To Help or Not To Help (1)

It's been a few days since the Buenavista Estate has become livelier than usual. Ethan's after school appearances have become normal. Lily's martial art skills have improved drastically. The new security detail for Lily has started to get the hang of their roles. To top it off, Lucario's search for a correspondence with the Meyling Food Court has finally ended when an email pops up on his phone while he is at the furniture warehouse.

"Billy," Lucario calls after stopping in his tracks to read the email. A sly smile creeps onto his face as he glances up at his assistant who finally arrives. Lucario sticks his phone back into his pocket then beckons for his assistant to lean in.

Confused, Billy leans in as he is ordered to.

"It's time to set up a meeting with the men from the Meyling Food Court as soon as possible," Lucario informs, patting Billy's back.

"And you want me to be the one to do it, right?" Billy whines as he shakes his head.

With an evil smile, Lucario pats his assistants back once more before walking off to finish his weekly warehouse surveillance.

Billy pinches the bridge of this nose before letting out an exasperated sigh. "He always throws difficult shit on me."

—

After school, Ryan brings Lily and Ethan over to Lucario's office instead of to the training hall like he normally would. This makes Lily curious, so she runs over to her father's lap and stares up at him with her beady green eyes.

"What surprise do you have for me, Daddy?!" Lily quickly asks, jumping up and down.

Chuckling at the sight of his daughter's excitement, he picks her up and places her on his lap. "Why do you think I have a surprise for you, baby girl?"

"Because Ethan and I are supposed to go to the training hall, but we are here instead, meaning that there's a surprise for us!"

Lucario's eyes soften as he watches his daughter smile. The lack of doubt or suspicion that Lily shows her father. Giving him her entire trust. Believing that he would never do anything bad to her. It kind of makes him feel guilty for what they are about to talk about.

"Lily, can I ask you something?" Lucario finally begins after getting Lily to face him.

"Yeah! Daddy can ask me anything!" Lily responds, nodding her head.

"There's something very important that happened this morning, and I want to ask if you will help me."

Tilting her head, Lily furrows her brows. "Why would Daddy need my help? I'm only a kid."

Slipping Lily's stray hairs behind her ears, Lucario repositions her on his lap. "You know how you are going to take over this family when you get older, right?"

Lily nods her head.

"I want to know if you would like to start helping me with the family business now. There's something that's going on, and I would like your help on it. You can say no if you feel like you can't do it."

Lily rests her head in her hands as she thinks about what her father said. She glances over at Ethan and Ryan who are standing in front of the desk. They simply look on, unsure of what to suggest.

"Daddy, can I really help you even though I'm a little kid?" Lily asks, setting her hands on her lap. "I might mess up and make you look bad."

"It's okay if you mess up," Luacrio reassures. "It's part of learning. It's better to mess up when you're still a little kid because I can protect you when you do."

Looking down at her small hands, Lily ponders a bit more on it. She wants to be able to help her father. She's made it in her mind to help as much as she can. However, she's worried that her father might come to hate her if she makes a big mistake.

Noticing this, Lucario pulls Lily closer to him and embraces her in a soft hug. "You don't have to give me an answer right now if you can't decide. I don't mind waiting."

"Can I give you an answer at dinner, Daddy?" Lily requests as she wraps her small arms around her father.

"Of course you can, baby girl."

As Lily tightly hugs onto her father, Lucario gazes up at Ethan who has been standing quietly and watching everything unfold. Ethan understands immediately and clears his throat.

"Lily, let's go to the training hall now," Ethan suggests as he walks up to Lily. "Let's have a light sparring match to see what we need to improve on."

Ethan stretches out his hand to Lily to which Lily takes it and hops off of her father's lap. Before they leave, Lucario calls for Ethan.

"Ethan, let me talk with you for a moment," Lucario says.

As intended, Ethan lets go of Lily's hand and moves her closer to Ryan. "You go on first, Lily. I'll be there in a couple of minutes. I promise," he whispers before waving her off.

Even after the door has clicked closed, Lucario and Ethan sit in the silence until Ethan speaks up.

"What are you planning, Father Lucario?" Ethan interrogates, crossing his arms.

"Should you really be talking like that to your boss?" Lucario counters, doing the same.

"I will if it pertains to Lily's safety and peace of mind," Ethan claps back, narrowing his gaze. "So what are you planning?"

Shaking his head, Lucario chuckles to himself. "You're bold, but you do your job well, so I'll let it slide." Lucario sits up in the chair and pulls out a small notepad from the top desk drawer, handing it to Ethan. "The Meyling Food Court has finally agreed to speak with us. If Lily agrees to help me, I will just have her sitting next to me. She won't say anything if she doesn't want to. Her presence is enough to catch their attention. However, if Lily doesn't want to do it, I will push the idea of me exposing the Johnsons in order to get them on my side."

Ethan continues to glare at Lucario as he takes in the information. "The only thing I'm concerned about is if Lily's decision will be honored. She will not be used without her consent. I will go with whatever decision she makes."

"Of course," Lucario responds like it was obvious. "Lily won't be treated like how the women of this family used to be treated. She will not be used like a pawn. She will have a decision in everything that concerns her."

"Then that's all I need to know," Ethan concludes. "If that's all, I have to go to the training hall and spar with Lily."

"You're dismissed," Lucario waves off as he turns to his computer. "Make sure you help Lily improve steadily. We'll talk again at dinner."