Chapter 274: Chapter 274 Found something unusual
The moment the fat man’s hand flashed from inside his jacket, the metallic gleam of a gun caught the light. His meaty fingers squeezed the trigger.
BANG!
The sound split the silence, bottles rattling on the shelves. But Leo had already moved.
His stool tipped back just enough for the bullet to whistle past his chest, shattering the liquor bottles lined along the wall. Whiskey poured like blood, dripping onto the counter. The fat man blinked in shock. How fast? He hadn’t even seen Leo move.
Leo’s hand closed around the man’s wrist before the second shot could fire. With brutal strength, he twisted it back, the bones popping. The gun clattered to the floor, and the man howled.
Leo stood tall and broad, his white shirt stretched across his chest, his muscles tense like a predator ready to strike. His stormy gray eyes burned with lethal cold.
"You dare," he said softly, his voice deep, velvet and deadly at the same time, "to point a gun at me?"
The man tried to struggle, but Leo slammed his head against the wooden table so hard the surface cracked. He pressed his weight down, bending the man’s arm further until he screamed in agony.
"Tell Pablo..." Leo leaned closer, his lips near the man’s ear, his tone calm, almost intimate. "If he wants to play with me, he’d better send someone stronger than you."
The fat man whimpered, his face bleeding against the splintered table.
Leo smirked, but his smile was cruel. He dragged the man up by his collar, lifting him as though he weighed nothing. Then, with a single swing, he hurled him across the room. The man crashed against the wall, rolling onto the floor in a heap of pain.
Everyone who had remained in the bar was frozen, their breaths caught. Leo ran his hand slowly down the front of his shirt, brushing off invisible dust, his gray eyes still glowing with predatory heat.
"You’re still alive," he said coldly, stepping over the man’s body. "That’s my generosity today. Next time..." He bent down, grabbed the man’s broken wrist, and twisted it again until the man shrieked. "...you won’t crawl out of here."
The man sobbed, clutching his wrist as Leo finally released him, standing tall and composed, his aura radiating dominance that made even his own men lower their eyes in awe.
He picked up the whiskey bottle that had rolled onto the floor, uncorked it with one hand, and took a slow sip, his lips glistening under the bar’s dim light.
"Tell Pablo..." he said again, his voice like fire and ice, "I’m coming." Then he sat back on his barstool, ignoring the fat man and giving him the chance to run.
But the man never ran—he fainted instead.
"Tsk."
Leo then called Jeffrey, who picked up on the first ring.
The taste of whiskey lingered on Leo’s lips as he held the phone to his ear. His voice dropped into that smooth, commanding tone that always made his men straighten their backs.
"How is the process going?" he asked coldly, his gray eyes still on the unconscious heap sprawled on the floor.
Jeffrey’s voice came quick, a little nervous but full of pride. "Sir, I got the pattern. We will catch the hacker after you come back. I used the same trail to dig deeper, and... it seems like this isn’t just some random hacker. It’s someone from Hackerverse. I’m still investigating, but I’m close."
Leo’s lips curved, the kind of smile that never reached his eyes but carried pure danger. His pulse quickened—not from fear, but from excitement. "Good. Good job, Jeffrey. You deserve a bonus."
There was silence for a second, then Jeffrey spoke again, his tone oddly shy. "Sir... if you’re giving me one because of my talent, then I’ll accept it. Otherwise, I don’t need it."
Leo chuckled, low and amused, running a hand through his dark hair. "Always acting humble. Fine—take it, but don’t waste my time pretending to be bashful. Just prove me right."
"Yes, sir," Jeffrey replied quickly, his voice filled with determination.
Leo ended the call, tossing the phone onto the counter, his jaw tightening as he thought about Hackerverse. His fingers tapped once against the bottle.
"Sir, we pulled this off his pocket," one of the men said, holding out a small packet.
Leo didn’t speak at first. He leaned forward, took it in his hand, and unwrapped the edge with slow precision. A faint dust spilled against his palm—light yellow, fine, amorphous powder. His eyes darkened immediately, and the air in the room grew tense.
"This isn’t cocaine," he said flatly, rolling the powder between his fingers. "Not heroin either."
The man who handed it over shifted nervously.
Leo’s gaze flicked up, cold and merciless. "Send it for testing. I want to know what the hell is inside," he ordered, his tone sharp enough to make the man flinch.
His men bowed their heads quickly, one rushing out to deliver it, others standing stiff, afraid to even breathe too loud.
****
"You’re not staying here?" Bella asked softly, her doe eyes carrying a hint of disappointment. She had already grown fond of Victoria’s company, the old woman’s sharp tongue and gentle heart oddly comforting.
Victoria chuckled and reached over to rub Bella’s head. "No, not for now. I’ve got a club to attend," she said with a sigh, her curly gray hair bouncing a little as she shook her head.
Bella blinked. "Club?" she repeated curiously.
"Mm. A nature club," Victoria explained, leaning back with a certain pride. "We make oils, creams, and all sorts of products from natural ingredients. Herbs, flowers, even roots you’d never think twice about. I manage everything—production, sales, meetings. Do you think I sit around knitting all day?" Her eyes sparkled with amusement.
"Wow..." Bella whispered, her lips curving into a smile. She hadn’t expected Leo’s grandmother to be so modern and busy.
Victoria smirked, clearly pleased by Bella’s reaction. "Hah, you’re impressed? You should be. Most women my age are gossiping or complaining about their knees. I’m out there building a business. Maybe I’ll even make you my model one day, hm?"
Bella’s face turned red. "M-model? Me?"
"Why not? You’ve got that soft skin and big eyes. A natural face for natural products," Victoria teased, patting Bella’s cheek before standing up.
***
After Grandma left, Bella was practically glowing. Her heart felt light, and she couldn’t stop smiling. "She is nice, kind and has an interesting personality..." she murmured to herself as she skipped back to her room, her rabbit slippers squeaking softly against the floor.
The first thing she did was grab her phone. Without hesitation, she called Leo.
Ring.
Ring.
Ring.
He didn’t pick up.
Bella puffed out her cheeks, glaring at the screen as though it were his fault. "Hmph! He told me if I ignore him again, he’ll ’collect interest.’ But now he’s ignoring me? Shouldn’t I be the one collecting interest now?" she muttered angrily, her lower lip jutting out in a pout. Still, in the back of her mind, she knew he was probably busy with work. That didn’t stop her from sulking.
Finally, she tossed the phone onto the bed and carried her laptop with her as she went into her favorite room. Climbing the small stairs, she stepped into the hollow tree space, the cozy nook she loved most. She placed the laptop on her lap, curled up with her knees drawn close, and opened it. The glow of the screen washed over her face as she sank into the world that felt most natural to her.
Her fingers flew across the keyboard, her screen glowing in the dim cozy light.
Bellatrix_019: sir, i will be coming tomorrow.
A moment later, the reply blinked in.
WWW
: Alright, I will prepare the office for you.Bella tilted her head. Office? Her brows furrowed.
Bellatrix_019: office?? sir, i am only coming for some hours.
The reply was instant.
WWW: Still, I have prepared for you.
Bella leaned back, chewing on her lip. Her heart skipped. "Prepare office? For me?" she whispered.
"Isn’t that too much...?" she murmured.
Bellatrix_019: sir i really don’t need.
A pause. Then his reply came, short and firm as always.
WWW: Don’t worry about anything, worry about only work.
Bellatrix_019: Okayy
With a sigh, she closed the chat window and stretched her arms above her head.
The glow of her laptop reflected in her wide brown eyes as she opened another tab, her focus shifting to a different task waiting in her queue. She adjusted her sitting position, curling up cross-legged inside the hollow tree space, and began typing at rapid speed. The sound of her keys echoed softly in the cozy room.
"Okay... next task, Bella. Let’s go," she whispered to herself, her expression turning serious, nothing like the soft bunny Leo knew.
Lines of code filled the screen. Bella’s brows furrowed in concentration as she traced through security layers, testing firewalls, slipping past them as though she were weaving through shadows. Every click, every keystroke brought her closer to the solution.
Hours passed quietly, the world outside fading away. For Bella, only the screen, the glow, and her racing mind existed.