Chapter 25: CHALLENGE
What is the situation of the salesman? Who was injured in the attack on the warehouse? Leonardo asked
He went home after surgery. He is fine. He is recovering. As you ordered we pay him all fees.
Tell him he will not come to the warehouse anymore. But you will still pay him his monthly salary but double. Leonardo said
I will take care. Frank said
I will punish this Cam brother gang with my bare hands who fired up my old factory and my employee got injured due to that idiot. Find them as soon as possible. Leonardo said
But you said last week that….. Frank was about to remind him
Take it like I wasn't. Find those dishonest guys for me as soon as possible. Leonardo roared
Okay, sir. Frank said and quickly went out. He knew that Leonardo was again in a mood swing.
Ava was waiting for Leonardo in the garden. She was continuously dialling calls to him. But he was not responding to her. Leonardo reached the mansion late at night. Ava was sitting on a bench
Are you okay? I was worried about you. Why did you come so late? Ava asked
Leonardo moved forward without replying to her. Ava ran and stopped his way.
If you are acting for things that happened today, I understand you and your anger. Ava said
You!! So can you understand my anger? Your duty is not to understand me. You only have one duty and that is only to take care of Lucas. Now go and take care of him. Leonardo shouted
Why are you acting like this? Ava asked
Who do you think you are and why are you trying to understand me? Huh!! You cannot understand. Stick to your duty. Leonardo shouted again and went inside.
Ava followed him back.
What do you want? Leonardo was observing arrows while she entered his room
Why are you behaving like this? I just want to know why? Why are you showing anger without reason? Ava asked
Leonardo went out without replying her
Please tell me what happened to you. Ava raised her tone and followed him.
Why you don't answer? Please tell me something.
Leonardo step back and grabbed Ava's arm. He pushed and stick her to the wall. He looked into her eyes so closely. He reminded himself of a conversation he had with Mr Francis in the evening.
"Whoever touches me, burns, uncle"
"The best thing is she should stay away from me"
"So Leonardo Benjamin is scared. So are you saying this?"
Leave me alone. Do you understand? Leave me alone. Leonardo shouted
Ava got scared for a moment because of his behaviour. Leonardo went to the archery side.
He was continually shooting on the board to put his anger out. He was on the double road. Once he thought to stay away from beauteous Ava. But on other hand, he was scared to walk on the road of loving her. During his targeting, he reminded himself of hurting Ava while he was coming downstairs. He felt again that strange feeling while he was close to her. He didn't let him walk on the way he was scared. He himself was not known that he was on the road to loving Ava. He scattered all arrows on the ground. He was unable to manage his own direction. Mr Francis's words were continuously sounding in his mind.
"Remember my words son. This road can't end when you say it's over. Because you walked that road once. It doesn't matter if you stopped. It will keep walking inside you"
Ava was feeling pain in her back. So she went into the kitchen to make herbal tea. She was crying silently. She saw Leonardo was upset. He was walking here and there in the garden.
Ava woke up. She was not feeling well. She went back to her room from Lucas's room as she slept with him. While she was coming out. Leonardo was coming to Lucas's room. Ava looked at him and then quickly went into her room. Leonardo noticed that Ava's behaviour was different from the past day. He suddenly stepped forward to her room but stopped
"I am not scared. I don't want to carry this burden. It makes me do wrong. Doing devil is not for me."
He thought and went into the basement store.
Lucas was playing in the garden. Suddenly he went to the site. From where the basement window was opened to the garden. Saw Leonardo beating a man. Ava came back to the garden. She found Lucas was not in the playing area. She found Lucas shivering on a site. She also shivered when she found Leonardo was beating a man badly in the room she used to call the torture room. She managed to relax Lucas and took him back to his room. Ava was angry with Leonardo. After an hour, Leonardo was in his study room. Ava strongly opened the door it touched and quickly came closer to him. Leonardo got attentive to her behaviour.
You! You said I should do the duty of my nephew!! Which I am doing very well. But what the hell you are doing at the mansion was part of your duty to care about Lucas? Who's heart was about to burst after looking at your actions? Didn't you even think about it how could affect it? Ava shouted
Get out from here. Leonardo said.
I am not going anywhere. You tell me your problems first. So much anger!! This is not because of Gill, you already took revenge on him. What is your problem? Ava shouted
Leonardo didn't reply to her and turned towards his study table.
You are not a man like this. I had thought you were like this before. I called you wild, cruel, tyrant. But you are neither of those. I saw you when you were telling stories to Lucas. I saw how you protect him, care for him. You are not the man who hits someone in the house they live in. you won't make me believe this. You can't convince me. Ava said
Enough. !! Leonardo said
You are the person who can burn the world for Lucas's only tear. You can't make me believe that you can beat a man in front of him.
Enough!! Leonardo shouted. Leonardo took a bottle of fired bullets from the drawer and cracked it on the floor.
You don't know me!! Do you understand!! You just saw what you wanted to see. Look carefully at these bullets. This is me... before you wonder. Who I am. Take a good look at these. This is Leonardo Benjamin. Huh!!
He started picking them one by one and said words to each
"The bullet that destroyed my back"
"The bullet that was about to reach my heart but stopped"
"This is me…"
"So many bullets were fired on me"
This cold metal penetrates directly into someone's body, right? But these penetrated my soul.
Someone's soul doesn't bleed, right? But my has bled
Someone's soul doesn't die before the body dies, right? My soul is dead
My soul!! With all my emotions sunk into this body and formed a scab.
I was a stone. I became a rock.
I grew up shot by shot. Now, do you understand who I am?
This time walls of the entire mansion shivered with Leonardo's roar
Ava looked at the scattered bullets and Leonardo whose body was extracting flames with anger. She went into the store room and brought a handmade wooden ship toy and car to Leonardo's room.
It's not just bullets that turn you into you like this. You are also this. She showed him both toys. The one who made these to play with his little brother. You are the child who fixed these many times. You are also a boy who made his toys into real ones. You are the boy who wanted to go to the stadium and wanted to see soccer matches there. You are the person who has dreams like this. Dreams and hopes are bulletproofed. They are still in you. It doesn't matter how much you ignore it. It doesn't matter how much you deny it. But you are a normal boy with hopes and dreams. Ava was explaining to him that he interrupted her.
Do you say a normal child? Normal child. Huh? Come on. Leonardo shouted and held her arm and dragged her with him outside.
Where are you going? Where? Get your hands off me. Leave me. You are hurting me. You are hurting my wrist. Take off your hands. Where are you going? Are you crazy? What are you doing? I told you to leave me. I will not sit in the car. Ava kept screaming. But Leonardo dragged her into the car and drove out of the mansion. Emma and Sophia listened to Ava's screaming. They wondered about what happened to both.
This girl touched his old strings probably. Whereas I asked her to believe me. Sophia said.
What she did do? Sophia asked.
She was saying that Leonardo has changed. Blah... blah… I told her that I know him more than I. But she argued. Now she will see the real face of Leonardo now when he will punish her on a site. Sophia said.
Sister, she is going crazy. I don't care about it. My way will be clean and Leonardo will be only mine. Emma said.
Leonardo stopped his car on a hill in his village.
Why did we come here? Ava asked
Leonardo went out of the car and opened Ava's door.
You said normal childhood! So come I will show you my normal childhood. Leonardo held her hand and took her outside.
Look at this dump. This is not only a dump for me. I was 7 when I had my first fight here. Four kids bullied my brother James. That wooden ship that you called childhood normal. They beat James to get that ship from him. Do you know how ribs break? How does your whole figure change with broken ribs? Like a child like a soccer match, how that rib changed into hard rock? Do you want to cry? When your brother is lying in blood in front of you and you cannot do anything. Because there is no one to protect him except you. If your brother is crying. You risk having your ribs broken so that the ship of your normal childhood is not taken, not broken. Why are you crying? You haven't reached the saddest part of my normal childhood. He held her arms and dragged her somewhere in an ambushed field.
Look here. All the children play here soccer. I didn't play. Eventually, I couldn't. I received the first bullet of my life here. I was 14 years old all the children were joking after the game. A bullet hit my back. Or I got hungry or to prove to myself in this dark world where was dumped and brought food for my brothers. It wasn't for me. Never!! Whatever I did, I decided that damn day was for them. It's not over yet. Ava was continuously crying. Leonardo dragged her to the hill end. He gave her a jerk and held her hand again. Ava shivered and screamed once by looking down the hill as she felt she was going to fall down.
No none kept me like this that day. No one kept me from falling off this cliff. Moxi Hudson was a stakeholder. He didn't let me sell. He didn't let me set up a stall in the market. I didn't give up. I went to the market every day. He kicked me from here to break my bones and never go back to market will my stall. They threw a small stone from here. But I become a big rock while rolling.
So do you know the real Leonardo now? So did you see my normal childhood here? Leonardo asked while shouting at her. He held his arms and kept jerking until his words finished there.
These things made me who I am today. This cliff, the ambush field. The edge of that fool with the bullet, beating, the poverty, the dust. And you are telling me that you changed. I am not changed and I can never.
I am Leonardo Benjamin!! Leonardo shouted
There is something else that you are not telling. That you haven't said yet. What is behind this anger? You haven't told me. Ava said
Leonardo looked at Ava he couldn't tell her that he was angry about the way walking toward her. He didn't reply to her question. He went away and sat in the car. He looked at shivering Ava in the cold who was not wearing a single coat. He looked at her from the back view mirror and left her there alone and went to Mr Francis's hut. She came back mansion alone after a few hours. She was worried about his behaviour. She went to James to ask about Leonardo's behaviour.
Can we talk a little bit? Ava asked
Come here, Ava. What thing is disturbing my sister now?
I want to know about your childhood. Was your childhood difficult? Ava asked
James tore off the book page and rolled it in his hand with anger. Ava touched his most sensitive sting of memories.
My parents were gone. One by one everyone vanished. First, my mother left us. She pushed Leonardo he fell down. She was cheating on my dad with her boyfriend Joseph. She told him not to be like his father. She cut off Leonardo's roots. He cried a lot. He suffered a lot and then one night I was sleeping with Henry, Leonardo found my father his neck was tied to the ceiling. He was hanging. He hanged himself. Leonardo tried to save my father from his legs. But he was very small. His hands started stiffing and painful. But he tried until my father fall down. He fell on Leonardo. His arm was broken. You noticed, sometime Leonardo holds his wrist while he reminds that. My father was lying there. I just wanted to lie down with my father. But Leonardo didn't let me. My father didn't wake up. So the car and ship you put on Leonardo's study table? You know kids beat me for not giving that ship to them. He protected me when I was bullied by those kids. Our youngest become our oldest. Become our father to us. One day he turned into a stone, heavy, strong… James said
Very Hard… Ava cried badly and went into her room
Why are you crying, Ava? Does that mafia man do something bad to you? Aiden came inside and asked
He did nothing to me. Exactly the opposite, I did something to him, for the first time. Ava said and cleaned her tears.
I don't understand. What could you do to Leonardo Benjamin? Aiden said
Don't bother. I am good. Tell me why you came here. Ava asked
I... I just came to see you and Lucas. Aiden lied to her. He came to the mansion after Sophia called him and asked him to come there as she saw Ava and Leonardo fight.
I thought we should go to Disneyland. Lucas will enjoy them. Aiden said
Okay. I will ask Lucas then I will inform you. Ava said
Leonardo came back mansion. He was still lost in thoughts. Ava came to the room and started collecting bullets.
What are you doing here again? Leave the mess here and get the hell out of here. Leonardo said
You can't blame me for saying you don't know me well. Ava collected all and stood in front of him. She put bullets on the table.
Because I saw you. Because I understand you, who are you? Ava said
What do you want? Leonardo asked
Ava took bullets one by one in her hands. And counted with her words
One day, I want one of these bullets not to target Lucas. Ava counted
They will not. Leonardo replied
I want one of those bullets not to target someone in the family.
They will not. As long as I live. Leonardo replied
How you can be sure they won't let stuck in your heart? I won't allow it to anyone. I won't get you lost in the dark world. Not Lucas, not James, no one will lose you. I will do my best for this. Ava said
You cannot do anything. Leonardo took bullets from Ava's hand and said
I can do it. Ava said
Are you challenging me? Leonardo asked
Yes. As you think so. You say I can't do this. But I say I can do this. I am telling you that I can be different. Ava said while Leonardo was lost in her eyes.
There is no other way for me. Understand this. It doesn't matter who you are, or what you say. You can't change this. Leonardo said while he came back to his senses.
You are wrong. I also don't care what you say. I see the man you tried to hide in your eyes and you know what I will do? I will help that hidden soul to escape from where it was imprisoned. Ava said
You can't pay me. There is anger where I am, there is pain, and there is death. You can't put other things in front of them and change anything. Get out. Leonardo said rudely as he couldn't able to stand in front of deep eyes. he turned toward the window so he couldn't see Ava.
My challenge will not be with bullets or violence. It will go as you are used to. Unlike you, I will challenge you with love, with love and care for this family. You, all of yours are part of my legacy from Olivia. The only power left in me unlike yours, embrace what is left in my hand. to love them to be kind to them. you will be happy only if you deliver your bullets and punches. And until that day, I will never give up challenging you, Leonardo Benjamin. Because when you are happy. Lucas will be happy, and James will be happy. And I am also. Ava said
Get out from here. Leonardo said
This time you will not be able to intimidate me, make me scared.
I said get out. Get lost. Leonardo said
Ava looked at him for a while and went to her room. she promised herself that she will change the dark side of him. Leonardo went to the terrace. He was unable to settle his feelings and thoughts. Ava started her ways to make him better to get out of the darkness. Whereas he was not letting himself out of his old version.
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