Chapter 568 Reaching an Agreement
The carriage went dead quiet, the vibe getting all spooky. They just stared at each other for what felt like forever. Finally, Andrea looked away and let out a big sigh. He suddenly got that maybe he was going about this all wrong with Ethan.
"If I made you feel weird or anything, I'm sorry. But I hope you get where I'm coming from as a dad," Andrea said, sounding all defeated.
"Seriously? Your kid's missing, and you come to me acting all high and mighty, wanting my sympathy? Get real," Ethan shot back, not buying Andrea's sob story one bit.
"Can't we just find some common ground here?" Andrea frowned, clearly not expecting Ethan to be such a hard-ass.
"Sure, we can, but you gotta answer something for me first," Ethan said, looking all serious and determined.
"What do you wanna know?" Andrea asked, looking suspicious.
"Now you're all worried about your kid. But what were you doing before? Do you even know what Giuseppe's been up to all these years? And his Half-Step Grandmaster strength, that's on you, right?" Ethan smirked, throwing the questions at Andrea.
Andrea was left speechless. He didn't see that coming and had no clue how to respond.
"Guess that means you admit it, huh?" Ethan raised an eyebrow.
"Fine, I admit it. I messed up by not keeping Giuseppe in check and spoiling him. But he's still my son. And as a leader of this country, it's not up to others to decide his fate," Andrea finally gave in, nodding slowly.
"Admitting it shows you're not a lost cause," Ethan chuckled.
"So, will you work with me now?" Andrea ignored Ethan's sarcasm and asked eagerly.
"Sure, but you gotta agree to one condition," Ethan said after a moment of silence, staring at Andrea.
"As long as Giuseppe comes back safe, I'll agree to anything that doesn't screw over the country," Andrea agreed without a second thought.
"Cool. I won't ask you to do anything shady. Just promise that after we find Giuseppe, you'll step down. Go home and set him straight, and I'll let him live," Ethan nodded, satisfied.
Andrea went quiet for a long time. This was a big deal, and he had to think it over.
Ethan just sat there, waiting for Andrea's answer.
"Alright, I can do that," Andrea finally said. No matter how important his job was, he was still a dad, and Giuseppe was his only son.
"Smart move. I never thought someone who can't handle their own family could lead a country," Ethan nodded, pleased.
If Ethan had any beef with Andrea before, now he had a bit of respect for the guy. Sure, Andrea had his flaws, but he wasn't all bad. If Giuseppe had even half of Andrea's smarts, he wouldn't be in this mess.
"Thanks," Andrea said, genuinely.
"Don't thank me. You're just paying for not keeping your kid in check. You had this coming," Ethan said, then hopped out of the car and walked off without a backward glance.
Everything that needed saying was said. No point in dragging it out. All Andrea could do now was wait.
When Ethan got back, Angela and Marco, who'd been stressing out, finally relaxed. Angela was quick to ask, "Was that Giuseppe's dad?"
"Yeah, it was him. Gotta give him some credit; he's got guts," Ethan chuckled, nodding.
Marco chimed in, "Ethan, I really look up to you now."
"Did he give you any trouble?" Angela asked, still worried.
"He wants Giuseppe back safe. I said okay, but only if he steps down," Ethan explained, cool as a cucumber.
Angela and Marco were floored, eyes wide. They didn't see that coming.
"Ethan, I got in touch with our guy. He's waiting at the Martial Arts Association entrance. Should we head out?" Marco asked, snapping back to reality.
"Yeah, let's roll. We still gotta dig deeper if we're gonna save Giuseppe," Ethan sighed.
Honestly, his tough stance with Andrea was more for Giuseppe's sake. Andrea, aside from his kid issues, was a leader worth respecting. But hey, nobody's perfect.
Since he struck a deal with Andrea, he had to figure out how to get Giuseppe back in one piece.
Meanwhile, up on a snowy mountain at the border, Phoenix and Raymond were leading a few elders, trudging through the heavy snow.
"Ethan's stirring the pot in Everglow again. He's bringing out all the wild cards in the country. Not sure if that's good or bad," Raymond said as they walked.
"Problems that need solving will get solved. Let him handle it. If those guys could take Ethan head-on, they wouldn't be playing dirty," Phoenix chuckled.
"I'm just worried these greedy bastards will push him too far. Vexa's down to a few thousand people; Ethan might wipe them out," Raymond shook his head, smiling bitterly.
"That's not our problem. We just need to watch out for outside threats," Phoenix said, seeing things clearer than Raymond.
"We've been patrolling here for two days and found squat. Should we check somewhere else?" one of the elders asked.
"No need. I feel he's here," Raymond suddenly stopped, looking up at the snowy peaks, and smiled.
"Yeah, it's been over ten years since we last saw this old friend. Didn't expect it to be him this time," Phoenix nodded, also sensing something.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
