When they arrived at the house, Leon's mother, Charlotte, was in the kitchen preparing lunch. Despite their wealth and the ability to have a dedicated family cook, Charlotte cherished cooking for her family during their special moments. She often said, "A mother's kitchen is the heart of the home," emphasizing that her efforts in the kitchen were central to creating a warm and loving family environment. She poured her heart and soul into her cooking.

As Alexander and Leon entered, they were greeted by the delightful aroma of her culinary creations.

Alexander asked, "Honey, what's for lunch today?"

Charlotte replied in a somewhat teasing tone, "Oh, look who decided to come home. I was starting to wonder if I still had a husband. I've been here all morning cooking, and you didn't even check in on me."

Alexander responded, "I genuinely thought you were fine, dear. You know you can always call if you need me, right?"

Charlotte retorted, "Call you? Really? Shouldn't a husband just know when his wife needs help? Can't you surprise me?"

While she spoke, she was chopping onions vigorously. When she mentioned "surprise me," she chopped the onions even more forcefully and turned to look at Alexander.

Alexander tried to soothe her, saying, "Honey, don't be upset. You know I love you, right?"

Charlotte, still a bit annoyed, replied, "Love me? You have a funny way of showing it, don't you?"

Sensing the tension, Leon attempted to slip away, but Charlotte noticed him.

Charlotte called out, "Where do you think you're going, mister? Why didn't you come and help Mommy too? Were you having fun at the pier fishing and bonding while I slaved away here?"

At that point, the onions' souls left their bodies, given the violent chopping.

Leon, empathizing with the unfortunate onions, said to himself, "Amitabha, I will remember your great sacrifice today, Mr. Onion, and I'll make sure to enjoy the food later. May you be reincarnated as a more fortunate vegetable in your next life."

Charlotte remarked, "Oh, so you're not responding now?"

With Charlotte's attention now on Leon, Alexander subtly gestured to his son to take the fall and that he would make it up to him later. Leon, realizing the possible repercussions, locked eyes with his father and addressed his mother with an innocent look.

Leon said, "Sorry, Mom. Dad suggested we have some father-and-son bonding time, just the two of us." He exaggeratedly emphasized the word "two" to redirect the focus onto his father.

Alexander gazed at Leon in disbelief at the clever betrayal. Charlotte redirected her attention to her husband.

Charlotte teased, "Well, would you look at that, honey. If I didn't know any better, it seems like you were trying to avoid me. Did you get cold feet after your suggestion this morning?"

Alexander, acknowledging his defeat, retrieved his secret weapon: a beautiful necklace he had bought for Charlotte, planning to give it to her on her birthday. He always kept it close for moments like this when he needed to smooth things over.

Alexander said, "Honey, don't be mad. I wanted to surprise you. In fact, it was Leon's idea to come back late to make it a surprise."

Leon watched in amazement as his father artfully spun his words, temporarily forgetting about the consequences of his own betrayal.

Charlotte became delighted and asked, "Oh, darling, you didn't have to. Is this the necklace we saw that time? I thought you weren't paying attention because you seemed busy."

Alexander craftily responded, "How could I not pay attention to my beautiful wife and her likes?"

Charlotte and Alexander began flirting with each other, and noticing this, Leon attempted to sneak away a second time. However, his mother caught him once more.

Charlotte called out, "Leon."

Leon responded, "Yes, Mom."

Charlotte suggested, "How about you go get your brother? He's been playing video games all morning. Tell him to take a shower and come down for lunch, you too Leon go take a shower and come down for lunch. It'll be ready in an hour or so."

Leon agreed, "Yes, Mom. I'll let Ethan know, and then I'll take a shower."

Charlotte replied, "Good, and you too, honey. You should freshen up."

Alexander concurred, "Yes, dear. I'll go have a shower as well."

Alexander kissed his wife, and him and Leon both started heading upstairs. As they ascended, Alexander turned to Leon and playfully warned him, "Traitor."

Leon denied, "No way, Dad. I knew you had it all under control."

Alexander, still amused, playfully pointed at his own eyes and then at Leon's, saying, "I've got my eye on you."

Leon continued to praise his father, saying, "Common, Dad. You're the greatest businessman. I knew you had a plan for every situation. You're smart, handsome, fit, and rich – you're perfect."

Alexander basked in the compliments and commented, "Oh, my son, you're absolutely right. Dad has a way of handling every situation."

They reached their respective rooms. Alexander remembered his promise to call Jork to inform him about the morning meeting, while Leon was left with the task of notifying Ethan that lunch was ready.

Leon knocked on Ethan's door, but there was no response. Leon thought to himself, "What's he doing in there? Watching something he shouldn't be? Porn maybe? It would be awkward to walk in on my little brother in that situation." He knocked a few more times, but there was still no answer, so he cautiously opened the door.

To his surprise, Ethan was fully engrossed in a video game, wearing noise-canceling headphones.

Leon watched his brother having fun and thought, "Look at him, enjoying himself. This time, I'll make sure to protect you and everyone." Observing the game, Leon realized it was a popular title he used to enjoy in his past life. Given his prior expertise and connections, he had learned various tricks, hacks, and game exploits. He had even met some top players and received coaching tips.

Leon tapped Ethan on the shoulder and startled him.

Ethan exclaimed, "Whoa! You almost made me pee myself. Why didn't you knock?"

Leon lightly flicked Ethan's forehead and responded, "I did, but guess who had headphones on and couldn't hear me knocking until I entered your room?"

Ethan, now more alert, retorted, "Touché. So, what do you want?"

Leon proposed, "Mom wants you downstairs."

Ethan grumbled, "Man, can't she wait until I defeat the dungeon boss? It took me 3 hours to raid this dungeon solo and if i go now i can't complete it and won't get the rewards. "

Leon responded, "Nah don't think she will wait, you don't want her to come and get you now do you?"

Leon looking at his brother Ethan disappointed he bargained, "How about this: I'll teach you a trick on how to beat the dungeon. Afterward, you can speed-run it and set the world record in just 30 minutes."

Ethan's eyes lit up with interest. "Really? But you don't even play video games anymore."

Leon explained, "Okay, here's the deal. If I can teach you how to do it, and you complete it in 30 minutes, you owe me a favor. Deal?"

Ethan agreed, "Deal, but if you can't teach me or I don't complete it in 30 minutes, you owe me a favor. Do you accept?"

Leon grinned, "Look at my cute little brother trying to bargain. Sure, you've got a deal on our brother's bond."

Ethan added, "Sure, deal, on our brothers' bond."

Leon encouraged Ethan to head downstairs to their mom and promised to remind him later to teach him the trick on how to beat the dungeon in 30 minutes. As Ethan descended the stairs, he called out, "Mom, you called?"

Leon couldn't help but smile as he listened to his brother making his way downstairs. "Look at him go," he thought with a grin.

Deciding it was his turn, Leon whispered to himself, "Alright, time for me to get cleaned up."

Exiting his brother's room, he strolled back to his own, a sense of accomplishment in his step. Today had been a productive day. He had successfully laid the groundwork for securing the funds he needed to kickstart his plan. While he hadn't revealed every detail to his dad, he'd shared enough to pique his father's interest in Leon's idea.

As he prepared to step into the shower, Leon remarked to himself, "Well, that was eventful. Time to wash up and head downstairs."

Leon shed his clothes and entered the bathroom, located conveniently within his room. As the water cascaded over him, he couldn't help but feel a sense of contentment. It was akin to a child playing with their favorite toy. In this moment of relaxation, he playfully called out, "Status," causing his attribute bar to appear.

Typically, all humans possessed standard attributes set at 1.00. However, Leon's attributes were now above average due to his awakening. Of course, exceptions existed, like bodybuilders or elite athletes in sports such as marathons, who could have higher-than-normal attributes in their respective fields. Leon hadn't fully explored the extent of his newfound strength or any other attributes yet. He still saw himself as somewhat weak and hadn't fully grasped the unique situation he now found himself in.

After glancing at his status bar for a few moments, Leon commanded, "Close," making the bar disappear. He finished his shower, exited the bathroom within his room, and changed into simple attire. Something about his room felt oddly smaller today, but he shrugged it off, muttering, "Oh well."

Leaving his room, he met his father, Alexander, on the stairs. Leon greeted his father with a smile and inquired, "Ready for Mom's lunch?"

Alexander responded, "You little rascal. I've also spoken with Jork; he should be here in the morning. I've instructed him to set up an account in your name and deposit one million to start."

Leon was surprised by how swiftly his father had taken care of things. It had been less than an hour since they'd discussed it, and everything was already sorted. He remarked, "That was fast."

Alexander replied, "Indeed. Don't disappoint me, Leon. I had planned to give you a few years to enjoy your youth before involving you in the company. But now that you've volunteered, I won't go easy on you. Remember, with great power comes great responsibility."

Leon couldn't help but tease, "Are you quoting Spider-Man lines, Dad? That almost gave me goosebumps."

Alexander chuckled and said, "I thought I could get away with it, you little rascal. But you understand the gist, right?"

Leon nodded and assured, "Yes, Dad, I understand. I'll do my best to meet all your expectations."

Alexander added, "Good. Jork will be here in the morning, so make sure you get enough rest tonight."

Leon responded, "Certainly."

Alexander continued, "Alright, let's head downstairs; your mom is probably waiting for us."

With that, they both descended the stairs to find Charlotte waiting for them. Upon their arrival, Ethan was busy setting the table. His mother had prepared a feast, including cottage pie, steak, garlic bread, and more. Leon pitched in to help his brother set up the table. After finishing lunch, Ethan spoke up eagerly, "Leon, come on, let's go! You promised to teach me, remember?"

Leon replied, "Yeah, yeah, I won't forget. Let's clear the table and then get started."

Charlotte, curious, asked, "What are you two up to?"

Ethan explained, "Leon said he's going to teach me a secret way to beat the dungeon in TSO Dungeon Raid Online. The world records are 2 hours for a group raid and 4 hours for a solo raid."

Charlotte, intrigued, remarked, "Oh, really?"

Ethan beamed, "Yeah, but Leon said he'll teach me how to do it in less than 30 minutes. That would be a world record for both solo and group raids!"

Alexander chimed in, "Wow, Leon, that's quite a promise. Your brother Ethan has high expectations from you now."

Charlotte, concerned, questioned, "Darling, shouldn't you be telling them not to play too many video games? I know they're just bonding as brothers, but too much gaming isn't good for them, don't you think?"

Alexander considered and replied, "That's true, but it's their summer holiday. Let's cut them some slack this time. Besides, Leon will be pretty busy soon, so let him relax for a bit."

Charlotte relented, "Okay, if you say so."

After helping Leon clear the table and load the dirty dishes into the dishwasher, Ethan kissed his mother on the cheeks, bidding her goodnight. Leon did the same, and they both headed off to Ethan's room.