Leo lifted his head, eyes locking onto mine, his hand still holding mine.
Then his gaze shifted toward my lips.
I swallowed hard.
Will he…?
His breath brushed against my cheek.
And suddenly, I forgot how to breathe.
The space between us was only a few inches, and his breath hit the side of my face.
"I need to make sure of something," he whispered, voice rough and low.
I froze. "W-what?"
He didn't answer. His eyes just locked onto mine, challenging, demanding. After being torn apart by his father, I knew Leo needed something to hold on to. He needed to feel in control of something, no matter how small.
And right now, that "something" was me.
I leaned forward, slowly. There was no way out of this, no path but to follow where this was going.
Our lips met. At first, it was soft, almost formal. But Leo didn't stop there.
His hand shot around my waist, pulling me closer until our bodies pressed together.
The kiss changed, no longer polite, no longer tentative. It was a desperate, hungry plea. There was tension in the way he held me, raw and real.
The boy who had seemed so broken moments ago now felt like a starving beast.
My thoughts began to spin. This was wrong. I should stop him.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
The loud knocks shattered everything into pieces.
We both jerked apart. Leo turned his back to me, breathing hard.
The door swung open. Nathan Rhys leaned against the doorframe, his smirk dripping with mockery.
"Well, well, well… sorry to interrupt. I thought I heard some strange noises, like… restrained moans?" His tone was pure poison.
My face burned. I took a step back, smoothing my clothes.
Leo turned around. His expression was calm, cold, but the muscle in his jaw twitched.
"Get out," he said flatly.
Nathan raised both hands in a fake surrender. "Easy, bro. I just wanted to check on your fiancée. I heard Father was a little… harsh. But it seems like you found your own way to comfort her, huh?"
I forced a polite smile. "Thank you for your concern, Nathan. But I'm fine. We were just talking about the wedding."
Nathan's smirk widened. He walked in slowly, eyes trailing over me from head to toe. "The wedding, right. You know, Emily, you should probably know something about my dear brother here."
He stopped right beside me, lowering his voice. "Leo's a real troublemaker. Manipulative as hell. He always wants what's mine, my job, my girlfriend, my achievements… even my life, once."
I raised a brow.
We're doing this again?
"Be careful, Emily," Nathan continued, tone smooth as silk. "A night with him can leave you with... permanent consequences. I mean, he might—"
Thud!
A sofa pillow flew through the air and smacked Nathan right in the face.
Leo had moved before I even realized it. He now stood in the middle of the room, eyes dark and deadly.
Nathan dropped the pillow and burst out laughing. "Relax, Leo. Just joking."
"Out. Now." Leo's voice was low, vibrating with fury.
Nathan raised his shoulders lazily. "Fine, fine. I'm just warning my soon-to-be sister-in-law. Don't blame me when you wake up one day and realize your life's a mess."
He gave me one last look, making sure I heard every word, then turned and walked out.
When the door closed, silence fell again, thick, heavy, humiliating.
Leo walked toward me, grabbed my wrist, his grip firm, warm, commanding.
Oh great. He's back to being the angry, control-obsessed Leo.
"Let's go," he said, pulling me toward the door.
"Alright," I replied quietly, letting him lead.
We walked down the hallway, hand in hand. I could feel the servants eyes peeking from behind the pillars. I forced myself not to pull away.
At the front door, Leo offered a short, curt goodbye to Eleanor and Jason, who stood frozen in the living room.
"We're leaving," he said. And didn't wait for a response.
We were almost at the car when Eleanor's voice called out behind us.
"Emily! Wait!"
Leo exhaled sharply, dropped my hand, and kept walking.
Eleanor hesitated, watching him go, then turned to me. "Dear, I'm so happy you came. I prepared something for both of you."
She handed me a small woven basket decorated with a ribbon. "Some snacks and smoothies, specially made for pregnant women."
Then she pulled out another small lunch box. "And this one's for Leo, dear. Ginseng soup to keep you both warm. He looks so pale lately."
I forced a smile. "Oh, Eleanor. Thank you so much. That's very thoughtful."
"Take care, Emily. And don't forget my offer about the private doctor," she added, giving me a quick hug before stepping back.
Oh, for god's sake, she still remembers that? Can she please stay out of this?
"Of course, Eleanor. See you soon," I said, flashing my best polite smile.
~~~~~
LEONARDO'S POV
The engine hummed. The silence inside the car was unbearable.
I knew what happened earlier was too much… but how could she stay so quiet after that? Normally she'd argue, tease, or at least say something.
I glanced at Emily, her eyes fixed on the road, unreadable.
My phone buzzed. A message. From Nathan.
{Glad to see you running off so soon. But check carefully, bro. Emily said you got her pregnant. Remember that night? You sure everything happened the way you think it did? Don't let her play you. You know how women can be.}
My blood boiled.
Seriously, Nathan? He never shut up.
But when I caught Emily's reflection in the rearview mirror, the thought hit me. What if… she really wasn't pregnant?
I couldn't remember anything that night. Nothing. My body was heavy, my head spinning. All I remembered was waking up next to her, with our clothes and the condom tossed aside.
I looked at Emily again, now fussing with the basket Eleanor had given her.
The question wouldn't leave my head. I had to find out what really happened that night.
Did Nathan know something? Was Emily lying?
I pressed down on the gas pedal. The car surged forward.
When we arrived at her place, I parked hard. "Out," I said flatly.
She looked at me, clearly taken aback. Then she reached for the basket and lunch box from the backseat.
"Alright, Mr. Leo. Thanks for today. I left the food Eleanor gave you on the backseat. Don't forget to take it and—"
"Okay," I cut her off. I didn't trust myself to stay here any longer.
Emily let out a long sigh, then slammed the car door shut just a bit too hard.
Yeah, great. Now I probably look like the world's biggest jerk. But fuck it.
At home, I went straight to the kitchen, pulled out the lunch box she'd left, and opened it. The ginseng soup had gone cold, but it still smelled expensive. I poured it straight into the sink.
Then I grabbed a pack of instant noodles, boiled some water, and waited. This, simple, salty, unpretentious was something I could actually eat.
I sat on the kitchen counter, eating noodles straight from the pot. As I chewed, my thoughts drifted back to the bedroom at my parents' house.
Her fingers. Her warmth. That kiss.
I shivered.
Why did I do that? Why did I need her to "make sure" of something?
I must've lost my damn mind.
I exhaled slowly. I needed to stop thinking about Emily and all her possible lies.
My eyes drifted across the bookshelf. Then they caught on something, a thin black folder wedged between old documents.
ORION-78.
A name that had been buried for months. A suspicious case only my father and Nathan had touched. It was shut down abruptly, erased from every report, every news article.
I grabbed my phone. "Seb?"
"Yo, Leo. What's up? You sound like a ghost."
"I need you to help me reopen the Orion-78 file."
"The hell? Why, all of a sudden?"
"I want to know what really happened. And whether it ties into… you know, everything else."
There was a long pause.
"Leo… you know this is dangerous."
"I know," I said sharply. "I know the risk. But I need to confirm the rumors."
Sebastian sighed heavily.
"Damn it. Fine. I'll help. But let's pray this won't get us both killed."
Click.
I ended the call.
And if my suspicion was right… Emily might not be the only one hiding something.