Chapter 2

"Leo," Renee chimed in. She had been quietly watching the drama unfold, but now she looked at Leonardo with downcast eyes. "Should we step outside and give you and your fiancee some time alone to talk things through?"

"She's not my fiancee!" Leonardo snapped and instinctively shoved me away.

I lost my balance and fell straight backward, my lower back slamming hard against the table behind me. The glass on the edge slid off and shattered on the floor. Shards flew across the tile, grazing Renee's delicate ankle.

She let out a soft, dramatic gasp. "It hurts…"

Leonardo's face paled instantly. He dropped to his knees to check her wound before scooping her up in his arms. "Let's find a doctor."

Meanwhile, I was left clutching my lower back, the sharp pain anchoring me to the spot.

Inside the hospital room, their friends—all too eager to suck up to the golden couple—grabbed a bucket of filthy mop water and splashed it all over me.

"Vanessa, don't think that just because you were willing to give up the credit for your designs, you get to act all high and mighty in front of Renee. To us, and to Leonardo, you're nothing but a dog."

"Look at how panicked Leonardo got over a tiny scratch on Renee. Have you ever been treated like that in all your years of groveling? Do yourself a favor and leave quietly, or you'll just end up embarrassing yourself even more."

The room erupted into a chorus of mocking laughter. Every word was a calculated jab meant to belittle and degrade me.

I wiped the filthy water from my face, my voice calm and unruffled. "I'm not going to get in their way, because I never actually liked Leonardo anyway."

That single sentence left everyone in the room rooted to the spot.

Just as they were gearing up for another round of insults, the door swung open, and Leonardo walked in. Seeing the mess on the floor and me drenched from head to toe, his brow furrowed in irritation.

"What the hell is going on here?"

No one expected him to come back, let alone get angry over me, his so-called devoted lapdog.

After a long pause, someone forced out a nervous laugh. "Leo, come on. We were just joking around with your little pet."

"This is your idea of a joke?" Leonardo's expression darkened. "Even if she's a dog, she's still mine. No one else gets to lay a finger on her."

His voice dropped, cold and dangerous. "Anyone who laid hands on her, slap yourselves. Don't make me do it for you."

This time, I was the one caught off guard. Since when did Leonardo possess a conscience? Since when was he this decent to me?

As the sound of rhythmic slapping filled the room, Leonardo draped his jacket over my shoulders and led me out.

I followed him out of the hospital room, completely bewildered.

Then, his phone buzzed again. It was Renee.

"Leo, where did you go?" her voice whined through the speaker, soft and cloying. "I'm scared of being alone in the hospital. Can you come back and stay with me? Please?"

Leonardo hesitated, his gaze flickering toward me. "Vanessa, can you find a doctor on your own?"

I looked down at my drenched dress and scraped palms, and a smile bloomed across my face. "Of course I can."

At that, Leonardo looked as though he had just been granted a pardon. He let out a visible sigh of relief. "Then just head home once you're done."

I nodded. "Alright."