Chapter 299: Chapter 299 Admiration
"Okay..." Bella said softly, a little hesitant but agreeing anyway.
Then she started flipping through the papers again without another word. Her eyes moved rapidly, scanning line after line, absorbing information at a speed that left him almost speechless. Every few seconds, her gaze paused on a key point, the faintest crease forming between her brows as she mentally highlighted the details. By the time she reached the end, she had already committed the entire document to memory.
Leo leaned back in his chair, watching her in silence. There was something utterly mesmerizing about seeing her like this—focused, calm, completely in her element. Her brown eyes, usually soft and filled with emotion, looked darker now, sharpened by concentration. They reminded him of the earth at its most secret hour: rich, deep, and quietly powerful. The kind of brown that held warmth and gravity, grounding everything around it.
When she finally turned toward the computer, Leo’s gaze followed every small movement. She switched on the system with quiet confidence, her fingers falling onto the keyboard like a pianist about to begin a symphony. And then she began typing.
Her movements were so fast they almost blurred, the rhythm sharp and steady, her focus absolute. Lines of code bloomed across the screen like a digital storm, and Leo sat frozen, his heartbeat quickening with awe.
He couldn’t believe this was the same woman who blushed over soft toys and argued with him over little things. His little bunny, the sweet, innocent girl who loved cake and chocolates like a child, was now sitting before him as one of the world’s most powerful and dangerous hackers.
This morning, before she arrived, he had done his own research on Bellatrix_019. The name appeared in government reports, security forums, and private firms—each one praising her as a silent savior of the digital world. For years, she had helped countless systems for free, protecting and repairing what others destroyed. Only recently had she begun accepting paid commissions, and even then, her prices remained modest, almost humble.
Leo’s chest swelled with pride. How kind, sweet, and talented his Bella was.
What doesn’t she know?
He thought of the way she could cook, design, code, manage her business, and still make time to smile at everyone she met. She ran her BellaZone e-commerce shop and still remembered the names of every one of his employees, even the guards and drivers he himself often overlooked.She never carried arrogance despite her brilliance. She was gentle, respectful, and always kind—the sort of woman who could be loved by everyone, yet remained unaware of how extraordinary she was.
Leo’s gaze softened, the admiration in his eyes melting into something deeper. She’s the embodiment of divine feminine energy, he thought. She could be cute and clumsy, sharp and dangerous, nurturing and fierce, all at once.
His mind drifted to the night they were attacked. He hadn’t known it at the time, but now he did—it was her who had singlehandedly destroyed Pablo’s base and saved them all. He remembered how she had blocked an attack meant for him and ended up injured instead.
Even after all that, after the cruelty of her uncle and the years of loneliness, she had never turned bitter. She still looked at the world with warmth, still believed in goodness, still smiled at small joys.
And Leo, sitting there, watching the woman he loved typing away with quiet grace, made himself a silent promise.
He would protect that kindness, no matter what it took.
Her light was something he could never allow this world to dim.
Leo felt suddenly, almost painfully aware of how blessed he was to have her in his life. The realization hit him as he sat there, unable to tear his eyes away. He hadn’t even noticed how long he had been staring—his gaze fixed on her without blinking, his breath held as if afraid that even air might break the fragile spell around her.
He forced his attention back to the screen, trying to ground himself. Red dots glimmered on the digital map, tracing enemy networks, while another monitor filled with cascading lines of code—all flowing from her fingers, elegant and precise. It was beautiful in its own strange rhythm, like watching art form in motion.
But then his eyes drifted again, drawn irresistibly back to her.
Her lips.
She was biting her bottom lip lightly, trapping the soft pink flesh between her teeth as she concentrated. The sight struck him with a sudden ache. Those lips looked so delicate, tender enough to bruise under pressure, yet she worried them mercilessly when she worked. He could see the faint tension in her jaw, the tiny furrow between her brows—the kind of focus that made him both proud and helplessly drawn to her.
A wave of something hot and unfamiliar curled through his chest. God, what was happening to him? He had never felt this kind of intensity for anyone—not even for that woman from his past, the one who had deceived him for money. That had been attraction, ego, possession—not this. Never this.
With Bella, everything felt different.
There was a strange purity in the way she filled the room. Even when she was quiet, it felt as if the air moved around her, drawn to her warmth. She didn’t try to charm him; she simply existed, and somehow that was enough to set his pulse on fire. Every small movement—the faint tilt of her head, the steady rhythm of her typing, the little crease between her brows—felt like a secret meant only for him to witness.
And as he sat there, unable to look away, his chest tightened almost painfully. His heartbeat thudded so loudly it drowned the sound of the keys clicking.
He pressed his palm flat against the desk, trying to steady himself, but it didn’t help. His heart wouldn’t listen.
Because with her, it didn’t just beat.
It burned.
But then, in the middle of all those intense emotions, a chill slipped into Leo’s thoughts. His eyes stayed on her, yet his mind wandered somewhere darker.
Her uncle.