Tell me the truth, father!" Leo demanded, his voice filled with anger as it echoed through the corridor.
Mr. Miles looked at him quietly, his expression unreadable for a moment.
"So… you followed me," he said.
"Yes, I did," Leo replied immediately. "But that's not the point. The point is—you were meeting a traitor. Why were you with Seth and his father after everything he's done to us?"
There was a brief silence.
Mr. Miles finally spoke.
"Yes… I have been meeting Seth and his father," he admitted. "But it's not what you think, Leo. And… I can't tell you the reason behind it."
Leo stared at him in disbelief.
"You can't tell me?" Leo repeated, his voice shaking. "Or you won't tell me? Is it because you don't trust me, father?"
Those words hit Mr. Miles harder than Leo expected.
For a second, he looked hurt—but he still didn't answer.
Leo stepped closer.
"You have to tell me," he said firmly. "I have the right to know."
"Leo… I can't," Mr. Miles said again, his voice low.
That was enough.
"Because I trusted you!" Leo shouted, his voice rising with raw emotion. "How could you do this to us? All this time, I was worried about you… and behind my back, you were meeting our enemy!"
His voice echoed through the hallway.
"I thought after what Seth did—stealing our project and claiming it as his—you were planning something against him!" Leo continued. "I never imagined that you, the person I trusted the most, would work with someone like him!"
Mr. Miles tried to calm him down.
"Leo, calm down—"
"No!" Leo snapped. "I can't calm down! And why should I listen to you? Right now… you feel like a stranger to me. Not the person I knew."
Mr. Miles took a deep breath.
"I understand your anger," he said. "But things are not as simple as you think."
"Then explain it to me!" Leo demanded. "Tell me what this is all about!"
But Mr. Miles remained silent.
That silence spoke louder than any answer.
"I see…" Leo said slowly. "You're not going to tell me anything."
Mr. Miles finally spoke again, his voice heavy.
"Leo… I can only say this. I'm doing it for our company. For our future. I may not be able to explain everything right now… but I'm doing this for our own good."
Leo looked at him, hurt clearly visible in his eyes.
"For our good?" Leo repeated. "Shaking hands with our enemy doesn't look like 'good' to me."
Mr. Miles didn't respond.
He just stood there… watching Leo.
But Leo had heard enough.
Without saying another word, he turned his back and walked into his room, closing the door behind him.
The corridor fell silent.
Mr. Miles stood there alone.
For the first time, he looked tired… not physically, but emotionally.
A few moments later, Mr. Daniel approached him carefully.
"Sir… are you alright?" he asked gently. "It's getting late. I think you should get some rest."
Mr. Miles nodded faintly and walked to his room without another word.
Mr. Daniel watched him go, worry clearly written on his face.
Something is very wrong… he thought.
Inside his room, Leo sat on his bed in silence.
Everything that had happened kept replaying in his mind.
The handshake.
Seth's words.
His father's silence.
Leo clenched his fists.
"This can't be real…" he whispered.
He changed out of his wet clothes and sat back down, staring at the floor.
To him, Mr. Miles was more than just a guardian.
After losing his real father, Mr. Miles had become everything to him.
A father… someone he trusted completely.
And now—
That trust was breaking.
"How could he do this…" Leo said softly.
Suddenly, Seth's words echoed in his mind again:
"Maybe your father doesn't trust you…"
Leo's expression darkened.
"…Maybe he's right," Leo muttered to himself. "Maybe father really doesn't trust me."
That thought hurt more than anything else.
Meanwhile, at Seth's house—
Seth stood near a large window, looking out at the city lights. A satisfied smile rested on his face.
Beside him stood his assistant.
"You know," Seth said casually, "it's interesting… watching someone you dislike suffer."
He let out a small chuckle.
"Leo…" he continued. "It was actually fun seeing him like that—frustrated, angry… completely lost."
The assistant remained silent.
Seth's expression shifted slightly, becoming darker.
"Because of his father," he added, his voice lowering, "I once felt the same way. What his father did to mine in the past… I'll never forget it."
He clenched his fist slightly.
"And now," Seth said, a smirk returning, "Leo is feeling exactly what I felt back then."
He turned away from the window.
"And honestly?" Seth added. "I enjoyed it."
The next morning—
Leo stepped out of his room.
His face looked calm…
But inside, everything had changed.
The trust he once had was now replaced with doubt.
And the questions in his mind were only growing stronger.
If father won't tell me the truth…
Then I'll find it myself.
Leo's eyes hardened with determination.
Because one way or another—
The truth would come out.