I was feeling a little guilty that I have mistook Leon like some kind of creepy man. I supposed he was just serious about wanting to help me.My reaction was only reasonable, he was a complete stranger to me. Anyone in my position would have probably done the same thing—even if they encountering someone as strikingly captivating as this man before me, although with a bit tinge fondness for green jokes.“Now, you go and eat this for now. Have some rest because I needed to run some urgent errands for a while.” Leon quickly said that distracted us from the short silence that enveloped us both.“Uh, no, I mean, I don’t need to finish this. I needed to go home now. My aunt probably is worried about me.” I promptly told him, remembering that I had been long gone since I left and then I haven’t called at least to inform her of my whereabouts.I bet she’d be worried as hell about where to find me. And knowing my aunt, she would probably be calling for help to find where I was.That instantly
Coming down to follow Leon was such a sneaky move I never thought I would actually be able to pull out. However, trying to eavesdrop into him and his guests conversation was something I found to be more stupid and reckless.I really thought this place was like a small flat, but I found out that where I woke up was just a spacious room of this large house I am in that it made me wonder if this house was actually leon’s house or if he borrowed it to impress me.However, it wasn’t even my main concern now.My attention was focused on my current situation. I found myself stuck in a position where the possibility of getting found was imminent and that Leon would surely get mad at me if he were to find me here and disobeying his request that I just remain inside the room.While hearing the rest of them talk, I suddenly had a growing sense that they could really be part of some illegal drug dealers. I have no idea what could this produce they’re talking about and who could his guest be refer
I was not entirely sure why Leon was suddenly sounding as though what he wanted to convey was something I was not ready to know. “I don’t know what exactly you mean by that but since you obviously found out about me eavesdropping then I don’t have any reason to hide it any longer.” I finally admitted that I actually become curious and tried to follow him.And as a result of that, I was wounded on my left heel instead. Sometimes my reckless decisions always puts me to danger and obviously, I really felt bad about it in the end.Although most of the time it often becomes too late for me to regret over my decisions. Even my aunt feels concern at some of my impulsive decisions.I could only just wish now that Leon wouldn't be furious at me now that he knows the truth. I mean, he was surprisingly aware of it by the way so the only thing that worries me now would be his next course of action towards me."How much of our conversation have you heard?" he asked, still his voice was calm that
“Isn’t it obvious? Of course I would run away from you!” I said as I begin to crawl backwards slowly until my back bumped on the bed’s soft headboard.It was the edge and Leon was now inching his way closer to me, “Oh yeah?” “Yes!” I firmly said back even though the way Leon looked at me so intently was giving me so much chills. “How could you do that when your other foot is injured?” the way that Leon say each of his words was too slow and obviously hypnotizing.It was making me feel like everything about him was to whimsica at the moment. The fury I was trying to contain earlier was now being rained by a newfound sensation of attraction that I was still trying to resist absorbing.Damn it. Am I seriously getting too distracted by his enthralling face? Even his masculine and quite husky voice that was like a soothe to my left ear as he continued to whisper there, saying, “You know, If your accusations of me were even real, I could have already fuck you down the isolated road since
The dim light of the room cast eerie shadows, accentuating the tension that hung between us. Leon's silence weighed heavily as he handed me the frame, his eyes a storm of conflicting emotions. My fingers trembled slightly as I grasped the wooden edges, bracing myself for whatever revelation lay within.“What’s your deal with the Montefalco’s and how do you know that I was connected with them?” I hurriedly asked him.Suddenly, my regret for accusing him earlier surged back and made me think that perhaps I was not wrong for doing that since he was giving me another reason to think negatively about him again.Leon just stood up simply after that and immediately took something from the cabinet nearby. When he returned to sit on the edge of the bed once more, Leon extended what seemed to be a frame towards my direction as if he was telling me to look at it.“What’s this for?” I asked, wondering what he meant by it.But Leon just continued to give me the frame instead. Since he didn’t even
A glimmer of silvery light illuminated the peaceful countryside as the moon hung high in the sky. The constant rhythm of the clock, which was located in the corner of the room, provided a striking contrast to the maelstrom of ideas that were going through my head at the time. My attention was unwaveringly focused on Leon as I sat on the comfortable side of the bed next to him. The only thing he did was gaze at me before he stood up and put his back against the window. He then stared into the night sky as if he were looking for answers among the stars."At long last, the rain has stopped falling. Are you still interested in coming home at this late hour? I could still drive you," Leon offered in a startling and unexpected manner.After that, I came to the conclusion that he was correct. When he brought it up, I had not even noticed that the rain had ceased falling until he brought it up."If it's not too much trouble, I think I still have to go home now. you see, the fact that my aun
I stumbled through the front door, my clothes clinging to her like a second skin, drenched from the torrential downpour. My hair hung in wet, tangled strands around my face, and my usually bright eyes were clouded with exhaustion and something else—something Aunt Lou recognized instantly as fear.My aunt was a stout woman with a kind heart and a no-nonsense attitude. She was in her mid-fifties, with hair pulled back into a tight bun and a pair of spectacles perched on her nose. Tonight, however, her usual composure was shattered. She stood in the foyer, her face pale, her hands trembling as she clutched the edge of the table for support."Margarette! Oh, thank heavens you're home!" Aunt Lou's voice was a mixture of relief and panic. She hurried forward, wrapping me in a tight embrace despite the soaking wet clothes. "Where have you been? The police... they were here... I was so worried!"My body trembled in my aunt's arms. Since I was exhausted, both physically and emotionally, and th
I sat in the sunlit parlor of our old family home, the afternoon light casting a warm glow on the faded wallpaper. Aunt Lou was across from me, her knitting needles clicking rhythmically as she worked on yet another scarf. The serenity of the scene was a stark contrast to the turmoil churning inside me. The lawsuit against the Montefalcos weighed heavily on my mind, and I knew it was time to discuss it with Aunt Lou."Aunt Lou," I began, my voice barely above a whisper, "we need to talk about the lawsuit."She looked up from her knitting, her eyes softening with concern. Aunt Lou had always been my rock, my guiding star, especially since my parents had passed away. She set her knitting aside, giving me her full attention."Of course, dear. What's on your mind?"I took a deep breath, gathering my thoughts. "It's been almost a year since we filed the lawsuit against the Montefalcos for illegally seizing our family inheritance. The legal battle has been draining, both emotionally and fin
The weight of the file in my hands was suffocating. The words blurred together, but the truth was undeniable—my father hadn’t just been a scientist. He had been a test subject. And Elise’s father had orchestrated it all.Leon took the file from me carefully, his jaw tight as he read through the documents. “This wasn’t just research. They were experimenting on people.”Dorian exhaled sharply. “And your father was one of them.”I clenched my fists. “But why? What were they trying to do?”Leon flipped to the last page, scanning the details. His eyes darkened. “Something about genetic resilience. Accelerated healing. They were looking for ways to manipulate biological responses to trauma.”My stomach churned. “You mean… like making people stronger?”“Stronger, faster, immune to certain injuries.” Leon met my gaze, his voice heavy. “Margarette, they weren’t just studying human endurance. They were creating something.”A chill ran down my spine. “Creating what?”Dorian shifted uncomfortably
The room felt heavier now, as if the ghosts of the past had never truly left. My father’s study had once been a place of quiet authority, filled with the scent of polished wood and old books. Now, it was chaos—a graveyard of secrets waiting to be unearthed.Leon and Dorian moved swiftly, sifting through papers, searching for anything that might explain my father’s connection to Elise’s father. But my hands trembled as I flipped through the documents.My father’s handwriting stared back at me in sharp, deliberate strokes.Project Haven—Initiated 20 years agoI frowned. “Project Haven?”Leon peered over my shoulder. “That name mean anything to you?”I shook my head, but something about it felt... familiar. Like a memory I had brushed against in passing but never grasped fully.Dorian pulled a dust-covered filing box from beneath the desk. “We’ve got more.” He popped the latch and revealed stacks of old documents, some stamped with red ink.CONFIDENTIAL.I swallowed hard as I pulled out
The weight of the locket in my palm was heavier than I remembered. The last time I had seen it, I was a child—too young to understand the depth of what had been stolen from me. And now, years later, it had resurfaced in the hands of a man who had every reason to use it against me.Leon’s grip on my knees tightened. “We need to figure out why he has this.”I nodded, but my thoughts were elsewhere, tangled in memories I had buried long ago. My parents. Their deaths. The accident—or what I had been told was an accident.I took a shaky breath. “This locket... it was my mother’s. She gave it to me the day before she died.” My voice wavered. “When they found me after the accident, it was gone.”Leon’s eyes darkened. “Someone took it.”“Not just someone,” I whispered. “Elise’s father.”Dorian entered the room, his usual calm demeanor slightly frayed. “I just got word. Elise’s father left town hours ago. Whatever game he’s playing, he planned this move in advance.”Leon cursed under his breat
The moment we arrived at Leon’s safe house, a heavy silence settled between us. The tension in the air was suffocating, thick with unspoken fears and the weight of what we had just learned. Alexa was gone. And Elise's father—the man who had been a phantom in the shadows of our problems—had finally made his move.I paced the length of the dimly lit living room, arms crossed over my chest. My mind raced, trying to piece together the possibilities of where Alexa could be and what they might be doing to her. Dorian stood near the window, his sharp eyes scanning the darkness beyond, while Leon leaned against the wall, his jaw locked tight.“We need to move,” I said, breaking the silence. My voice came out steadier than I expected, but my hands were trembling. “Every second we waste, Alexa could be—” I cut myself off before finishing the thought. I refused to let fear paralyze me.Leon pushed off the wall, his expression unreadable. “Dorian already has our people searching the perimeter of
The city swallowed us whole the moment we stepped out of the car. Anacortes was the same—steel and stone, sharp edges and dark alleys—but I felt it in my bones. Something had changed. Or maybe it was just me.I wasn’t the same woman who had left this place behind. I wasn’t the same woman who had fallen in love in this city, built a life here, and thought she could outrun the ghosts waiting in the shadows. I had returned, but not as a victim. Not as the woman Elise’s father had once underestimated. No, this time, I was ready for war.Leon moved beside me, his presence solid, his energy coiled like a predator waiting to strike. He was on edge too. We all were.“Dorian.” Leon’s voice was low, sharp. “What do we know about Elise’s father’s movements?”Dorian’s fingers danced over his phone screen, his brow furrowing. “He’s been careful, but not careful enough. There’s been an increase in high-profile meetings in the city—business moguls, politicians, even a few well-dressed criminals. He’
The moment we stepped into the house, I could feel the tension in the air. Every shadow felt like a threat, every silence too loud. Leon locked the door behind us, and Dorian immediately pulled the curtains shut, moving with a precision that told me he’d done this before. I was no stranger to fear, but tonight, it pressed against my skin like a second layer.Elise’s father was behind this. I could feel it in my bones. And that terrified me more than anything.Leon paced near the fireplace, his face locked in a storm of controlled fury. Dorian sat at the table, his fingers moving across the keyboard of his laptop, eyes scanning for any digital trace of Alexa. I stood in the center of the room, my mind spinning with a thousand possibilities.“She’s out there somewhere,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “And we’re running out of time.”Leon exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. “We need to figure out what Elise’s father wants. What’s his endgame?”Dorian didn’t look u
The moment we stepped into the safe house, the air felt different. Heavy. Charged with something unspoken but undeniable. The low hum of tension sat thick between us, each of us knowing that Alexa’s disappearance wasn’t a coincidence. It was a move—a calculated strike from Victor Langford, a man whose power was as dangerous as his reach.I couldn’t stop my hands from trembling as I reached for the envelope Leon had just read aloud. You should have stayed away. The words were scrawled in sharp, deliberate handwriting. I imagined Victor writing them with a smirk, knowing exactly what this message would do to us.Leon exhaled sharply, crushing the paper in his fist. “We need to move fast.”Dorian nodded. “I’ll put our guys on the streets. If they moved Alexa within city limits, someone saw something.”I swallowed, forcing my voice to steady. “We can’t just wait for information. We need to hit back.”Leon’s gaze snapped to mine, a flicker of something unreadable in his expression. “What a
The night felt heavier than before, the air thick with unspoken tension as we pieced together what Elise’s father’s return truly meant. My mind raced through the implications—if he had found her, it meant he wasn’t working alone. It meant he had resources, people willing to do his bidding, and most of all, it meant we weren’t prepared for what was coming.Elise hadn’t moved from her place on the couch, her fingers white-knuckling the phone. She wasn’t the same woman I had met before—there was something fragile about her now, something shattered. I understood that feeling far too well.Leon and Dorian were standing near the kitchen island, speaking in hushed voices, but I caught fragments of their conversation.“We need to move her somewhere else,” Dorian said, arms crossed. “If he got to her once, he can do it again.”Leon ran a hand through his hair, his jaw tight. “Moving her won’t change anything if he has the means to track her.”“Then what do you suggest? We wait for him to knock
The tension still lingered, like static in the air, even after we had ensured Elise’s safety and returned to the penthouse. The night had been long, exhausting, and I was running on nothing but adrenaline and borrowed time.Leon stood at the kitchen counter, pouring himself a glass of whiskey. The amber liquid swirled in the crystal tumbler as he took a slow sip, his eyes trained on me. He didn’t have to say anything—I could feel the weight of his gaze."You’re shaking," he murmured.I exhaled sharply, glancing down at my hands. He was right. I hadn’t even realized it.Leon set his glass down and crossed the space between us in two strides. His hands, warm and steady, caught mine, stilling them. "Come here."I let him pull me into his arms, the exhaustion catching up to me all at once. I buried my face against his chest, breathing him in—woodsy cologne, something faintly smoky, something undeniably him."You always act like you have to carry the weight of everything on your own," he m