A nearby couple stopped talking.
Thomas remained calm.
"Sir, I am not asking you to agree with me. I am only asking you to consider the information before making an offer."
Richard's expression hardened.
He disliked being questioned, especially by someone he considered beneath him.
He pushed the folder away.
"Here's my final offer. Take it or leave it."
Thomas looked at the number.
It was significantly lower than the property's actual market value.
He slowly shook his head.
"I'm afraid I cannot accept that."
Richard's smile disappeared.
"Excuse me?"
"I said I cannot accept it. I would rather wait for a fair offer."
Richard stood up so quickly that his chair scraped against the floor.
"Do you have any idea who you're talking to?"
Thomas remained seated.
"I'm talking to a businessman who made an offer. And I am simply declining it."
Several people were now watching.
Richard stepped closer.
"You should be grateful that someone like me is even willing to look at your property."
Thomas quietly closed the folder.
"Respectfully, Mr. Cole, money does not give anyone the right to disrespect another person."
Those words were the final spark.
Richard grabbed Thomas by the front of his jacket.
"Don't lecture me about respect!"
Thomas struggled to free himself.
"Please let go."
But Richard pushed harder.
The elderly man's balance gave way. His body fell forward, and his face struck the polished wooden table.
A glass toppled over.
Someone gasped.
Thomas tried to lift himself, but Richard kept one hand pressed against his shoulder.
For a moment, the entire restaurant seemed frozen.
People stared.
Some reached for their phones.
Others whispered.
But nobody moved.
Nobody wanted trouble.
Nobody wanted to become involved with a powerful businessman.
Thomas's hand trembled against the table.
He looked around the room, searching for someone who might help.
His eyes were filled with humiliation, but there was something even more painful beneath it.
He was not afraid of being hurt.
He was ashamed that people were watching another human being suffer and choosing to remain silent.
Then, from the entrance, a firm voice cut through the room.
"Take your hands off my father."
Everyone turned.
A man in a perfectly tailored navy-blue suit stood near the doorway.
His name was Daniel Bennett.
And he had just witnessed the one thing he could never forgive.
Daniel had not planned to visit the restaurant that afternoon.
His schedule had changed unexpectedly after a business meeting was canceled. He had intended to return to his office, but then he remembered that his father had mentioned meeting someone nearby.
He decided to surprise him.
For weeks, Daniel had been telling himself that he would spend more time with Thomas.
There was always another meeting, another contract, another deadline.
He had convinced himself that providing financial security was the same as being present.
But the moment he stepped through the restaurant doors, he realized how wrong he had been.
His father was bent over a table.
A stranger had his hand pressed against the old man's shoulder.
And everyone else was watching.
Daniel's expression changed.
He walked forward slowly.
"Take your hands off my father."
Richard turned.
For a brief second, he looked surprised.
Then he recognized Daniel.
"Daniel Bennett?"
Daniel did not answer immediately.
His eyes remained fixed on his father's trembling hands.
"Are you hurt, Dad?"
Thomas tried to straighten himself.
"Daniel... it's okay."
"No, Dad. It isn't."
Daniel gently helped his father stand.
He noticed the red mark on Thomas's forehead and the spilled water soaking his jacket.
Something tightened inside his chest.
He turned toward Richard.
"What happened here?"
Richard adjusted his suit.
"Your father and I had a disagreement. He became unreasonable, and I had to control the situation."
Daniel stared at him.
"You call this controlling a situation?"
"Don't make this bigger than it is."
Daniel stepped closer.
"An elderly man is lying against a table because you couldn't accept the word no."
Richard gave a dismissive laugh.
"Listen, Daniel. This is a business matter. You and I can discuss it privately."
"Business matter?"
"Yes. Your father refused a reasonable offer."
Daniel looked at the documents.
Then he looked back at Richard.
"So you decided to put your hands on him?"
Richard's expression became colder.
"You should be careful. You don't know the full story."
Daniel took another step forward.
"I know enough."
The two men stood face-to-face.
Neither looked away.
The restaurant had become completely silent.
Thomas reached for his son's arm.
"Daniel, please. Let's go home."
Daniel looked at his father.
For the first time that afternoon, his anger softened.
He saw the man who had carried him through childhood, who had sacrificed everything without asking for recognition.
He saw the same hands that had held his bicycle when he learned to ride.