Chapter 288: Chapter 288 Is he serious?!
After changing her clothes, Bella paused at the mirror, patting her cheeks lightly before splashing her face with cool water. Her reflection stared back at her, fresh and unguarded, no trace of the nervous hacker disguise she had been wearing earlier. She smoothed down her hair, trying to calm her racing thoughts.
That was when her phone buzzed. The screen lit up with a name that made her entire body jolt. Leo.
Her heart jumped to her throat. She gripped the phone tighter, staring at his name as if it might vanish, her pulse hammering in her ears. With trembling fingers, she swiped to answer. "H-hello," she stammered, her voice soft and unsure.
"I’m outside the mall," his deep voice rumbled through the line, calm yet commanding. "Come outside."
Bella’s breath caught. For a split second, panic flared.. She pressed her lips together, forcing her voice steady as she answered quickly, "Y-yes... I’ll come."
She ended the call, pressing the phone to her chest for a moment, her cheeks burning. Her heart wouldn’t stop racing. Why does he always sound like that? Like every word is an order no one could refuse...
Straightening her clothes, Bella took a deep breath and walked toward the mall’s glass doors. With each step, her legs felt lighter, her stomach twisting in knots.
***
"Go. Front seat," Leo said lazily, his voice carrying that sharp edge of command even though his posture looked relaxed.
"Why? I like it here," Jeffery muttered, slouching comfortably in the back seat as if it were his own living room. He even sighed in contentment, leaning against the leather with a smug little grin.
Leo’s expression darkened instantly, his gaze cutting toward him like a blade. "If you don’t move now," he said coldly, "I don’t mind kicking you out and leaving you here alone." The quiet threat in his tone left no doubt that he meant every word.
Jeffery’s forced smile wavered. "Haha—got it, sir! I got it!" He scrambled awkwardly out of the seat and slid into the front, his shoulders stiff. Under his breath, he grumbled, "Boss should be thankful to me. I’m the one who found that hacker... but no, instead he’s kicking me out."
Leo rolled his eyes, leaning back against the seat with a dismissive huff, as if Jeffery’s complaints were nothing more than background noise.
***
Bella spotted the familiar black car waiting near the curb—the very same car Leo had caged her against not long ago. Her steps slowed as she approached, her stomach twisting in nervous knots. The windows were tinted so dark she couldn’t see inside, and for a moment she considered turning around, pretending she had walked the wrong way.
But her fingers reached for the handle anyway, and she pulled the door open.
The moment it clicked, her breath caught. Leo was sitting there, in the very seat she had opened. His dark gaze lifted to hers, calm but heavy, like a storm that had been waiting.
Bella froze, gripping the handle. "Ah... wrong side," she blurted, her hand already moving to close the door.
"Come in," Leo said, his voice smooth and commanding, leaving no room for refusal.
Her eyes darted toward him nervously. "C-can you move a bit?" she asked softly, her cheeks warming.
"No." His reply was lazy, almost playful, but his eyes gleamed. Then, with a smirk, he patted his thigh slowly, as if suggesting the obvious.
Bella’s entire face flushed red. Her heart slammed against her ribs, her mind scrambling. Is he serious?!
Her wide, misty eyes blinked up at him in panic, and for a moment Leo just drank in the sight of her—his little bunny, so delicate, so easily flustered. He could almost hear her thoughts written across her face.
When she still hesitated, gripping the door like a lifeline, he sighed and shifted a fraction, giving her just enough space. "Fine. Sit," he said, as though granting her mercy.
Bella let out a small puff of relief, quickly slipping inside before he changed his mind. She sat stiffly beside him and pulled the door shut, her hands clutching her bag in her lap. The faint scent of his cologne filled the small space, rich and dark, wrapping around her until her shoulders tensed even more.
"You’re nervous," Leo said smoothly, his eyes sliding to her with a lazy kind of sharpness. His arm rested along the seat behind her, his posture relaxed, but his presence was anything but.
"I-I’m not nervous," Isabella answered too quickly, her fingers tightening around the strap of her bag.
She forced herself to meet his gaze, her lips twitching into a small, awkward smile. "Why would I be? I just went shopping. Nothing strange about that."
Leo’s mouth curved, his smirk faint but heavy. Shopping? Then why do your hands tremble every time I look at you, little bunny? His eyes lingered on her fresh face, still little bit damp from washing, her lashes darker, her lips soft and pink. She had changed her disguise well—now not the hacker, but the sweet young woman he already knew. Still, the act only made him more amused.
"Hello... sister-in-law~~" Jeffery finally blurted, unable to hold himself back any longer. He leaned his head between the front and back seats, grinning like a mischievous child.
Leo’s sharp gaze cut toward him instantly, a glare so cold it could have frozen the air.
But Bella, startled, blinked and then smiled politely. "Hi," she said softly.
"My name is Jeffery," he said proudly, puffing out his chest even though he was still half-turned in the seat. "I’m a hacker working at your husband’s company! And today—" he straightened as though announcing a medal— "I helped him catch the very hacker he’s been looking for." His tone carried all the pride in the world, like he had just saved the nation.
Leo’s lips curved into a smirk, his eyes sliding toward Bella, watching closely. At his side, Bella’s smile stiffened just slightly, her lashes lowering as she forced out a light laugh. "Oh... I didn’t know that."
Jeffery, brimming with self-importance, thrust his hand out toward her. "Pleasure to meet you, sister-in-law!"