Chapter 19 ~ Mr. L

Dark clouds loomed above the old building that stood grandly on the outskirts of the city. From the outside, it looked abandoned, but inside... chaos reigned, and a suffocating chill hung in the air.

A black car came to a halt right in front of the large iron door.

Leonel stepped out of the vehicle. His posture was firm, a tailored black suit wrapping perfectly around his frame. His gaze was razor-sharp, as if it could pierce through the heart of anyone daring enough to challenge him.

As soon as he stepped down, two of his men stationed by the door bowed respectfully.

“Welcome, Sir,” they said in unison.

Leonel gave a brief nod and walked into the building. Every step echoed steadily through the dimly lit hallway. People inside instinctively made way for him—some lowered their heads, none dared to meet his eyes.

His aura was intense—cold, mysterious, and threatening.

As Leonel opened the door to one of the main rooms, the atmosphere grew heavier. The scent of blood and tension thickened the air. In the middle of the room, a man was tied to a metal chair, slumped and weak, his face covered in bruises and dried blood.

The man slowly looked up at the sound of Leonel’s footsteps. The moment he saw who was standing before him, his entire body tensed. His already battered face turned even paler.

Leonel stopped just a few meters away. He didn’t say a word. Just stared.

And that was enough to send cold sweat dripping down the man’s back.

“Who are you? What’s your goal? You’ve been following Jeslyn,” Leonel finally spoke. His voice was calm, yet heavy with a pressure that tightened the air around them.

The man trembled. “I… I… I—” he stammered.

Leonel took a step closer, now only a single stride away. One of his men handed him a brown envelope, from which he pulled out a few photos.

Photos of Jeslyn—taken from a distance. More than one.

Leonel held them up to the man. “You took these in secret. You kept them. You followed her everywhere. Do you think that’s normal?”

“I-I just... I like her...” the man whispered hoarsely.

Without warning, Leonel’s fist slammed into the table next to the chair—hard—making everyone in the room flinch.

“I’ll make sure you never go near her again. Not now. Not ever. I hate people who touch what’s mine!”

The man trembled, unsure which hurt more—the fear coursing through him or the death sentence in Leonel’s eyes.

“P-Please. I’m sorry. Let me go. I promise I’ll never go near her again,” he begged.

“I won’t let anyone disrupt her life. You’ve already scared her, terrorized her, made her feel unsafe. So don’t expect mercy from me.” The man shook in terror at Leonel’s words.

“Please… P-Please let me go. I swear I won’t show up again,” he pleaded desperately.

Leonel turned around and gave a subtle signal to one of his men.

A tablet was handed to him. Leonel unlocked it and began showing security footage—clip by clip—of the man tailing Jeslyn. At the café, in the supermarket, in the parking lot, even when Jeslyn was walking alone at night.

“Look at that. You call this affection? This is sick obsession,” Leonel said, his voice heavier. “And an obsession like this deserves a punishment you’ll never forget.”

The man began thrashing, fear overtaking him completely. “Please… don’t hurt me… I swear, I won’t go near her again…”

Leonel ignored him. He circled the chair, stopping directly behind the man. His breath hovered near the stalker’s ear—icy and sharp.

“You have two choices,” Leonel said softly. “Disappear from her life… or disappear from this world.”

Silence fell. No one dared to speak. Even Leonel’s men stood stiffly, awaiting orders.

“Take him to the basement. Make sure he doesn’t move a muscle until I decide what to do with him,” Leonel ordered at last.

His men moved instantly. The man screamed and begged as two large men dragged the chair—and his bound body—away into the shadows of the basement corridor.

Leonel stood alone in the room, steadying his breath. His piercing gaze fixed on the tightly sealed basement door.

“No one is allowed to touch you, Jessy… No one ever will.”

***

Leonel sat in his black leather chair, inside his private office on the top floor of the building.

A spacious room with a minimalist design that exuded power. Floor-to-ceiling glass walls revealed a glittering nighttime cityscape, but the only reflection he saw was his own. Before him, an ebony desk was scattered with documents and an open laptop.

In the corner, thin cigarette smoke curled from a crystal ashtray. Leonel sat still, fingers tapping slowly on the desk surface.

Tok! Tok! Tok!

“Sir, it’s Eric and Marvel,” came the voice outside.

“Come in,” Leonel replied.

Eric entered first, his movements precise and disciplined, followed by Marvel—a muscular man in a sharp dark suit, though his brutal aura couldn’t be masked by his polished appearance.

“Mr. L,” Marvel greeted with a short nod.

Though they had worked together for years, Marvel knew the boundaries. In the public eye, Leonel was a successful businessman from the Clovies family. But in the underground world, the name Mr. L was legend—a name that sent people spiraling into fear.

Eric sat to Leonel’s right, opened a tablet, and began displaying data. Marvel handed over a folder and started speaking.

“Weekly report. Our trade syndicate saw a 17% increase in cross-port transactions. But there’s a minor issue in the northern zone. One of our agents got picked up by the police while undercover.”

Leonel opened the folder, his eyes scanning the documents swiftly. His expression remained cold, unshaken.

“Who’s responsible for the northern zone?” he asked briefly.

“Carlos, sir. But we secured him before he could spill anything. No data was compromised.”

Leonel placed the folder down and looked sharply at Marvel.

“Wipe all digital traces. And people like Carlos… don’t just remove them. Send a message. Everyone responsible should know—betraying me isn’t an option without consequences.”

Marvel nodded. “Understood. Also... our casino revenue spiked. Foreign high-rollers are coming in. But one of our rivals, Dario, is making moves. He’s sniffing around our cross-border operations.”

Leonel gave a crooked smile. Not warm—but cold and spine-chilling.

“If Dario wants to play, we’ll give him a stage. But make sure he slips on his own show.”

Marvel chuckled briefly, then straightened. “Orders will be carried out.”

Eric glanced at Leonel. “Would you like us to try a diplomatic approach first?”

Leonel rose from his chair, poured a glass of red wine from the shelf, took a slow sip, and replied in a quiet, icy voice, “This world doesn’t understand diplomacy, Eric. It only obeys two things—power and fear. And I have both.”

A heavy silence filled the room before Marvel and Eric stood in unison.

“We’ll proceed now,” Marvel said.

Leonel nodded. “Make sure they remember... Mr. L doesn’t spare anyone who plays dirty behind his back.”

As the door closed, Leonel turned to the wide glass window. The city lights twinkled from afar—beautiful, peaceful. But only he knew who controlled the darkness behind its glow.

***

That morning, the sky looked pale, as if mirroring Jeslyn’s restless heart. She stepped out of her apartment cautiously, glancing left and right before walking toward her car.

Jeslyn hugged her work bag tightly, as if it could offer protection. Though the streets were busy with morning traffic, she couldn’t shake the feeling… of being watched. Her eyes kept scanning behind her—for strangers, shadows, or a car that looked too familiar.

This unease had lingered for weeks, ever since that mysterious man began following her everywhere.

But today felt different.

She recalled Leonel’s words from yesterday: “I’ll take care of him. So you can feel safe again.”

That sentence echoed in her mind, mixing relief with a fear she couldn’t shake.

Jeslyn bit her lower lip. What exactly did Leonel mean by take care of? What was he going to do? Hurt him? Or worse? The thoughts made her chest tighten.

To Jeslyn, Leonel wasn’t an ordinary man. He had a darkness in him—one she didn’t fully understand. He was too calm in danger, too bold in the face of threats. And he never joked about his promises.

As her car pulled into her office parking lot, Jeslyn took a deep breath. She knew that once Leonel got involved, no one could stop him. Yet somehow, a part of her felt afraid—not of Leonel—but of how far he was willing to go.

Inside the elevator to her office, Jeslyn closed her eyes briefly, trying to convince herself everything would be fine.

Ding!

The doors opened—and her gaze immediately met the sharp eyes of the man who had haunted her thoughts.

Leonel stepped into the elevator with his signature smile.

“How are you feeling? Better?” he asked.

“Yes… I think I’m feeling better now,” Jeslyn answered softly.

“Good. No one will stalk or terrorize you anymore,” Leonel replied.

Jeslyn turned to him. “What did you do to him?”

Leonel leaned slightly toward her, his eyes gleaming with a dangerous playfulness.

“Why are you so curious, Jessy?” he asked, voice low and teasing.

Jeslyn nearly held her breath as he leaned in. His voice was a whisper of danger, laced with charm. Their proximity allowed her to catch his masculine scent—a blend of wood, spice, and something darker.

“Why are you so curious, Jessy?” Leonel repeated, his eyes scanning her face with piercing intensity.

Jeslyn tried to avert her gaze, but the man’s eyes held her captive. “I just... I needed to know. Did you... hurt him?”

Leonel offered a faint smile—not a kind one, but the kind that made Jeslyn’s heart pound, caught somewhere between fear and fascination.

“I simply gave him a lesson,” he said softly. “Something that’ll make him think twice before ever touching you again... or even daring to remember your face.”

“Leonel...” Jeslyn murmured, her voice filled with concern. “I don’t want you... getting into trouble.”

Leonel’s smile vanished in an instant. He stared at her, deep and unwavering.

“Jessy, if you think I’m the kind of man who gets into trouble... then you really don’t know me.”

The elevator came to a halt, and the doors slid open.

“I... I’m getting out,” she said quietly, stepping out and leaving Leonel standing there, his gaze still fixed on her.

God... being near that man is dangerous for my heart, she thought.

***

Jeslyn had just stepped out of a watch store, a small bag in hand containing her freshly repaired favorite timepiece. The soft afternoon breeze brushed against her face, teasing strands of her hair into a gentle dance. She inhaled deeply, planning to stop by the convenience store before heading home.

But her steps suddenly froze.

Her eyes locked onto a café right next to the shop. Its wide glass window laid everything inside bare—and that’s when she saw him.

Jefran.

He was seated casually at a table, accompanied by a beautiful woman Jeslyn immediately recognized.

Jeslyn went still.

Her hand clenched instinctively at her side, and she barely blinked as she took in the scene. They looked close. Intimate. The woman laughed softly, her hand brushing Jefran’s arm. And the most painful part—their fingers were laced together on the table, like lovers.

The dull ache in Jeslyn’s chest sharpened into a piercing sting. She blinked, praying it was just her imagination—but it wasn’t. It was real. Devastatingly real.

She could even see the way Jefran looked at the woman—so tender, so gentle... a gaze he had never once given to Jeslyn.

That woman... Jeslyn remembered now. The same woman she had seen at the party that night.

They had kissed—right in front of her.

***