Leo Lin gave Barnett a light pat on the shoulder and asked him to wait there for a moment before heading behind the flower display to pick out some flowers.
As he moved deeper into hiding behind the racks, he glanced at Barnett, who was still waiting not far away, and murmured to himself,
"It's fine. Even if you forgot to bring flowers today, you still look just as handsome."
Barnett had no idea what was about to happen. He couldn't possibly foresee what was coming.
He simply sat there in the flower shop, admiring the flowers around him and breathing in their fragrance, feeling completely at ease.
Meanwhile, hidden out of sight, Leo Lin spotted Delores—elegance woven into her very being—walking slowly up behind Barnett. She gently took hold of his wheelchair and began pushing him forward through the shop.
Barnett assumed Leo Lin had come back.
"That fast? Already picked the flowers?"
"What did you get? Let me have a look."
He waited, but no reply came from behind. By the time the wheelchair was pushed to a small table in the corner of the shop, Barnett casually picked up a floral arrangement, intending to have Leo Lin put together a bouquet for him.
"This would look great on my balcony."
Suddenly—
"Barnett, it's been a long time."
Barnett froze instantly, as if rooted to the spot.
"De…"
"Delores."
Delores adjusted his wheelchair slightly, then sat down slowly in front of him, brushing a few loose strands of hair from her forehead.
Hidden nearby, Leo Lin couldn't hear what they were saying, but when he saw the smile spread across Barnett's face, he simply smiled to himself.
"Barnett, no need to thank me."
...
Four hours later, Leo Lin still hadn't received a call from Barnett—completely different from what he had expected.
Maria sat beside him.
"Relax. We made this decision together, and we came up with this plan together."
"If Barnett really shows up with a Barrett, I'll stand in front of you. Trust me, he wouldn't dare do anything to me. My dad is Guardiola."
Maria spoke with absolute confidence. Leo Lin thought about it and felt she wasn't entirely wrong—but then another thought crossed his mind.
Given the caliber and power of a Barrett, even if Maria stood in front of him, he'd probably still get shot clean through.
Just as he was thinking that, the phone suddenly rang—loud enough to rival a horror movie jump scare.
The caller ID showed Barnett.
Even through the screen, Leo Lin could practically feel his anger.
He answered.
A brief second of silence—
Then an explosive roar.
"AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
"LIN!!!"
"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!!!"
Leo Lin quickly cut in.
"Barnett, calm down. You're not young anymore—don't get so worked up. Take care of your voice."
"And even if you somehow mutated, it wouldn't help. You'd still be a crippled zombie—you couldn't bite anyone."
The shouting on the other end stopped abruptly.
Then Barnett's voice returned, calm and composed.
"Lin, let's have dinner together tonight. I'd like to thank you properly."
Leo Lin replied without hesitation:
"Yeah, right!"
"Nope!"
"Nope, nope, nope!"
"You think I don't see through you? Invite me to dinner, lure me in, and then carry out your revenge plan?"
"Barnett, don't try that on me. I've seen more of the world than you have."
Maria nodded along instinctively—then suddenly felt something was off.
Was that really something an 18-year-old should be saying to a 67-year-old super agent?
Everything felt upside down.
Then a voice came from the other end again—but this time, it wasn't Barnett.
It was a woman's voice, slightly aged yet still graceful and composed.
"Lin, come join us for dinner tonight."
There was a strange pull in that voice.
Leo Lin didn't need to guess.
It had to be Delores.
"Alright."
After hanging up, Leo Lin and Maria hugged and celebrated.
"We did it! We actually did it!"
"I knew Barnett could do it!"
As they celebrated, far away in Manchester, a certain bald head sneezed three times in a row.
The unease lingering in Guardiola's heart suddenly surged.
"Something's off…"
"This isn't right."
"Is something big about to happen?"
"But there aren't any important matches coming up…"
Unable to figure it out, Guardiola took out his phone and checked his daughter Maria's contact.
"My dear daughter, where are you?"
A moment later, Maria replied: "Busy, Dad. Talk later."
At 6 p.m., Leo Lin, dressed in a sharp, tailored suit, and Maria, in an elegant evening gown, appeared at a hotel in Liverpool.
Even though they entered through the back door, some fans still managed to snap photos.
Barnett had booked out the entire second floor of the restaurant—something Leo Lin immediately recognized as a sign of his excellent mood.
Barnett had a rather peculiar habit—one typical of the ultra-wealthy.
Whenever he was truly happy, he would reserve an entire floor of a top-tier restaurant.
Sometimes he'd invite Mike, sometimes Leo Lin—just two or three people, always those he trusted most. They would sit together, drink the finest wines, and enjoy a lavish meal.
And only at times like these would Barnett truly eat his fill. Normally, he ate very little, but when he was in a good mood, he had a hearty appetite.
Seeing this setup, Leo Lin finally relaxed. He knew Barnett was genuinely happy.
As soon as they reached the second floor, Delores pushed Barnett forward in his wheelchair.
The silver-haired old man still pretended to be angry, pointing at Leo Lin and scolding him loudly.
"You little brat! You actually used my trust in you to set me up!"
Leo Lin stepped forward, gently fixing a stray strand of silver hair that had fallen near Barnett's temple. After tidying it, he patted his shoulder.
"No need to thank me, Barnett. I love you too."
Barnett snorted dismissively, then turned to shake hands with Maria.
Meanwhile, this was Leo Lin's first time seeing Delores up close.
Just as he had said before—she had the bone structure of a true beauty.
That kind of natural elegance couldn't be created through any amount of cosmetic work. It was something innate, something that radiated from within.
"Hello, Delores."
"I've heard Barnett talk about you countless times. Late at night, he'd call me in tears, telling me how determined he was to win you back."
Leo Lin's playful remark made Delores laugh.
She stepped forward and greeted him with a cheek kiss.
At the same time, Barnett reached over and gave Leo Lin's backside a hard pinch.
"You little punk—quit making stuff up!"
The four of them sat down and shared dinner together.
The meal lasted over two hours, filled with warmth and laughter.
It had been a long time since Leo Lin had seen Barnett smile like that.
He knew it then.
The knot in this silver-haired old man's heart had finally come undone.
...
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