Entwined With the Villainous Guardian
Chapter 74: Their Ground, Her Shelter

Chapter 74: Their Ground, Her Shelter

Barnabas’ eyes were filled with disappointment. But he controlled his expression in front of Peter.

"If she feels like she was mistreated, should I apologize to her on behalf of the family?" Peter asked. His wrinkled face looked sternly at Leander with the strictness of an affectionate elder.

"That..." Leander’s voice trailed off. His shoulders drooped a bit.

He understood that it was a rhetorical question. But he did not like the framing.

"She does not FEEL like she was mistreated, grandpa. She WAS mistreated. It was not her decision. I am forbidding her from entering this house. So, please grandpa, don’t frame it as if she had any say in any of...," Leander let out a sigh.

He looked at his grandfather with his eyes unwavering. He was calm, his tone was gentle, and his eyes were pleading when he looked at his grandfather. "Everything that happened yesterday happened without us asking her anything."

Peter raised his brows. His grandson didn’t focus on the part where he said he would apologize. He probably didn’t even listen any further than the first part. He’s too far gone.

"Don’t misplace your anger now, Leander," Peter’s voice was stern. "Your mother... she’s always been that way. And now, with everything happening with Evander... She is a mother. It is understandable if she is downhearted that her eldest son is not married yet."

"I understand, grandpa," Leander smiled. "I’ll take my leave then. Call me when you need me."

Leander didn’t stand there further.

Peter chose a cigar watching the door closing with a thud. Usually, Leander puts some effort into closing the door without making a single noise. The spontaneous changes in him in just a day...

"You know how boys are after their first time. And she’s... she was a virgin too. He’s attached to her. It’ll fade. So don’t think too much," Barnabas stood up and lit up the cigar for Peter.

"You noticed it too...?" Peter took in a puff. "She was the subject of the entire conversation he had with me..."

"Come on..." Barnabas sat down picking a cigar for himself. "I was there. He was not that detached. He was calm."

"Isn’t that more concerning? He killed Paul after ensuring she was safe and outside the house. He was planning on killing Paul the whole time and no one had a single doubt?" Peter asked. "He never caused trouble before."

"It’s better for kids to rebel when they are in their teens, don’t you think?" Barnabas chuckled.

"He does not want my seat. How can he be this arrogant? Barney, how about this?" Peter asked and his eyes turned serious. Barnabas was laughing and he could not. "Let’s have Evander marry the Donatello girl and let her have the heir with Leander and raise him as Evander’s son. Then Leander can be the street boss like he wants to, and Evander can have the kingdom as he wants to."

Barnabas looked at Peter for some seconds to confirm that Peter is being serious.

"What? It’s not that unheard of to raise the brother’s child as the heir. Hell! Kings and commoners alike married their sisters to keep the blood pure. How is this wrong when we need an heir? It serves everyone’s purpose," Peter explained.

Barnabas let out a sigh. "Surely you are not suggesting using the modern medical advancements to get her pregnant considering you mentioning the olden times..."

"It’s better to keep it inside the family. Even if we use a doctor and dispose of him later... it’s just a loose end. I don’t think the Donatello family would refuse. That girl likes Leander so much. She will agree. And considering Leander’s attachment to virgins, won’t he agree too?" Peter was so into it.

Barnabas, promiscuous as he is, still didn’t think Leander would agree to sleep with his brother’s wife considering how he mentions "his wife" in every other sentence he speaks. He’s someone with integrity. He does not understand the urgency.

"You talk to him about it," Peter passed the burden to Barnabas, alerting him.

"Still... I don’t think this will work. Just wait, Peter... He’ll get bored of her soon and then we can dispose of her. Or we can think of other ways to dispose of ~"

"Do you think I haven’t thought about disposing of Russo’s daughter? We don’t know how much she knows about her father’s death. She cannot be left with Leander for long when Leander is getting addicted," Peter got angry. "You saw him!" he pointed at the door. "He’s not himself! We cannot do anything right now."

Barnabas silently took a puff. Peter is asking the questions and answering them himself. He knows that he needs to be patient, but he can’t. But what can anyone do? No one has the guts to go to war against Leander on their own. If Peter does not have the confidence, what can anyone else do?

Leander talks with his gun more than his mouth. And people tend to value their life.

"As far as that girl... Leave her to me. I’ll find more about her," Barnabas said and stood up. "Don’t think so lightly of Leander’s loyalty, Peter. And fix Viola’s attitude. We don’t want to provoke Leander further. Whether we like it or not, he is the ground we stand on."

Peter pressed his lips. Russo’s daughter needs to be investigated further. He assigned Paul to investigate her and now he’s dead. He cannot blame Leander for what Viola instigated. Barnabas is right. Viola needs to be handled.

Leander does not know much about the operations of the Kastello family, but he is the shield protecting them. In a way, he really is the ground they stand on. They will be exposed if he refuses to comply, leading to the family’s destruction.

The Kastello family cannot fall.

"You should start him on the administrative duties that you kept him from till now," Barnabas told Peter. "He cannot stay on the bench any longer."

Peter agreed. Leander does not know the full extent of the operations of the Kastello family. He purposefully kept him from that because he misplaced his faith in Evander.

"Make arrangements to separate the entertainment company from our other businesses. Evander cannot say he was left with nothing." Peter said.

"Okay, I’ll draft the documents and come to you," Barnabas nodded.

If the entertainment company is separated from the other businesses and Leander inherits the rest, Leander is going to be the billionaire. Evander will not be left poor. He will have hundreds of millions in worth.

But Evander is expecting billions. He is not going to be happy with millions. It would be better if Peter settles everything when he is alive.

The fight between brothers can get a lot nasty.

Uh! That woman! She knew it! And she hurt the Kastello family right at the heart!

May you burn in hell forever for what you did to our family!

Barnabas left the office cursing the woman who started the destruction of the Kastello family, not knowing that the ground they stand on—Leander—is now the roof guarding her.