ВойтиLowering his voice, he coaxed gently, “I never said anything about letting you die.”
“You may not want me dead, but you clearly want to—” Navia glared at him, only to lose her nerve halfway through the sentence.
Leonel’s lips curved slightly. “Want to what?”
He was obviously teasing her on
Navia’s blood practically froze.She never imagined he would casually aim a gun at her.Digging her nails hard into her own arm to force herself to stay conscious, she managed to say,“I’m pregnant. Seeing blood wouldn’t be good for me.”“What a shame.”Leonel stared at the way she was trembling while desperately trying to stay calm.And suddenly, he looked amused.“What if I insist?”Navia froze.“Tomorrow,” Leonel said casually, “I’m going hunting.”“You’re coming with me.”It wasn’t a question.It was an order.Navia understood that perfectly.She had no right to refuse.After a long pause, she took a breath.“…Alright. I understand.”“Good.”Leonel seemed very satisfied with her obedience.Only then did he slowly lower the rifle.“It&rsqu
Leonel studied her trembling lashes.She looked frightened enough to shatter, delicate as a butterfly trapped beneath his hand.The corner of his lips slowly lifted.“You’d better mean that. Knowing your place is the only option you have.”Navia quietly clenched her fists. “…I understand.”Leonel raised an eyebrow. “So this is you surrendering?”Navia didn’t answer directly.She bit down lightly on her lip before placing a hand over her stomach.“I just want to live long enough to safely give birth to my baby.”Leonel’s gaze immediately dropped to her flat abdomen.His brows furrowed slightly.When Navia saw his hand reaching toward her stomach, her pupils shrank instinctively. Fear surged through her, and she almost pushed him away.But the moment her fingers brushed against him, she sensed the sudden coldness radiating from his body.She forced
After the call ended, Navia could still feel her heartbeat pounding violently against her ribs.She took a shaky breath and splashed cold water onto her face at the sink, washing away her makeup.Without cosmetics, her skin looked pale and delicate—but also fragile.And the bruises around her neck were horrifyingly obvious now, the angry red marks standing out starkly against her skin.Could she really do this?Honestly, she had no confidence at all.But even if the odds were slim, slim still meant there was hope.She had to try.A determined look flashed across Navia’s eyes as her hand gently rested over her stomach.“Baby,” she murmured softly, “you better protect Mommy, okay? If something happens to me… you’re in trouble too.”She hurried toward the restroom exit—Only to freeze when she saw a familiar figure standing outside.“Vivian…?”Vivia
Just moments ago, her instincts had screamed that Leonel truly intended to strangle her to death.But then he suddenly stopped.And the look of pain on his face…It gave her hope.She had thought the real Leonel would never come back.But after seeing that scene, she realized there might still be a chance.After all, that man had clearly been determined to kill her, yet in the end, he couldn’t go through with it.Which meant the real Leonel Crawford hadn’t completely disappeared… right?But Ethan—the one person Leonel trusted most, and the person Navia trusted most too—had been sent overseas.She had no one else left to rely on.She had to find a way to bring Ethan back.The phone rang again and again.No answer.Navia bit down hard on her lip.This was probably the best opportunity she would ever get.But she didn’t know what to do with it.Was she really supp
Impossible.Robert refused to believe it.“She’s lying to you! She’s doing exactly what Vivian did to me before!”Back then, Vivian also pretended to obey him.And in the end?After everything he sacrificed trying to get her back—she still wanted nothing to do with him.“Really?”Leonel looked utterly unimpressed.His gaze toward Robert carried open contempt.“Unfortunately, I’m not you. You were destined to fail from the beginning, Robert.”With that, he turned and walked away.Robert exploded instantly.“Failure?! You dare call me a failure?!”“And what about you?! You’re not even human!”“Just wait—”“You won’t stay smug forever—”He continued shouting furiously, but the bodyguards had already begun dragging him away.His furious curses gradually faded into the
Navia froze.She instantly understood what he meant.“You mean—”Before she could continue, Leonel cut her off sharply.“My patience is limited. I don’t intend to repeat myself.”With that, he turned and walked away.Navia’s heartbeat pounded harder than ever.At first, she truly believed she had absolutely no leverage against this version of Leonel.He wasn’t the man who once loved her.The only reason he kept her beside him was probably to stop others from noticing something was wrong with him.But now…maybe he didn’t actually feel nothing toward her after all.Was it because of the baby?Or something else?Navia didn’t dare think too deeply about it.First, there wasn’t enough time.Second—how could an ordinary person possibly understand the logic of a madman?Still, one thing became clear to her.Viv
Leonel carried her bridal-style back to the car and settled her carefully onto his lap.Navia stayed quiet the entire time.Too quiet.The silence coming from her was enough to make his chest ache.Inside the car, the atmosphere was suffocatingly still. Jason didn’t dare
Fragments of the conversation drifted into Leonel Crawford’s ears.His sharp gaze darkened instantly, and he stopped in his tracks.The break room door flew open. The employees inside nearly jumped out of their skin. The moment they turned around and saw the icy expression on the
Navia’s heart nearly stopped.“I’m Leonel Crawford’s wife,” she said quickly. “I need to speak to him right now.”The assistant paused.When he spoke again, his tone had changed completely.“Miss, Mr. Crawford is unmarrie
Since it was their first meeting—and in a place like Monarch Club, no less—there was no way these men intended to discuss real business immediately.Leonard Bell poured a glass of tequila and slid it toward Navia with an expectant smile.“These gentlemen are all go







