Chapter Three: The Proposal That Changes Everything

EVA’S POV

Leon Castello stepped into my house like he already owned it.

The air shifted around him, heavy with authority and something darker—something unreadable. He moved with the quiet confidence of a man who never heard the word no, his tailored suit perfectly crisp, his piercing gaze locked onto me like he could see straight through my soul.

I swallowed hard, still gripping the door handle.

This was a mistake.

It had to be.

"What are you here?" My voice was rough, raw from crying so much, but I forced myself to maintain composure.

Leon’s expression did not change. He put his hands into his pockets, slowly taking in the empty living room. It was too quiet, too empty—a show of the chaos inside me.

He nodded toward the divorce papers still sitting on the coffee table. "I see Daniel didn’t waste any time."

The mention of his name sent a fresh stab of pain through my chest, but I refused to let it show.

I crossed my arms. "If you came here to mock me about my husband's betrayal, please save it. I am not in the mood."

Leon let out a low, amused hum. "Husband?" He arched a brow. "I don’t see a husband. Just a man who walked out and didn’t look back."

His words hurt more than they have the right to.

I balled my fists. "Why did you come here, Mr. Castello?"

He took a step closer, his presence overwhelming. "Because we have something to discuss."

I exhaled sharply. "I doubt we have anything in common."

A slow smirk played at his lips. "I disagree."

I frowned. "What could a billionaire like you possibly want from me?"

He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he walked past me, his sharp gaze sweeping over the half-empty shelves, the discarded wedding photos I hadn’t been able to bring myself to throw away. He stopped in front of one—our wedding day.

Daniel’s smile. My hopeful eyes. A lie frozen in time.

Leon picked up the frame and looked at it for a long time before dropping it back down. Then, he turned to face me.

"I’m here to make you an offer."

I blinked. "An offer?"

He stepped closer. "A marriage contract."

My heart stopped. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me." His voice was soft, in check, like he was talking about a stale business deal. "I want to marry you."

Not able to process his words I stared at him in shock. Is he joking right now? A cruel prank?

I let out a short, incredulous laugh. "Are you insane?"

Leon’s expression remained unreadable. "No. But I am a businessman. And this is a mutually beneficial transaction."

Transaction.

The word made my stomach churn.

I shook my head. "Look I don't know what you are trying to achieve, but I am not interested in being part of it. I just found out my husband was a liar and a cheat. I’m not about to jump into another—"

"This isn’t about love."

His words cut through my protest, firm and unwavering.

"This is about power," he continued. "And revenge."

Revenge.

The word hung between us, thick with unspoken promises.

I swallowed. "What kind of revenge?"

Leon tilted his head slightly. "The kind that will ruin Daniel Sinclair. Completely."

My breath caught.

"You really want to know why I want you to be my wife?" His voice dropped low, to almost a whisper as he came closer to me. "Because Daniel thinks he won."

I stiffened.

"He climbed to the top, used you, discarded you, and now he thinks he’s untouchable," Leon continued, his eyes locked onto mine. "But what do you think will happen when the woman he threw away becomes Mrs. Castello?"

The air in the room thickened.

My mind raced. I could already see it—Daniel’s smug face twisting in shock, Vanessa’s perfect little world cracking, the media scrambling to understand why Leon Castello, one of the most powerful men in the city, had married his ex-wife.

It would destroy him.

The idea was intoxicating.

But it was also insane.

I shook my head quickly. "This is ridiculous. Even if I wanted to hurt Daniel, why would you care? You’re a billionaire. You don’t need me to get back at him."

Leon’s lips pressed together. For the first time, something shifted in his gaze—something I could not read.

"You are worth more than being dumped by a man like him."

The quiet intensity in his voice made my breath hitch.

I looked away. My heart was beating too fast, my pain too new.

"This does not make any sense," I whispered. " Because tell me why you would you want to be with someone like me?"

Leon took a deep breathe, as if trying to make up his mind how much to say. Then, after a long silence, he spoke.

"Because I have my own reasons."

His answer only raised more questions.

I studied him. There was something beneath that perfectly composed mask of his—something deeper.

But I was not so sure of my interest in knowing what it was.

I turned away, with my fingers pressed against my temples. "This is crazy. I need to think—"

"You don’t have time."

His sharp voice made me look up.

"You think Daniel is done with you?" Leon’s eyes darkened. "That he will just let you move on after walking away ?”

A cold chill ran down my spine.

"Men like him don’t leave loose ends," Leon said. "He’ll drag you through the mud. Make sure you’re too broken to stand on your own."

I swallowed hard. A part of me didn’t want to believe it. But another part—one that remembered Vanessa’s cruel message, Daniel’s cold smirk—knew it was true.

Leon took one last step, closing the distance between us.

"I can make sure he never touches you again," he said, his voice like steel. "I can make you untouchable."

Silence stretched between us.

My pulse pounded in my ears.

This was madness. A dangerous, reckless idea.

And did not feel helpless, for the first time in the past twenty-four hours.

I had a choice.

Leon extended his hand. "Marry me, Eva."

With my heart pounding against my ribs. I stared at him.

This was it.

The moment that would change everything.