Leo lowered his eyes: it was considered rude to make eye contact when being scolded by a person of authority.

"Going well, I presume?" he spat, angrily.

Leo wasn't sure how to answer, he was aware that Mr Tuan knew the answer to his own question and didn't want to seem disrespectful, so he stayed quiet. But when his boss's eyes pressed him for an answer, he gave a simple one.

"Um, not so well..." he replied glumly, wondering what Kyle had said to Mr Tuan earlier. His boss stood up in his seat quickly and had to stifle a shout.

"You broke it!" the man whispered furiously. "It's broken! Leo, how could you do something like this? Do you know what this mistake will cost me?"

Leo nodded slightly. "Your honour, your agency and your clients." He recited.

To his surprise the boss shook his head. "No Leo, it's more serious than that. I'd give everything I own to correct this!"

This was odd to Leo; it didn't ever occur to him that the agency was in that much trouble. That had to be virtually impossible.

"More serious?" Leo croaked. "How?"

His elder groaned as he held his head in his hands. Leo saw his shoulders shudder, and immediately felt worse. Mr Tuan hid himself from his agent, to avoid looking vulnerable and Leo sat awkwardly in front of him, wondering what to do. Mr Tuan didn't bother answering his question which made Leo wonder further.

"It doesn't concern you now," his boss mumbled. "Ms Dubois and I have something else to resort to. But I know what you're like Leo. Stay out of this."

Leo knew he had no choice but to comply, yet he still had a natural curiosity bloom in him. He was kept in the dark about the whole situation. 'Why?'

"Now your only job is to guard my family with upmost caution, understand?"

Leo nodded but no words left his lips. Loud questions floated in his mind which spoke over Mr Tuan's voice. It seemed Ms Dubois was conveniently in Singapore just as the alliance failed, almost as though it was expected to fail. And whatever this plan was, had already been set up as back up. But Leo realised he was foolish to question Mr Tuan's decisions, just as Mr Tuan was foolish to think Leo would abide by his commands blindly. He knew Leo had ways of finding out what he wanted to know without leaving a trace of evidence as it was Mr Tuan that taught Leo how to do it. So he decided to make one last point clear to his agent.

"If I have found you attempting to gain knowledge on this matter through illicit terms, you will suffer intense consequences."

Although speaking slowly and quietly, the old man's words burned with meaning. They etched themselves into Leo's memory and when he saw this his eyes softened.

"I've raised you Leo, you're like a son to me, and I also know this wasn't entirely your fault. But I don't want you involved in this by any means."

Leo nodded again, too speechless to talk. His throat had closed up and became dry, as though he had swallowed gravel.

"You know what's best." He stated simply and watched the old man nod, carefully observing him. 'But I make no promises' he wanted to say, although he couldn't find the strength to.

"That will be all then," Mr Tuan sighed, rubbing his temples. Leo slowly rose from his seat, and quickly wiped his brow before turning to leave.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Mr Tuan began again, "I do hope for your sake, that you steer clear of Nina, too much closeness isn't necessary as I've mentioned."

Leo then felt the urge to defend himself; he wasn't shamelessly flirting or harassing her. At least, he hoped not. Leo frowned.

"I would never act indecently to any member of your family Sir."

Mr Tuan lifted his head to make eye contact with Leo. "You mean to say Kyle has lied?"

A sort of irritation stirred in Leo's stomach. How was it that his word wasn't trusted as much as Kyle's?

"Nothing happened between us, he merely mistook it for something it wasn't. We were simply talking." He claimed.

Both men held eye contact, trying to read the mind of the other through the signals of their eyes. Leo lost confidence eventually though, he knew Kyle wasn't completely wrong and silently promised to never think of it again after that moment.

"Very well." Mr Tuan muttered, with mild trust in his voice.

Leo closed the door behind him and went to his room, sighing: It had been a long day. After a quick midnight shower, he stood by the window with a towel hung over his shoulder. Leo was relieved that he didn't face any harsh punishment, but somewhere inside him there was a pang of sorrow. Leo was raised by the man he worked for and found their formal relationship so...difficult. He was no longer a boy, but missed the days they would go sightseeing with Hope. A hollowness filled him after those times ended and he was always afraid that he would forget how to love. Leo looked out at the quiet outside world and sat on his bed, laying his head across the window sill. His room was dark and dimly lit by the glow of lights coming from other apartments in the blocks opposite. He saw figures moving in those apartments, but felt as though he was the only soul in the world, hurting. He also thought it was silly to cry for such childish reasons, but felt tears falling even so. He longed and cried for hope, but mostly for his sister. Burying his face into the towel to muffle any sobs, he retreated from the window as though he thought those silhouettes would see him and laugh. His head throbbed and the towel was soaked, yet Leo continued. Even after years of grieving he hadn't finished. Curling up into a ball on his bed, he eventually calmed down and began to curse himself for being so weak. Time had continued whilst he had stopped still. Wiping his eyes, he looked up at the ceiling. He often did this when he was alone. He'd look up at the ceiling and create a conversation with the invisible entity that watched him: the entity that he prayed to daily.

"You don't make it easy, do you?" he whispered into the darkness. "Am I doing something wrong?" Silence followed as his answer. He looked away and closed his eyes, too weak to fight of the need to sleep. Even his dreams would stay away from him tonight.

***

Mr Tuan could not tell from Leo's replies whether he could still be trusted or not. Leo had always been trustworthy and reliable. He was thrown off his balance during the last few days because of the tournament but Mr Tuan knew that Leo still remained silent about his struggle. Mr Tuan sat at his desk again, and stared at the empty seat in front of him. He truly wished that he was able to tell Leo everything just to gain a second opinion, or -dare he desire it- some moral support. Quietly he pulled an envelope out of his desk draw and emptied its' contents onto the table. Memories scattered in front of him though the form of old photos. Leo as a child with Hope, then a teenager on a hiking trip, and finally images of him and their 'friends' on his nineteenth birthday. Leo was a free spirit until his metaphorical wings were clipped. Silent tears fell onto the photos and stained the old man's memories with nostalgia. Work had gotten to him over the years, he had realised. But it was all for a good cause, they both understood that. And they sacrificed their relationship for it.